Last week, the 14th Presidents Cup came to an end at the Quail Valley Club. The US team, who played at home, won nine consecutive victories in the Presidents Cup with a 5-point advantage, and also rewrites its historical record in the Presidents Cup to 12 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw.
However, behind another victory for Team USA, the process of the game is far more intense and tense than the result.
The United States team is indeed very strong. They only won one victory for the international team in the 10 games in the first two rounds, gained 8 points, established a 6-point lead, and also gave birth to a group of "four-win partners" ( Spieth /JT) and two players who had never lost (Spith, Homa).
However, the international team has also proved that its potential has been seriously underestimated. In the first two rounds, 8 of them hit the No. 17 hole; in the last two days, the international team scored 10.5 points in 20 games. The suspense not only did not end before Sunday, but even in the last round, the international team really made people see the possibility of overturning the US team when several games were unresolved.
International team adds confidence to the future
The attention of the President's Cup is far less than that of the Ryder Cup, the European and American highball battle. It is not only because of the short history of the event, but also because of the huge gap in historical performance against the two sides, but also because of the huge gap in historical performances.
Presidential Cup has been dominated by the United States since its birth. The international team composed of players from other parts of the world except Europe and the United States defeated the United States in 1998.
Before this year's Presidential Cup, the international team also became the biggest "victim" of the birth of LIV. Many main players missed the Presidential Cup because of joining LIV, including players who have been automatically selected. After struggling to complete the team formation, captain Immelman also admitted that the international team may be "the least optimistic team in President's Cup history."
Because of this, before the game started and after the US team took a 6-point lead at the end of the first two rounds, many people were considering questions such as "whether the President's Cup should be replaced", "how should the President's Cup be reorganized", "whether the game will end before Sunday".
Usually, these 12 players from the international team rarely become the focus of the spotlight, but they seized the opportunity to shine in the Presidents Cup and also used their actions to fight back the remarks that the Presidents Cup should be replaced. Even if there are no LIV players, and even if there are huge differences in strength on paper, the game can also be played very well.
International team was born "future superstar"
Team competitions are always special. In the President's Cup and Ryder Cup, the players' skills are important, but the ability to adapt to the team atmosphere is also valuable.
In this Presidential Cup, Kim Joo-hyung played 5 games, 2 wins and 3 losses. This record is not particularly impressive, but he is the player who knows how to enjoy the game the most, and he is also loved by fans because of his passionate performance on the court.
At critical moments, he was able to stand up and become the "trigger" for the international team's counterattack. On the third game day, Kim Joo-hyung first defeated Scotty Schaeffler/Sam Boones with Lee Kyung-hoon in the morning, and in the afternoon, he partnered with Kim Shi-won to defeat the American team's "ace combination" Cantley/Shaoffer. He advanced the Hawks on the same hole in the two rounds of the game, making a huge contribution to the team's victory.
Kim Joo-hyung showed his potential as a "superstar" in this Presidential Cup. He devoted himself and his teammates. His passion also infected people around him. Many international players said they were inspired by Kim Joo-hyung.
Such a role does need in a team, and this seems to be absent in the past international teams. Kim Joo-hyung became a star on the court during his first Presidents Cup journey. I believe that this 20-year-old player will continue to surprise the outside world for a long time in the future.
Rise of the Korean Legion
This year, the 12 players of the international team came from 7 different countries, and 4 of them came from South Korea, which is the team with the most players in South Korea in the past years.
The international team of this Presidential Cup scored a total of 12.5 points, of which 7.5 points were participated by four Korean players, Ren Sung Jae (2-2-1), Kim Joo Hyung (2-3-0), Lee Kyung Hoon (2-1-0), and Kim Seo-won (3-1-0), and they all won at least 2 games.
President's Cup International Team is a gang composed of players from different countries. When the captain arranges the troops, he often combines fellow players with similar cultural backgrounds. In previous years, the teams have shown excellent performances of "South African Legion" and "Australian Legion"... However, affected by LIV, the South African Legion and the Australian Legion have weakened their power, which also gives the South Korean Legion the opportunity to rise strongly.
The passion, skills and mentality shown by the "Korean Legion" in this Presidential Cup may make future international team captains more favor Korean players.
Golf Everything is possible, the international team burst into infinite potential
In the history of the President's Cup, the international team seems to have become accustomed to the role of always being at a disadvantage. This year, the international team has experienced even more twists and turns, but fortunately, they did not deny themselves because of this. Instead, they put down their burdens and showed unlimited potential.
"We were well-guided under the leadership of captain Immelman and the assistant captain. We only need a little faith and a little trust and we can achieve great things." Sebastian Mullos said in an interview after the game.
Although the international team is still on the road to breaking the dominance of the United States, I believe that the setbacks suffered this year and the resilience shown by the team under adverse conditions will inject confidence into the future international team.
is still far from the "best". The US team is preparing for Rome in reflection and sense of crisis and facing the international team that is fighting away and losing many powerful stars due to LIV. Before the game, many people expected the US team to "end the suspense before the end of Sunday" and "win by double-digit score difference"... Although the victory is still firmly grasped by the US team, it is also necessary to admit that there is a gap between their performance and expected.
The running-in degree needs to be improved, and the US team still needs to find the best answer to pairing
Last year, the US team defeated the European team with a huge gap of 19:9 in Wusha, and did not let the European team see too many opportunities all week, but due to some players leaving, a lot of fresh blood has been added to this year's team. Judging from the overall game situation, the current US team is still far from the "strongest warship" that defeated the European team last year, and has not performed as well as it should.
Last year's Ryder Cup US team's performance in the team game was impressive, with several "perfect combinations" with unsuccessful results. However, this year's President's Cup, in addition to the old partners Spieth/Thomas, Cantley/Sheopheler still wins both games, Tony Fener/Max Homa, other pairs seem to need more attempts and running-in.
Next Ryder Cup US team lineup is expected to change. Even if the strength on paper is strengthened, how to arrange and combine to stimulate the strongest combat power of the team still needs to think about it.
The eternal topic of the US team: Learn how to play when everyone is optimistic
Whether it is the President's Cup or the Ryder Cup, the US team is often the more favored side. The voices from the outside seem to tell the US team members "You are stronger" and "It is natural for you to win". In this case, the US team members will have higher psychological expectations for themselves.
In addition to technical competition, there is also "psychological warfare" in the golf arena. When you firmly believe that you are stronger than your opponent, but you are behind during the game or are overtaken by your opponent at some point, higher psychological expectations will make you more anxious.
The US team did not have a stable state in the President's Cup last week. For example, JT faced Kim Seo-won in the personal match. After the Hou Jiu was caught by his opponent, he made some mistakes. In the last hole, Kim Seo-won failed to catch the bird when he advanced the hole, which made the international team get a very morale-boosting 1 point; there is also Zander Sheoffer , Tony Fener, and Max Homa all made mistakes in the middle of the game to give the opponent points, but fortunately they won the final victory.
The high expectations from the outside world are a "double-edged sword", perhaps this is one of the reasons why the American team often "has difficult to transform their advantages into victory" in the past. While honing skills and stimulating the team's chemical reaction, the US team must also fight a "psychological war".
Optimal Rome
Only one year, the 2023 Ryder Cup will be held at the Marco Simeone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy.
The last time the US team won the Ryder Cup away dates back to 1993. Not to mention experiencing the away victory, the US team currently has only Justin Thomas , Jordan Spieth , and Tony Fener have experience in the away game of the Ryder Cup.
Last away game between Ryder Cup, the United States defeated the European team 10.5:17.5 in Paris. Next year, the US team has not won the European continent for 30 years. Beating the European team away is undoubtedly the ultimate goal that this US team, who is in its year of playing, hopes to achieve.
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Two weeks ago, the DP World Tour Italian Open was held at Marco Simeone Golf and Country Club. Three players from past Ryder Cups, including Matthew Fitzpatrick (2), Rory McIlroy (4), and Tyrell Hatton (8), all ranked in the top 10 in the Ryder Cup. European captain Luke Donald also left the court to check the situation on the court.
Next year, the European team will inevitably inject some fresh blood, and may even show a completely different mental outlook from last year... The United States, who plays away, faces many uncertainties, and the road to defending the Ryder Cup will be full of thorns.
Last week's President's Cup gave the US team a chance to run in, and the sense of crisis brought by the international team also sounded the alarm for the US team. It is not a matter of course to win the championship. Even if you are as strong as Team USA, you still have a long way to go.
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