CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For the first time since LIV Golf began, the absence of players from Greg Norman’s renegade league is being felt in a significant way.
Unlike regular PGA Tour events that feature upwards of 150 players, there are just 24 golfers here at the Presidents Cup in North Carolina. And the nature of match play brings out players’ personalities, revealing their competitive character for fans much more than stroke play events. Golfers such as Patrick Reed, Ian Poulter, and Sergio Garcia built their legends through match play. Already a Masters champ, Mike Weir’s stature grew even larger when he defeated Tiger Woods at the 2007 Presidents Cup in Montreal.
This week at Quail Hollow, there is no way Trevor Immelman’s International team can replace the talent of World No. 3 Cam Smith who recently left for LIV, and that’s not all the 29-year-old Aussie would have brought to the team. While Smith might not have been the guy delivering rousing pre-match speeches, Smith’s tenacious on-course demeanour is the type of contagious energy every underdog team needs. Joaquin Niemann’s youthful flair is also missing, not to mention his impressive shotmaking built for match play. Add in LIV golfers Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishmann to take some of the leadership weight off Adam Scott and the Internationals suddenly have a very different team.
On the American side, it’s strange to watch a team event without Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, and even Bryson DeChambeau. This year, the U.S. team is so deep that there is a chance only Johnson would have made the team, but the deep fracture of the golf world is certainly felt this week.
With the two sides seemingly further apart than ever, players on both teams were asked if they could envision a match play event between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, and whether they would be interested in playing.
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For some the answer was easy.
“Yes,” Sam Burns said.
“No,” Kevin Kisner said.
“No, don’t see the need to,” Justin Thomas said. “I mean, they’re more than happy doing what they’re doing, and we’re doing great what we’re doing. So just don’t see the need for it.”
“Probably not,” Tony Finau said. “There’s just way too much going on there. There’s no reason to play when it comes to those two Tours. I’ve shown where my loyalty is.”
For others it’s a little more complicated.
“Logistically, it sounds like a nightmare,” Xander Schauffele said. “Just considering what’s been happening, in terms of like who would run the event or everyone getting together behind the scenes. I think it would probably be less of an issue with the people actually competing versus sort of getting the structure in place. But competition is good for viewers, and it’s good for golf.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind playing in it,” said Billy Horschel. “But at the same time, what would the PGA Tour benefit from that? Nothing. If we win, we’re supposed to win. If we lose, it looks bad on the PGA Tour. So it’s really a lose-lose for the PGA Tour in that situation, and LIV’s got everything to gain from it. But as a player, we’re all competitive.”
For Cameron Young, who was the centre of LIV rumours, it seemed a touchy subject.
“I’m not going to say anything,” Young said. “Sorry.”
Canadian Corey Conners and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler sounded as though they just wanted to go hit golf balls.
“I haven’t really given it a lot of thought,” Conners said. “Yeah, I’m not really sure.”
“It’s a big hypothetical,” Scheffler said. “I’m not quite sure. Yeah, I have no idea.”
South Korean K.H. Lee was the only peacemaker in the group.
“I feel like, wouldn’t it be better to, you know, work with each other?” Kim said. “So that’s all I’ll say.”
SOUTH KOREA ON TRACK
With a record four International team members from South Korea, the hope for a more balanced competition in the future might rest in the continued emergence of Asian stars. The top three ranked players on the International team are all Asian: Japan’s Hideki Matusyama, and South Koreans Sungjae Im, and 20-year-old Tom Kim.
This week, plenty of hope is coming from Kim, who last month became the second youngest PGA Tour winner since World War II when he won the Wyndham Championship after quadruple bogeying the first hole. Kim’s Korean name is Joohyung, but he goes by Tom, naming himself after Thomas the Train, a favourite show growing up. He turned pro at 15 and has become the star of the International team room in the build-up to this week’s event.
“He’s been awesome. Really positive, really high energy, which I think is great.” Australian Cam Davis said. “I think, if anything, a lot of the guys on this team have been traditionally pretty reserved, and it’s great having a young guy on the team. Obviously his first time as well to just come in here with an energy like this is the biggest moment of his life. It kind of brings everyone else into that sort of frame of mind, like this is a really cool big situation. I could see myself spending more time around him after this week because he’s a lot of fun.”
Kim was the unanimous answer when players were asked who eats the most food in the team room, and captain Immelman thought it was cool when he saw his young rookie hanging out with 42-year-old Adam Scott.
“His first Presidents Cup was when I was one,” Kim said of Scott.
Assistant captain K.J. Choi is a legend in South Korea and he takes great pride in watching his countrymen emerge as stars on golf’s biggest stage.
“Years ago, many Korean people go there to America, and they can’t beat anybody,” Choi said. “English is so bad, and hitting ball is not too good, and the tee shots are not too good, a little different. … Now it’s the mindset, okay, K.J. did it. We can go. It’s possible.”
This week there has been plenty of talk about the Presidents Cup being too one-sided in favour of the Americans, and needing dramatic change. But truth is, change might already be on the way.
“Now it’s 23 years later,” Choi said. “More technical in the play, more strength in the body, more information, better than me. I’m very proud of my younger players. The future is more better players coming.”
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