GOLF PRESIDENTS CUP Unlike Ryder, it's less stress on Americans
U.S. has not lost since 1998 against international team.
Comparing the Presidents Cup to the Ryder Cup is like listening to a conversation between a Scot and an American.
The words might be similar, but they sound nothing alike.
The biggest difference with the Presidents Cup is an American team that is filled with smiles, not stress. And there’s a reason for that. The Americans haven’t lost in these matches since 1998, and the past four have not been particularly close.
They walk taller. They worry less.
Jordan Spieth has played in one of each in his short but already stellar career, and it was hard not to notice the contrast between the two cups.
“It seems there is a bit of a difference,” he said Wednesday. “Almost like we put too much emphasis on the Ryder Cup instead of just freeing up to play our own game.”
Ryder Cup practice rounds felt like dress rehearsals. Presidents Cup practice rounds feel like a Tuesday money game on tour.
“We feel like the favorites,” Spieth said. “We’re walking around with cockiness in our step, and often that can bite you if you’re not careful, but we’re aware of that. But the point is, we’re out there smiling because we believe whatever matchup we want to put together, we believe we can beat the other team.”
The Americans, who have won the Ryder Cup only one time in the past 16 years, were seeking their sixth straight victory in the Presidents Cup when the matches began late Wednesday night Eastern time at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea.
Adam Scott, who has yet to play on a winning Presidents Cup team in six previous tries, and Hideki Matsuyama led off the foursomes session against J.B. Holmes and Bubba Watson, two of the longest hitters in golf.
Spieth and Dustin Johnson were in the anchor match against Marc Leishman and Danny Lee.
A lively opening ceremony Wednesday night, which featured South Korean President Park Geun-hye and former President George W. Bush, began with great suspense when a secret box was carried onto the stage. It was carefully opened to reveal the shiny gold Presidents Cup trophy. But there hasn’t been much suspense.
The last time it was close was in 2003 at South Africa when it ended in a tie after Ernie Els and Tiger Woods matched pars in three sudden-death playoff holes before it was too dark to continue.
The Presidents Cup has lacked the rancor of the Ryder Cup, which is inevitable when it’s a competition between two tours (PGA and Europe) instead of the Americans against an international team in which all but one player —
Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand — is or will be a PGA Tour member.
“They’re all Americans. They were just born in a different country,” U.S. assistant captain Fred Couples said.