Players look forward to being teammates in Presidents Cup
FARMINGTON – For Chris DiMarco, a fire that was stoked two years ago is still burning. When the United States faced an International squad in Presidents Cup play in George, South Africa, the teams were forced off the course by darkness with the outcome still undecided.
Captains Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player agreed a tie was in order, the first in five meetings between the two squads.
Next week – barring another tie – things will finally be settled.
“With neither team winning the last one, there’s some unfinished business there,” DiMarco said. “They could start right at (hole) 17 again if they wanted to, because that’s where we both were (when it ended).”
The U.S. and the International teams were tied at 17 points at The Links at Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate in 2004 when regulation play ended, and Ernie Els and Tiger Woods were chosen to represent their respective teams in a sudden-death playoff.
After three playoff-holes, Player and Nicklaus decided the two teams should share the cup.
This year, the tournament will be played for the fourth time at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Prince William County, Va.
Seven members of the U.S. squad will play in the 84 Lumber Classic, which begins today at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa, and three members of the International team, including defending 84 Lumber Classic champion Vijay Singh, will also test Mystic Rock this weekend.
Phil Mickelson, David Toms, DiMarco, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard and Fred Couples are in the 84 Lumber Classic field, and along with Woods, Kenny Perry, Fred Funk, Davis Love III and Scott Verplank, will make up the U.S. squad.
Stuart Appleby and Peter Lonard will join Singh in Farmington this week. Those three will join Retief Goosen, Adam Scott, Angel Cabrera, Tim Clark, U.S. Open winner Michael Campbell, Mike Weir, Nick O’Hern, Mark Hensby and Trevor Immelman on the International team.
Along with the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup gives golfers a chance to do something they rarely get to do once they turn professional: play in a team format.
“One time a year, you basically get to play as a team,” DiMarco said. “And we basically have the same team. There are only a couple guys (Cink, Verplank and Couples) who weren’t there for the 2003 team. The most fun I’ve had on Tour is the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup weeks, just with the camaraderie you get, which we don’t have out here usually.
“It’s just a fun week. Plus, who wouldn’t want to play for their country in their country? That’s the greatest honor there is for a golfer, at least in my view. I was pumped up for the Solheim Cup. I was so proud of the team and happy for Nancy Lopez … the way the women showed their spirit and played their hearts out, it was good for golf.”
The Presidents Cup consists of 34 matches – 11 foursomes, 11 four-ball matches and 12 singles matches involving all players on the final Sunday. All matches are worth one point each, for a total of 34 points.
There are playoffs for foursome, four-ball or singles matches all-square after 18 holes, up until the point that The Presidents Cup has been decided. At that point, matches that have gone to extra holes, and are still being played, will be called a draw and each side will receive 1/2-point.
As important as the Presidents Cup is, the task at hand is still winning the 84 Lumber Classic.
“I don’t really think about it that much. Right now, I’m not concerned about it at all,” Singh said. “Surely you wonder who you’re going to play with and who’s the best teammate that you’re going to have out there or what’s the best combination, but this week my focus is right here.”
Mickelson said too much time can be spent preparing for the event.
“The event doesn’t start until Friday (Sept. 23), and we’ll be in there by Monday (Sept. 19), so we’re going to have three practice rounds, which is a lot of practice rounds,” Mickelson said. “My only concern is that we don’t overdo it, play too much because we can get worn out before the next event starts. I don’t want that to happen.”
Members of the 2005 U.S. Team were selected based on official earnings from the start of the 2004 season through the 2005 PGA Championship.
International Team players were chosen on the basis of the Official World Golf Rankings. International Teams do not include players eligible for the European Ryder Cup Team.
With Woods leading the way, the United States Presidents Cup team will have five of the top-10 ranked players in the world, while Singh, ranked No. 2 behind Woods, will lead the International squad.
“I’m probably the strongest player on the team, but at the same time, the captain runs the whole team, and he (Player) actually is the force behind everything else,” Singh said. “He’s a good leader, and we kind of sit back and take a back seat when he’s up there. We can speak about which teammate we’d like to play with, and he doesn’t want to sit any of the top guys out. He thinks that we should go out there and play.”
The International team will be missing a key member – Els – who underwent season-ending surgery on his left knee six weeks ago.
“We’re very disappointed he’s not on the team.” Singh said. “He’s a big loss to the team and he’s very intimidating. Even if he’s not playing well, you put him up against another player, he’s got his name right there and you know who he is and what he’s capable of doing. That part of it we’re going to miss.
“I’m sure we’re going to deal with it, and hopefully we can deal the best we can.”
Last year, a European squad trounced a U.S. team captained by Hal Sutton in Ryder Cup play, a week before the 84 Lumber Classic.
While the U.S. has won only three times in Ryder Cup play since 1985, the Americans have posted a 3-1-1 mark in Presidents Cup action.
“We as a team obviously want to play well, and this seems to be our cycle, where we don’t play that great in the Ryder Cup, and we come back in the Presidents Cup with good play,” Mickelson said. “I would expect us to play very well, and I think that we have played well at Robert Trent Jones in the past.”