International Team for 2019 Presidents Cup https://www.presidentscup.com/news/2019/11/06/international-team-captain-ernie-els-announces-four-captains-pic.html
" I just wanted to say between him and Corey Connors it was also a very very tight race. Its one of the difficult calls I had to make to Corey. He was very gracious and wished us well..."
With these words captain Ernie Els picked Adam Hadwin for the second time to be a member of this years International team for the Presidents Cup. The last time they were routed 19-11 at Liberty National in New Jersey in 2017 and Hadwin finished 0-2-1.
Hadwin probably helped his cause by starting this wrap around season red hot with 2nd at the Safeway Open and T4 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Vegas.
" I played with him numerous times. Adam, I just love his game. He's very solid all round. There's not any weakness there. He drives it very consistently well. He's a good iron player, good thinker and is a very good putter on the green and he's been there.
He was there once before and I watched him. Obviously, we got heavily defeated at Liberty but I saw him and he didn't flinch."
The International team are the underdogs as usual, despite being at "home" on the fabled Royal Melbourne course, where they got their only win of the competition, and they got a draw in South Africa when Els and Tiger swapped birdie putts in the dark before captains Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus decided to call it even.
The other 3 picks were Aussie, Jason Day, and rookies Joaquin Niemann from Chile and Korean Sungjae Im. Left on the outside besides Corey Connors was Branden Grace who was undefeated with Louis Oosthuizen at 5-0 in the last Cup. Grace however has had an awful 2019 season.
Tiger Woods makes his announcement today and will likely add himself to Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, Matt Kuchar, Xander Schauffele, Webb Simpson, Patrick Cantlay and Bryson DeChambeau.
So it's David vs Goliath all over again, and hopefully the International guys can make a great match of it. TV ratings in the US are poor for this event since the result has been a foregone conclusion most times around, and the matches will be on in the middle of the night in North America, which is most of the reason why Tiger has been "encouraged" to pick himself. The record is a whopping 10-1-1 in favor of his team.
As for Adam he was embarassed by the result for both himself and his team last time, and is well aware of the guys on the USA team.
" I'm going to get prepared to play the best golf that I can play and try and win holes, do little things right all week, try and put as much pressure on their game as I can, which includes, you know, just not being out of the hole, make them earn the hole.
I'm going to try and do my small part that I can for this team to win. If we all do that together I really think we have a chance to get to the 15 1/2 points we need. I was just hungry for a second chance. That's not how I would like my contribution to the Presidents Cup to be remembered and I am grateful for a second chance down at Royal Melbourne."
So this team certainly has all the motivation, they have only won once in 12 outings and of course do have a chance. It is unlikely and I have advocated a change in the selection process with the USA having the same team together every year having lost the Ryder Cup last year with these guys, while the International team is different every two years. I suggested USA can't have the same team for both.
For the full International team and their bios click on the link above..
Bryan Angus
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