The U.S. has the bigger names. After all, Tiger Woods is the captain. Oh, and he’s a player, too. Then there’s Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed and … well, you get the point.
Every player on the U.S. roster is in the top 23 in the world; the International side has only two of its 12 players in the top 23. There’s the history, too, with the U.S. 10-1-1 in the Presidents Cup. So can the International team pull the upset? Can it be competitive? We’re about to find out. Here’s what’s on tap for Day 1 at Royal Melbourne:
Sitting out: Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar for the U.S.; Haotong Li and Cam Smith for International.
So much for the U.S. and Woods easing their way into the Presidents Cup. Captain Woods is sending Player Woods out of the gate in the very first match in what is perhaps the marquee pairing for the United States, alongside his good friend Thomas. Logistically, it makes sense, too: Woods plays early, gets done early, then can get back to being captain and following the rest of his team around in the four other matches. International captain Ernie Els put one of the local favorites out first; Leishman is one of three Australians on the roster. Imagine the tone this would set if the unlikely pairing of Leishman (3-7-3 in Presidents Cup competition) and the rookie Niemann knocked off Woods and Thomas. You think the Internationals will start thinking upset in a hurry?
Prediction: Woods and Thomas win 4 and 2
Of the four players in this group, Hadwin is the only one who has played on this stage before. That experience, however, wasn’t a good one: Hadwin went 0-2-1 two years ago in his Presidents Cup debut. Schauffele and Cantlay make sense as pair — similar games and similar demeanors. The downside for the U.S. here is that neither Cantlay nor Schauffele played all that well last week at the Hero World Challenge: Cantlay was 17th in the 18-player field and Schauffle was T-10.
Prediction: Hadwin and Im win 2 and 1
This was a creative pairing from Woods, putting the easy-going Finau with the methodical, detail-oriented DeChambeau. Both are Presidents Cup rookies, though each did compete last year in the Americans’ disastrous loss in France. One of the reasons for that loss was DeChambeau, who went 0-3. Finau was one of the few bright spots, going 2-1 at Le Golf National. Putting Scott with An makes sense for the Internationals. Scott, another Australian, will be the biggest of the local favorites. He’ll have the task of guiding An, who will be making his first appearance. Scott has called for the Australian crowd to be vocal in support of the Internationals. We’ll see if they get on the slow-playing DeChambeau or save the heckling for the next group. (Hint: We’re talking about Patrick Reed.)
Prediction: Scott and An win 3 and 2
This is where things could get really interesting. The biggest point of conversation all week has been Reed’s problems with the rules a week ago at the Hero World Challenge. Any time the word “cheating” is thrown around in golf, it’s a big, big deal. And it’s not the first time it has been associated with Reed. The International side, most notably Cam Smith, has not been shy about condemning Reed’s actions. Reed walks around with a chip on his shoulder. He has said all this talk will make this Presidents Cup personal for him. How badly do you think he wants to stick it to everyone? Simpson will be the calming influence. Wouldn’t it have been great if Smith was in this group? Instead, Matsuyama and Pan will have to deal with a motivated Reed.
Prediction: Reed and Simpson win 5 and 4
Woods clearly went with the muscle here. Els clearly did not. If we were just looking at the tale of tape, this wouldn’t be a fair fight:
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Dustin Johnson: 6-foot-4, 190 pounds; Woodland: 6-1, 195 pounds
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Louis Oosthuizen: 5-10, 180 pounds; Abraham Ancer: 5-7, 160 pounds
But this will be contested on the golf course, not in the Octagon. Oosthuizen isn’t a short hitter, getting it out there 296 yards on average in 2019; Ancer is at 293. And Royal Melbourne, playing at 7,047 yards, doesn’t give big hitters like Johnson and Woodland a big advantage. On paper, this doesn’t look like a fair fight. In reality, it is. If the Internationals are looking to steal a match they aren’t supposed to win, this one might be it.
Prediction: tie