Presidents Cup 2019: Automatic qualifiers set for Ernie Els’ International team

The 2019 Presidents Cup automatic qualifying period ended after the BMW Championship, and Ernie Els is looking to take down the American team for just the second time in event history.

The Presidents Cup has largely become an exercise in American dominance. In 12 outings, the International team, which represents the entire world except for Europe, has won outright just once. They tied in 2003, when captains Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player elected to end the contest after three playoff holes between Ernie Els and Tiger Woods failed to decide a winner.

In a bit of a poetic turn, those two men will now lead their respective teams in 2019 at Royal Melbourne. Each team has their first eight automatic qualifiers locked in after the BMW Championship, and we covered Tiger’s team earlier this week. Now, it’s time to take a look at the talent the Big Easy will get to lead.

The top qualifier for the International side is Australia’s own Marc Leishman. While he may not know what he doesn’t know (still awesome a year later), he does know how to get the job done when it counts. He won the CIMB Classic last fall, and notched an additional seven top-ten finishes in 2019, recently finishing third at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. It wasn’t a great major season for Leishman, but he’ll certainly bring the Down Under spirit with him and carry the home crowd’s energy all week. This will be Leishman’s fourth consecutive Presidents Cup appearance.

Coming in a close second, just five points behind Leishman, is Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama. The 26th-ranked player in the world has gone winless for the last two years, which to me speaks more to his perceived underachievement than any lack of talent. When he’s on, he’s got the capacity to be one of the top players in the world. The only question is whether he’ll ever consistently live up to that otherworldly potential. He finished solo third this past week at the BMW Championship, and he’ll also be making his fourth straight Presidents Cup team.

South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen is the third automatic qualifier for this year’s competition. Bolstered by a victory at the South African Open in December, he’s currently ranked No. 22 in the world. The 36-year-old has scored eight top-ten finishes worldwide during the qualifying year, and he made the TOUR Championship field once again, with a sixth-place effort at THE NORTHERN TRUST and a tie for 11th at the BMW Championship. Oosthuizen boasts a 7-5-3 record in his previous three Presidents Cup starts.

Adam Scott, the fourth-place qualifier, is also easily the most recognizable name on the team, and the second of three Aussies. The former world No. 1 and 2013 Masters champion, Scott brings a 14-20-5 career record in Presidents Cup competition, and he knows how much this means to both Els and his home nation.

"“I remember playing with Adam in his very first one in 2003 and he’s been on every team since then,” Els said. “He’s really stepped up to the plate to make this team. He was not in the team when qualifying started but he’s played himself into the team. He’s very vocal and very much up for it. With all the new stuff that I’ve brought into the team, he’s really bought into it and it gives me confidence to keep steering the team ahead. He’s the pillar of this team.”More from Pro Golf NowGolf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning dealFantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player SelectionsBrutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at ConcessionFantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament"

The next four qualifiers are all making their Presidents Cup debuts in 2019, and three of them are making history for their home countries. Abraham Ancer (Mexico), Haotong Li (China) and C.T. Pan (Chinese Taipei) are the first players from their respective nations to earn a spot on the International team, and they each have some impressive marks on their relatively young resumes.

Ancer won the Australian Open in 2018 and just finished solo second at THE NORTHERN TRUST. Li has won twice on the European Tour, and beat out Rory McIlroy at the Dubai Desert Classic last year. Pan has made a successful transition from being a No. 1-ranked amateur to winning the RBC Heritage this past April at Harbour Town. All three will have their work cut out for them in this debut event, but they’ll have plenty of veteran leadership to lean on.

Rounding out the International team is a young Australian star in Cameron Smith. He’s played team events alongside leader Marc Leishman in the past, including a runner-up tie at the 2018 ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf. This is a different level of golf, but he should enjoy some strong ties with teammates and the host course at Royal Melbourne.

Els,like Woods, will have four additional captain’s selections to make in early November, so we’ll have a few months before we know how the entire roster will shake out. It’s still going to be a daunting challenge against a powerhouse American team, but the International team is shaping up well for several Presidents Cup events to come.