The International team lost to the Americans at the President’s Cup last month by 17.5 points to 12.5 points. It was the ninth straight defeat for the Internationals, who fell into a 2-8 hole by the end of Friday that proved too deep to escape. Still, the players did not roll over and provided plenty of entertainment and some good golf over the following two days to at least give the Americans something to think about.
Here are our three takeaways from the event:
The international team showed heart and personality
Team International was the youngest in the history of the competition
The youthful international team actually won more points over the final two days than the Americans – 10.5 to 9.5. Their team appeared determined to show their opponents and fans, that they weren’t there just to make up the numbers; that they were there to compete. And they provided plenty of exciting moments in the process.
Si Woo Kim took down Justin Thomas, who had a 4-0 record to that point, in the first singles match. He also put his fingers to his lips to quiet the crowd after making a clutch par putt on the 15 th , showing that he wasn’t cowed by the moment. Of course, it helped that he won his match on the 18 th .
Meanwhile Joohyung Kim, better known as Tom Kim, spent the week playing to the crowd and showing plenty of emotion when he made clutch putts. In fact, he probably demonstrated the most personality of anyone on either team and looks set to become a bonafide star.
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Tom Kim could be the spark that ignites the International team
Tom Kim was a crowd favourite at the competition
The Koreans were the heartbeat of this 2022 International team. Si Woo Kim won three of his four four matches while Tom Kim, Sungjae Im, and K.H. Lee all won two matches each.
Together, they had a hand in 9.5 of the International’s team 12.5 points. But it was Tom Kim who was the crowd favourite, even with American fans. The 20- year-old is already a winner on the PGA Tour and clearly seems at ease on the big stage.
A little over forty years ago a charismatic Spaniard named Severiano Ballesteros burst on the golf scene. Seve had the talent, the confidence, and the belief that the The European Ryder Cup team could beat the Americans. And he transmitted that belief to the rest of the team, which followed his lead to famously beat the Americans in England in 1985 and then on U.S. soil for the first time in 1987.
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LIV defections hurt the Internationals more than the Americans this time
Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau have both been struggling and likely wouldn’t have made the team anyway while adding Dustin Johnson to the American team wouldn’t have changed it all that much.
For the Internationals though, all the talk leading up to the event was how the the team was doomed following the defections to the LIV Tour of World No. 1 Cameron Smith, Former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, as well as Joaquin Niemann and Abraham Ancer.
Cameron Smith’s presence might have boosted team International at the Presidents Cup
While the Internationals were able to give a better account of themselves than many expected, there’s no doubt the team would have been more competitive if these four players had been eligible for selection. The Canadian pair of Corey Connors and Taylor Pendrith lost all eight of their matches. If Cam Smith had been in the side instead of Pendrith, who was a captain’s pick, there’s no way that happens.
Niemann went winless in the 2019 President’s Cup but a repeat of that performance would have been unlikely given his success on the PGA Tour and his ability to shoot low scores. Add Oosthuizen for experience and star power and the International suddenly has a lustre to it. Whether that would have been enough to change the outcome is anyone’s guess but it would certainly have made for a more interesting tournament.
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Photo – PGA Tour