Welcome to Earl's Golf Blog
october 4, 2024
Presidents Cup - Americans do it again
I love individual one to one or two on two match play events. Personalities, guts, and individual fortitude are on display in each match. The final score of 18 ½ to 11 ½ made it seem that the International team was easily defeated. But those that watched closely, witnessed mostly tight matches that came down to one shot that could've gone either way.
On paper the American team was the much stronger team based on World Ranking, but each International member had solid credentials that made their team believe that this was the team that would finally win after nine straight losses. A strong contingent of six Asian players led by Hideki Matsuyama, three rising Canadian players playing on their home turf, and toss in two Major tournament winners like Jason Day and Adam Scott and you have a reputable team. The American's had five new players that hadn't been tested in this type of competition. So, it was a guess on who would rise up in these pressure situations.
The answer came quickly on the first day with all five rookies for the American's seeing action and all came away with victories in the Four-Ball competition. Three matches were decided by one hole and the event looked like a runaway. Day two was a total reversal of play and fortune. The Internationals completely dominated three of the Foursome matches and edged out one-up victories in the other two to sweep the second day. Now the game was on, but day three showed that the American's were up to the task, winning 3 of 4 matches in the morning Four-Ball and 3 of 4 matches in the afternoon Foursome matches. With a score of 11 to 7, the game was over, except for an outside chance of a miracle. But the American's rarely lose individual matches in this type of competition and they prevailed again with a 7 ½ to 4 ½ advantage on Sunday.
Two years ago, I wrote on this blog that the Internationals were getting closer and would soon be our equals. This year showed that they are not in the same league, at least not yet. Maybe the comradery that the Europeans have is missing with players from all parts of the world and it's tough to bond in the short time that they are thrown together into a team situation. Either way, the Internationals will continue to improve, but for this event to remain relevant, the competition needs to have the Internationals to start winning. At this time, with the all-time American record standing at 13 wins, 1 loss, and 1 tie, the rivalry is just not there.
As stated above, I love head-to-head match play competition. The Presidents Cup delivered with some outstanding play and great experience for the five American rookies that saw action. This could be invaluable when the US goes up against their nemesis in the European squad at Bethpage in 2025.
