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09/21 16:40 CDT Snedeker wants Americans to feel they're starting over in a
Presidents Cup they always win
Snedeker wants Americans to feel they're starting over in a Presidents Cup they
always win
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) --- The Americans broke into three groups on a light day of
practice Monday at Medinah, all of them looking comfortable and trading
occasional barbs. The Presidents Cup always seems to feel like a happy
occasion, and for good reason: They almost never lose.
There was that one loss in Australia when the matches were so late in the year
that the U.S. players spent most of their time online shopping for the holidays
until they realized they were in a hole so deep there was no way out except to
suffer a big loss.
That was 26 years ago. Three of the 24 players in this Presidents Cup weren't
even born the last time --- the only time --- the Internationals won.
Should anyone expect Medinah to be different?
"It's the elephant in the room you have to address," U.S. captain Brandt
Snedeker said. "Just because these last teams have been successful doesn't mean
we're going to be successful. We have to reset the bar for our team, tell them
we have a standard to play to and we're 0-0. These 12 guys have accomplished
nothing. We're going to hammer that into them."
Each edition of the Presidents Cup brings new hope for the Internationals, a
team that draws players from every continent except Europe. The depth favors
the Americans, with all but two of their players inside the top 25 in the world
ranking.
The exceptions are Patrick Cantlay (No. 28), who has proven to be their best
clutch player in these team competitions; and Jackson Koivun, the 21-year-old
who three months ago was helping Auburn to another NCAA title.
Koivun, the No. 1 amateur in the world, won in his third start on the PGA Tour
as a pro and Snedeker found him too compelling to pass up. Koivun becomes the
first player since Jordan Spieth in 2013 to start a year without a PGA Tour
card and end it with the Presidents Cup.
The thinking was similar to when Europe chose Ludvig Aberg, who went from
college to the Ryder Cup without ever having played in a major. Europe figured
he would be part of every team for years to come and it was good to give him a
taste.
Snedeker bristled at the idea that the Presidents Cup would be a good
experience for Koivun for the Ryder Cup in 2027 and beyond.
"Our job as captain and vice captains for the Presidents Cup it put the best 12
players on the field," Snedeker said. "To sit there and think this is a
training session is laughable. I've worked 14 months for this opportunity. I'm
not going to put somebody in a situation that's not going to help our team win.
I feel he gives us a better chance to win."
The highest-ranked player for Geoff Ogilvy's team is Si Woo Kim, who rose to
No. 14 in the world by becoming the first player to earn $10 million in a PGA
Tour season without winning. Among the four rookies on his team is 39-year-old
Ryan Fox, the New Zealander who showed his mettle when he won the British Open
with a birdie on the last hole.
And then there's Adam Scott, who ties a Presidents Cup record held by Phil
Mickelson by playing for the 12th time. The Australian has yet to be on the
winning. His debut in 2003 was in South Africa when it ended in a tie.
"I've been given another chance. It might be the last one," the 46-year-old
Scott said. "I'm more excited this year than previously."
The biggest hurdle for Ogilvy, the 2006 U.S. Open champion, and his
International team is history. It came down to the final match in South Korea
in 2015, and in Virginia in 2005. Far too often it has been an American runaway.
"Clearly winning something for the first time --- the first time in a very long
time --- it's probably more difficult than if you're winning all the time,"
Ogilvy said. "But we're getting closer all the time."
Perhaps one advantage for the Internationals is playing at Medinah. They have
never won on American soil, but it was Ogilvy's design company (OCM) that was
chosen to renovate the course.
Nine players this week were at Medinah for the 2019 BMW Championship. Snedeker
and three of his assistants were at the 2012 Ryder Cup. But this is an entirely
different Medinah, and no one knows it better than the guy who designed it.
"We have an advantage right now," Ogilvy said two weeks ago when he announced
his captain's picks. "By the time we get to Thursday morning, I think the
advantage will be gone. Professional golfers are very good at learning a golf
course.
"Hopefully there will be a little advantage. The boys will get a little shot of
confidence because their captain built the course," he said. "It could be more
psychological than real. But we'll see."
___
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