THE PRESIDENTS CUP | 27
SHOWDOWN: America vs. Internationals
The Presidents Cup—the great team event— will attract a host of world-class players, along with the world’s media, as they gather at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in November. BY WARD CLAYTON
T
he last time The Presidents Cup traveled Down Under, the International Team was led by an Australian golf icon, had
a surprising star emerge from Japan and came through with its only outright victory in the competition. The same dynamic could be in place this November when Australia once again hosts The Presidents Cup. The November 17-20 event at Royal Melbourne
Golf Club will be the site of the 10th playing of the event that pits 12 American golfers against 12 international players from outside Europe. Royal Melbourne becomes the first golf course outside the United States to host the team match-play tournament more than once. The 1998 event was a resounding International
Team victory from the outset. World Golf Hall of Famer Peter Thomson was the International Team captain as his team led 7-3 after the first day of competition and went on to a 20½ –11½ victory. The leader on the course was Japan’s Shigeki Maruyama, who went 5-0-0 and provided the International Team an inspirational spark with his ever-present smile, which earned
“Serving as U.S. Team Captain in 2009 was one of the best weeks of my life... I knew that I would do this again in a heartbeat.” Fred Couples
him the nickname, “Smiling Assassin.” The only suspense for the Singles matches came when a young Tiger Woods asked to be paired against Greg Norman, with Woods holding on for the victory. “They played some of the most unbelievable
golf,” said 1998 U.S. Captain Jack Nicklaus. This year’s competition at Royal Melbourne will
have another Australian Hall of Famer, Norman, serving as captain of the International Team. As for the surprising spark on the team, it could be a young player such as Ryo Ishikawa of Japan or Jason Day of Australia or reigning Masters champion Charl Schwartzel from South Africa. The American team will counter with power
players such as Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson and veterans Steve Stricker and Phil Mickelson. “The 1998 event was so successful, and The
Presidents Cup has only grown in stature and importance since then,” said Thomson, who captained the International Presidents Cup Team in 1996, 1998 and 2000. “I have no doubt that it will be another fantastic competition.”
THE
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