Is this a turning point for the Presidents Cup?

The Presidents Cup – file photo

To some extent this week’s Presidents Cup sees the event reaching a crossroads.

A comprehensive win by the USA side would see the record, which in 14 previous matches reads 12 to 1 in favour of the Americans along with one tied encounter, suggesting another win by the USA would bring into question the value of the contest.

But a closer look at the encounters over the years suggests things are perhaps not as one-sided as the results would indicate with the International side losing by one point on two occasions and by two points on another in addition to the victory at Royal Melbourne in 1998 and the tied match in South Africa in 2003.

When considering the plight of the underdogs it should be remembered that it took the Ryder Cup until the mid-1980’s before it became a genuine contest.

The Americans had won 21 of the first 25 Ryder Cup encounters between its inception in 1927 and 1983 before the European side boosted by the introduction of Continental Europeans into the previous Great Britain and Ireland side, changed the course of what has now become one of the greatest of all sporting contests.

The Europeans were aided by the ‘them and us’ mentality of the European Tour essentially taking on the might of the PGA Tour but with the introduction of Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Jose Maria Olazabal and the like, and the confidence the change of fortunes would bring, the Ryder Cup has now become a contest in which the former underdogs have turned the tables on the Americans.

Whether the Presidents Cup can ever experience such a transformation remains to be seen but a win this week or even a very close contest will add to the belief of the Internationals that they can become a far more serious opponent in the years ahead.

One of the aspects that keeps the USA ahead of the curve in results is that they get to play the formats linked to both the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup each year while for the widely sourced Internationals it happens only every second year, giving the Americans an advantage not only in terms of their overall ranking strength but in experience.

There is little doubt that on any given day, each member of the International side is capable of beating their opposite number on the American side but the collective strength of the Americans and that they are playing under one flag certainly helps their cause and if things were to change this year then it would be a surprise although, admittedly, a pleasant one for the future of the event.

Only two of the Internationals (Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott) are currently inside the top twenty in the world ranking while the Americans boast nine in that category and not one outside the top 25 while for the Internationals only four players are inside the top 25.

Not that this sort of disparity in rankings is uncommon as in most Presidents Cup contests the Internationals have always suffered in terms of ranking strength but golf is a game played on grass and not paper. It might be that this ongoing underdog status will serve to bolster the International’s chances as they try and reverse this David and Goliath battle.

Three Australians (Adam Scott, Jason Day, and Min Woo Lee) have made the team Scott and Day via automatic qualifying while Lee gets his chance courtesy of Captain Mike Weir’s generosity.

Scott is by some measure the most experienced in either side in this week’s contest with ten previous appearances while Matsuyama has five and Jason Day is the next best with four.

In fact, where the Internationals have an advantage is in the amount of Presidents Cup appearances. The Internationals have 28 while the Americans have just 11 although the Americans do have many of their team with Ryder Cup experience also.

None of the Americans have more than two Presidents Cup appearances.

So what do all of these stats mean for this week’s contest?

Clearly, the Americans will start as hot favourites with a quote of around $1.40 for their winning chances verses $3.50 for their opponents but something tells this writer that the odds should be narrower than that.

The Internationals need to get off to a good start in the all-important fourball on Friday and build on that as much as possible ahead of the 12 singles matches on Sunday.

They will be buoyed by what will be no doubt a partisan Canadian crowd who will be willing on their three representatives and the team captain Weir in the hope that their rowdy support will serve to inspire the ‘home’ team.

If the Internationals can head into Sunday in, or within striking distance of the lead then it will be a case of game on for the final day.

Let’s hope for the sake of the event’s future it is a closely fought encounter irrespective of who wins.