Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss Presidents Cup MVPs, second-guessing for the captains, format changes and more.
The 15th Presidents Cup concluded on Sunday in Montreal just like many of the previous editions: with the Americans winning yet again. This time it was 18.5-11.5 to give the U.S. its 10th straight win over the Internationals. What was the difference?
Jack Hirsh, assistant editor (@JR_HIRSHey): Let’s not fool ourselves, this was a lopsided fight. The Americans had five players in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking while the Internationals had just Hideki Matsuyama. It goes the other way too as Max Homa was the worst ranked American at 25th, while Mackenzie Hughes is 62nd. Plus the International team is hurt a lot harder by LIV defectors without Cam Smith, Joaco Niemann and Co., while the Americans are just deeper and can replace Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau with other top-25 players. This is all to say the talent disparity may just be insurmountable over the course of 30 matches.
Sean Zak, senior writer (@sean_zak): The difference, if there was one, was that it felt contentious, which I think is important. Of course the Americans want to win, but it’s good for the event if they want to beat this International team. It’s good that Wyndham Clark and Ben An became soft-enemies. It’s good that Si Woo Kim taunted the Americans and that Tom Kim was running his mouth a bit. Creating a bit of a rivalry, even if the result is the same, makes for some staying power for this event.
Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): The Americans were just the deeper and more talented team. They didn’t do anything special or need any heroics. To use a football cliche, they just went out there and ran their stuff. When you have such a talent advantage, that’s all you need to do to come out victorious.
Who is taking home MVP honors for each side, and whose performance was most disappointing?
Hirsh: For the American side, it’s hard to argue against either Patrick Cantlay or Xander Schauffele, especially when they played together twice. I’ll give the nod to Schauffele because his first point in the opening singles match was exactly by the book. For most disappointing, despite a 3-2-0 record, I’ll go with Scottie Scheffler. He just didn’t seem like the guy who won seven times this week and I had higher expectations for him, especially losing a 1 Up lead on the back nine.
For the Internationals, as much as I think Si Woo Kim really rose to the occasion this week, it was Tom Kim’s energy that brought the Internationals back in it Friday despite not even playing. He had the moxie all day Saturday and Sunday, too, even starting a few controversies! Most disappointing was Min Woo Lee for the simple reason of him playing just twice all week.
