Presidents Cup 2019: Ernie Els leaning on global support to drive team

The Presidents Cup has long been an exhibition of American dominance, but International captain Ernie Els is leaning on the billions of potential fans following his squad to boost morale – and their chances of victory.

“We have an audience of billions of people if you look at the countries’ numbers,” International team captain Ernie Els said in a press conference talking about the upcoming Presidents Cup.

Els has three players from Australia, Adam Scott, Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman. Louis Oosthuizen is from South Africa, and Hideki Matsuyama is from Japan. However there are three players from countries that have not previously participated in Presidents Cup: Abraham Ancer, from Mexico; Haotong Li, from China;  C.T. Pan, from Chinese Taipei.

"“For these players that come from these different regions, you know, from Chinese Taipei, China, Mexico, these players, they haven’t been represented in the Presidents Cup, and for the first time they’re in, and this is just great stuff,” Els noted about the broadening of the team."

That’s one reason Els believes there will be the potential for a billion or more to be watching and rooting for his team.

A plus for the International team is that several are playing the Emirates Australian Open, which is just before the Presidents Cup at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney. That should get them competition ready.

“Quite a few guys have committed from what I’ve heard. But I want the guys there on the Sunday night before we play,” Els said.

Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman have already committed to it, as has Jason Day.  However, Day did not earn a spot on the team and will have to rely on a captain’s pick. Abraham Ancer is defending champion of the Emirates Australian Open and is expected to play this year.

The Hero World Challenge originally conflicted with the Emirates Australian Open. However, the Tiger Woods-hosted event changed days of play to accommodate the Presidents Cup.

The Hero World Challenge will be December 4-7. While it’s unknown if any players from the Presidents Cup International team will be at the Hero World Challenge, it’s expected that there will be a charter to Australia to get the captain, Tiger Woods, and U.S. team members to Royal Melbourne where the event will be played December 12-15.

As far as who his picks might be, Els does not intend to nominate himself as a playing captain.

“I have to at least win two, three, four times before I can consider myself to be on the team,” Els said about himself. “I mean, Scottie (Adam Scott) has expressed quite a strong mention to me that I should look at myself as possibly a captain’s pick, but I keep saying to Scottie, I’ve got a lot of other things on my mind, so it will be very difficult for me to be able to play and captain the side.”

Els’ focus for the next two-plus months, until the captain’s picks are named, is watching how various international golfers are playing. The impact of having golfers from even more countries than ever before is not lost on him.

"“I mean, can you imagine all the people that’s going to be tuning in to the Presidents Cup? It’s just a whole world that’s going to be watching us for the first time,” he said.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"

Els mentioned several potential players who might be picks by name, such as Emiliano Grillo (Argentina), Adam Hadwin (Canada), Branden Grace (South Africa), Joaquin Neimann (Chile), Jazz Janewattananond (Thailand), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand), Sungjae Im (South Korea), Erik van Rooyen (South Africa), Lucas Herbert (Australia), Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela), Danny Lee (New Zealand), Justin Harding (South Africa), Byeong-hun An (South Korea), Sung-hoon Kang (South Korea), as well as Aussie Jason Day.

"“We’ve got a bigger following than the American team, and we on paper, people are not giving us much of a chance,” Els noted. “I mean, the whole of the U.S. Team is in the top 20. We have one player in the top 20, and that’s just the way it is.”"

That doesn’t discourage him, however. They have a course advantage at Royal Melbourne, which can be an acquired taste. Most players from Asia on the International squad have played it and know what it demands. He also wants the Australian and international fans to vocally support the team as the 13th man.

“I want that to be known to the Australian public, that that is our trump card, is that our people are going to be the Australian public in Melbourne come December. Their team that they need to support is us, the International Presidents Cup side,” Els said adding that the team doesn’t represent just Australia. It represents many golfing countries.

Els also noted that with tournaments in Mexico and China the game is spreading.

“The growth of the game is just going to be staggering,” he said about the effect of new countries participating in the event. “It’s just a whole world that’s going to be watching us for the first time.”

Considering the International team’s record through Presidents Cup history, they’ll likely need all the help they can get from the fans, particularly at Royal Melbourne. If anybody can drive that engagement, it should be Ernie Els and his squad.