5 minute read
On the Green
PLPL
Against the World
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by Helen Ross
Photo courtesy of presidentscup.com
Charlotte’s Quail Hollow Club is used to hosting big events. Justin Thomas won his first major championship there in 2017 when he edged out Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen and Francesco Molinari by two strokes to capture the PGA Championship.
And for 17 of the last 19 years, Quail Hollow has hosted the PGA TOUR’s Wells Fargo Championship that has been won by seven major champions, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, who has captured the event three times, in fact.
But it’s safe to say the intensity level will rachet up considerably Sept. 20–25 when the Presidents Cup is held at Quail Hollow. It’s the first time a major professional international team competition has been held in the state since the 1951 Ryder Cup at Pinehurst No. 2.
International match play events are simply a different animal. The team element—in this case, the U.S. against an international squad representing a diverse mix of countries from around the globe (outside of Europe, which plays in the Ryder Cup)—adds a layer of emotion and drama to the competition that is hard to match.
The competition will unfold over four days with team competition—four-ball and foursomes (alternate shot)— spread over the first three and 12 singles matches on Sunday. Quail Hollow’s routing as been adjusted so the challenging Green Mile (Nos. 16-17-18) will become Nos. 13-14-15 to play a more prominent part in the match play competition.
The United States holds a commanding lead in the Presidents Cup, which began in 1994.
The Americans have only lost once, although there was the stunning tie in 2003 in South Africa when Tiger Woods and Ernie Els were sent out to decide the competition before Captains Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player concluded sportsmanship should win out and a tie was declared.
But the International Team, this year led by Trevor Immelman, has steadily narrowed the gap. They won the Sunday Singles in 2013 but lost by three. Bill Haas, whose dad Jay was the American captain, clinched a one-point U.S. victory in the final Singles match of 2015.
And the 2019 matches at Royal Melbourne appeared ready to tip in the Internationals favor before the U.S. rallied, taking the Singles on Sunday by an 8-4 margin to win by 2.
U.S. Captain Davis Love III was born in Charlotte, and his ties to North Carolina are strong. The World Golf Hall of Famer is a two-time Ryder Cup captain—and threetime winner of the Wyndham Championship—who played collegiately at UNC Chapel Hill.
Love competed in the inaugural Presidents Cup, and five more before he got into the captain’s rotation. He was at the PGA Tour Policy Board meeting when the Presidents Cup was conceived and had already planned a trip to Africa for the dates when the first biennial competition was to be held at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Manassas, Virginia.
“(PGA Tout Commissioner) Tim (Finchem) said, no, no, no, he’s not going hunting,” Love recalled with a laugh. “I think it was like a year. I mean, it happened quick. And I was lucky enough to make the first team and see the beginnings of it.
“Luckily it grew. Next thing you know, we’re in Canada and Korea and South Africa and Australia and it’s become one of our favorite events. It’s incredible how much it’s grown since 1993. And it’s become a favorite of our fans and of our players. It’s a big goal for our players to make these teams.”
Immelman was 25 when he played in his first Presidents Cup as one of Gary Player’s Captain’s Picks. The South African also played two years later in 2007, a year after winning the Cialis Western Open and a year before donning the Green Jacket as the 2008 Masters champion.
“You could say the Presidents Cup was a huge part of launching my PGA Tour career,” Immelman said. “Being a captain now is an amazing honor.”
Immelman, who is a good friend of Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney, has kept close tabs on the players who might make his team, including them in gatherings throughout the PGA Tour season. His challenge in molding his group goes beyond pairings and personalities—there are language and cultural differences, too.
“We’ve had a squad of about 20 or 25 guys that we’ve often tried to get together to create a bunch of camaraderie and have a good time together, get to know each other a little bit,” said Immelman. “The hurdle for us is quite clear. We represent a large portion of the world.
“Last time in Australia, we had eight different regions represented so we have to try and bridge those gaps from a communication and culture standpoint. So those are the things that we work really hard on. But man, all corners of the globe are really producing some special talent.”
When the Presidents Cup was last played three years ago, then-Captain Ernie Els worked to develop a black-andgold shield logo to better unite his team. It incorporates elements of a coat of arms, Celtic knot and flag pins that symbolize both golf and patriotism.
“I think when (Ernie) brought the shield in for us and helped us understand exactly what that means and how that was designed and what it stands for, that was really, I think, a pivotal moment for us to finally have an identity and have something that we can play for,” Immelman said. “… Hopefully that’s given us some kind of springboard to really start competing in some close contests and, who knows, give yourself a chance on Sunday.
“Sport is funny, man, it’s really funny. You never know what’s going to happen.”PL
Helen Ross is a freelance golf writer who spent 20 years working for the PGA Tour and 18 more at the Greensboro News & Record. A UNC-Chapel Hill graduate, she has won multiple awards from the Golf Writers Association of America.
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