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Presidents Cup: Meet the International team

By Mike Randleman

JERSEY CITY, NJ - SEPTEMBER 26: A tee marker as seen during a practice round prior to the Presidents Cup on September 26, 2017 at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
JERSEY CITY, NJ - SEPTEMBER 26: A tee marker as seen during a practice round prior to the Presidents Cup on September 26, 2017 at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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Presidents Cup
ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 21: Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela plays his shot from the second tee during the first round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 21, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Jhonattan Vegas came close to qualifying for the team as a PGA Tour rookie in 2011. He’s been off the radar for the past two editions primarily due to injuries that sent his game into a slump or fits of stop and start.

The 33-year-old is the first Venezuelan to make the International team and did so thanks to a late summer surge.

Vegas won the RBC Canadian Open in July and tied for third at The Northern Trust in late August to solidify a spot in the International top 10 standings. He had a nice 2017 making 16 cuts in 24 starts worldwide and reached the Tour Championship last week.

Vegas can be a bit of a streaky player. He made 12 cuts in a row between 2016 and 2017, then missed five in a row not long after. His game appears to be in decent shape now and he’s got the kind of length to keep up with the Americans.

He averages over 300 yards off the tee and is 32nd on the PGA Tour in approaches from 200-225 yards and fourth from 225-250. With four par-5s on the card on a course that doesn’t project to be too penal around the greens, Price will be hopeful Vegas can bomb his way around Liberty National.

Vegas and Grillo could be a potential duo as the team’s two Spanish-speaking players.

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