USA TODAY International Edition
Cup rookies will rely on veterans to calm nerves
JERSEY CITY In the opening session of the 2013 Presidents Cup, Steve Stricker had to call upon his fatherly instincts to help his partner.
“He was very, very nervous,” Stricker said of Jordan Spieth, who was 20 at the time and the youngest American to play in the event.
“I was a mess,” Spieth said. “I hit a ball in the water on 2, hit a ball in the water on 3, and I hit a chunk 6-iron on 4. And Strick put his arm around me and said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ve got you until you’re ready to go. I’ve got your back.’ And he did.”
Spieth turned things around on the back nine, holed a few key putts, and the two won their match, 1 up, against Ernie Els and Brendon de Jonge.
This week Stricker might have to rely on his paternal instincts again at the 12th edition of The Presidents Cup. Half of the USA captain’s charges have never played in the event: Justin Thomas, Kevin Chappell, Kevin Kisner, Charley Hoffman, Daniel Berger and Brooks Koepka (though he played on the 2016 Ryder Cup team).
“It’s exciting and a little bit nerve-racking at the same time,” Stricker said. “It concerns me a little bit that we have a lot of rookies.
“But they’re courageous, they’re feisty and they’re hungry.”
Stricker’s counterpart, Nick Price, might have his hands full, too, with his four rookies: Emiliano Grillo, Jhonattan Vegas, Si Woo Kim and Adam Hadwin.
The captains know that The Presidents Cup, like the Ryder Cup, is a different beast. It is where grown men shake as they play for team, captain and country. Where even the toughest of souls have a hard time pulling the club back, especially on the first tee.
It’s a pressure cooker turned to its highest level.
Thus, the captains will rely on their assistants and veterans to lend a helping hand, a pat on the back or a soothing chat.
“It’s a different feeling in these team events,” Spieth said. “There will be a couple guys where they may not be bothered, and there will be a couple guys where it just may be difficult to get started. …
“I think the pairings were made with a little bit of that in mind, to kind of bring out the best in everyone.
“We’ve got a lot of pairings this week of guys that played a lot of rounds of golf together throughout the year. So it’s nothing new when they pair up as a team. It’s a matter of getting settled into playing for your country and kind of the craziness that these team events bring out.”
Thomas, the presumptive player of the year, has already had one meaningful conversation to help settle his nerves.
“I talked to Jim Furyk a little bit about what it might be like or what the nerves could be like. He just preached to me that it’s still golf,” Thomas said.
The phone call went a little bit like this.
“How many time have you won this year?” Furyk asked. “Five,” Thomas replied. “You won a major?” “Yeah.” “What are you ranked?” “Fourth.”
“You’re really good at golf. Why are you worried about being nervous?”
“And I told him I’ve heard stories and it’s a big deal,” Thomas said. “I get more amped up playing for my country than I do anything else. You’re not just representing yourself, you’re not just representing your caddie or your team. You’re representing the entire United States of America. That’s a tremendous honor.
“To win points for your team and your country is even better, and to do it in a place like Liberty National where you’re looking at the Statue of Liberty is pretty sick. But like he said, just stay calm and enjoy it and just remember that it’s just golf.”
Kisner, who will play with Phil Mickelson in the opening session, said playing in The Presidents Cup is a “different animal.”
“I’ve heard it’s going to be as electric as anything I’ve been around,” he said. “I kind of feed off that stuff. You have to embrace it. I’ll probably not remember my first swing. But I’m ready. Well, I think I’m ready.”
And Kisner’s thankful Mickelson will be by his side.
“We have a good relationship on the trash-talking,” Kisner said. “He’s fired up. He’s grabbing me every five minutes and telling me something that I don’t understand, and then we go on. … I’ll be relying on him heavily. I’ve already been telling him that all day. I’m like, ‘You have got to tell me what the hell to do. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing out here.’
“I just want to hit it straight. I told him every time he has to hit it from the fairway, he’ll probably be uncomfortable. But other than that, we’ll be good to go.”