It’s a big week in golf, with the Presidents Cup being played in South Korea. It’s the Ryder Cup for the non-Europeans, with the International team taking on Team USA.
Obviously, the tournament is still unable to generate the kind of excitement that the Ryder Cup does, but that is slowly and surely changing. There are a couple of issues. One, the tournament has been dominated so far by the Americans, who have won eight out of the 10 editions held so far, while one was tied. And two, the Internationals haven’t been able to get their supporters to rally around them.
Let me explain. In past years, the International teams have been dominated by Australian and South African players. Which is absolutely fine and fair, because they have been the best performers among those who comprise the Rest of the World and have qualified on the basis of merit. But because there were not enough players from Asia in the team, barring a few from Japan and South Korea, the Presidents Cup never caught the fancy of the largest and most populous continent in the world.
But the world order has been changing and the International team this year has the most diverse look in the history of the tournament. My own country-mate Anirban Lahiri and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee have qualified for the team on their own. And then there is Hideki Matsuyama from Japan and Korea’s very own Bae Sang-moon. New Zealand’s Danny Lee also has Korean connections, while vice-captain KJ Choi is a Korean legend.
Suddenly, the decibel level in support of the Internationals is going to go through the roof this year. I know there is a lot of interest back home in India, especially because of Anirban’s involvement. Even in the absence of Tiger Woods, I have a feeling that this will become one of the most viewed Presidents Cups ever.
I know I am one of those who is eagerly waiting for the competition to begin this Thursday. Now that I am the captain of Team Asia in the EurAsia Cup, I am looking forward to picking up some interesting insights into the dynamics of team events, as well as the performance of our Asian stars.
If you ask me to look ahead and predict the outcome of the tournament, I’d say the Americans still remain the favourites. After all, they do have players like Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed and Bubba Watson in their fold — all in good form and crack matchplay stars.
The US are looking stronger on paper. But then, as we have seen so often in the past, form and reputation easily go for a toss in team tournaments.
— Jeev Milkha Singh is a four-time champion on the European Tour
