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Presidents Cup: Four Factors for an International team upset

By Mike Randleman

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 25: Ernie Els, captain of the International Team speaks at the Presidents Cup International Team Reception after day four of the 2018 World Cup of Golf at Royal Melbourne Golf Club on November 25, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 25: Ernie Els, captain of the International Team speaks at the Presidents Cup International Team Reception after day four of the 2018 World Cup of Golf at Royal Melbourne Golf Club on November 25, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) /
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 09: A member of the grounds crew waters the fourth green prior to the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club on December 09, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 09: A member of the grounds crew waters the fourth green prior to the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club on December 09, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) /

The fanfare in spite of the Americans is certainly a boost to the Internation. So is the course.

Royal Melbourne in Australia’s sandbelt is far from your soft American target golf course. It plays firm and fast like a links course. When your ball lands, it’s far from reached its resting spot.

It’s forecasted to be a relatively cool (temperatures in the 50s-70s) week with consistently breezy winds. This will require creativity to execute proper shots.

If accurate, big hitters stacked up on the American team can find success, but there are holes where they will be forced to lay up or risk a sandy grave.

Royal Melbourne also hosted the 1998 and 2011 Presidents Cup. The Internationals’ only win in the event’s 25-year history came here in 1998. Young Tiger Woods went 2-3 with a win in singles.

The Americans won in 2011 by a 19-15 results, but its returning players in 2019 did not do too hot the first time around: Dustin Johnson 1-3-1 (singles loss), Matt Kuchar 1-3-1 (singles loss), Tiger Woods 2-3-0 (singles win) and Webb Simpson 3-2 (singles loss) are back in 2019.

Adam Scott is the only one back for the Internationals. He went 2-3 and beat Phil Mickelson in singles.

Scott, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith are the three Aussies on the team who are very much accustomed to playing in the sandbelt. This brand of golf is also right up South African Louis Oosthuizen’s alley.

Will the Americans be able to adapt? They’re brilliant when on home course in the Ryder Cup where conditions favor their long-ball approach. When on the road in Europe on tighter courses, things tend to go awry. Look at Le Golf National in 2018 as a prime example.

Royal Melbourne is a far different test but is still rather foreign for American Tour pros. Perhaps the best comp on the PGA Tour schedule is Trinity Forest, a course many top players (including Kuchar) have skipped and/or criticized.

It will be interesting to see if the Internationals can use the ground game to their advantage and if captain Els can pull out the right lineups to do so.

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