Six gamers who might swing the Presidents Cup

Shield your eyes from previous outcomes — like, 28 years’ value of them — and have some creativeness.

The International Team can beat the U.S. on the Presidents Cup.

It’s solely occurred as soon as earlier than, in 1998. Five years later, the groups shared the Cup in South Africa, with darkness ending an epic sudden-death playoff between Tiger Woods and Ernie Els in a tie.

The U.S. hasn’t misplaced since. No matter, the perimeters hold going to battle each two years — and can accomplish that as soon as once more starting Thursday at Medinah Country Club close to Chicago.

Nobody believes within the International Team this time round, once more, on the highway in opposition to a U.S. crew that’s sometimes robust on the high, and having had its personal roster looted by LIV Golf over the previous 5 years for the likes of Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann.

Yet perhaps, simply perhaps, that is the 12 months.

International Team captain Geoff Ogilvy helped design the renovation of the Medinah No. 3 course only a few years in the past, an uncommon benefit in what might be an unfriendly atmosphere. And, sure, the U.S. is powerful in identify model, however not as deep as regular, whereas the International gamers are trending up.

It’s in that murkiness the place surprises can await — and the place the efficiency of some key gamers can shift the entire thing fully.

Here are six who might swing this 12 months’s Presidents Cup:

It’s been a wild trip for the reason that final Presidents Cup for the younger Korean, who noticed his sport crater from relevance earlier than a mid-season return to type this 12 months, highlighted by a Scottish Open victory.

When Kim’s sport is on, he tends to carry power and enthusiasm — the kind of momentum participant who might exit first on Thursday, win a degree for the Internationals and set the tone down the board. Two years in the past, he paired with Si Woo Kim in Montreal for a 4&3 fourball (finest ball) rout of Keegan Bradley and Wyndham Clark earlier than dropping a slim 1-up choice to Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in a foursomes (alternate shot) match that featured the second of the match.

Si Woo’s sport has solely risen from the place it was in 2024, now 14th on this planet rankings and one off his profession excessive, whereas Tom launched from 107th to begin the 12 months into thirty first.

If the Kims (no relation) can discover magic as soon as once more, the Internationals have a pairing they might put up in opposition to anybody.

Set to play his first crew occasion for the U.S., Gotterup has been among the many PGA Tour’s rising stars over the previous two years, successful 5 instances since May 2024. Much like Tom Kim, the 27-year-old exudes persona — if his shot-shaping and on-course swagger don’t hook you, perhaps his low-budget Instagram edits will.

But match play is a special beast than stroke play, and we haven’t seen Gotterup compete in that atmosphere. He appears well-suited to thrive, however the U.S. is relying on him greater than most rookies. If he’s unreliable early, it’ll complicate the American puzzle that rather more.

Nick Taylor, International

A Cup rookie at 38, it’s a marvel the Canadian has by no means performed for the Internationals beforehand, one that may be chalked up principally to unhealthy timing. Taylor had a chip on his shoulder after lacking Montreal two years in the past, and hasn’t precisely lit up leaderboards ever since, however he confirmed sufficient flashes — together with Sunday competition on the PGA Championship — to warrant a captain’s decide.

Of course, Taylor has confirmed himself a big-game hunter, and Ogilvy is betting on Taylor to return by on his match-play promise. His playoff wins on the RBC Canadian Open, Sony Open and WM Phoenix Open — the closest you may get to PGA Tour match play — had been eye-opening, and his emotion might even cost up a usually subdued fellow Canadian Corey Conners.

Koivun made for some of the thrilling captain’s picks in years at both Cup occasion after becoming a member of the Tour out of Auburn as the highest NCAA prospect and instantly delivering on his promise. The 21-year-old received the 3M Open in his fourth begin in July and simply positioned fifth on the Biltmore Championship.

The San Jose native has missed just one minimize in eight begins and appears the a part of future celebrity. Still, that’s not sometimes sufficient to earn one of many 12 coveted U.S. Presidents Cup spots — however maybe captain Brandt Snedeker is wanting a bit forward, seeing Koivun as a pacesetter down the road and getting him on the crew now for some expertise.

For Medinah, the query is whether or not that is an excessive amount of, too quickly for Koivun. He’s unlikely to play each session and can certainly be protected in his pairings and matchups, but when he, say, goes 0-for-3 in a U.S. loss, the criticism will come onerous — particularly after the snubbed J.J. Spaun simply received the European tour’s flagship occasion in London.

Blink and also you would possibly miss Ryan Fox’s subsequent shot. The notoriously fast-playing Kiwi broke by to win The Open Championship this summer season at 39 — and with a exceptional birdie on the 72nd gap, no much less.

Like Taylor, Fox is making his Presidents Cup debut, and whether or not his sport rises or falters in a match-play setting is up within the air. Still, you’ve gotta assume he’s constructed for this after capturing that first main.

In the Presidents Cup format, the place matchups are picked in a snake draft, placing Fox up in opposition to, say, the molasses-like Patrick Cantlay could possibly be an ace up Ogilvy’s sleeve.

One of those gamers will not be like the opposite. 

The first 5 have one main mixed, and none earlier than July. This participant? He’s the No. 1 participant on this planet, no doubt, and owns 4 majors himself.

Yet Scheffler has curiously struggled in crew occasions — not not like Tiger Woods, would possibly we add. Scheffler holds a profession 6-11-4 report between the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, not precisely befitting his stature. Uncoincidentally, the U.S. has dropped every of the previous two Ryder Cups — and, by the way, the U.S. additionally simply misplaced the Walker Cup and Solheim Cup, which means it could possibly be with out all 4 main worldwide golf titles if it loses in opposition to the Internationals this weekend in Chicago.

Of course, few are predicting that can occur. But if it does, right here’s betting these six gamers had their say within the end result.