There are shafts of light
With the short- term future of sports a thoroughly depressing topic, let’s look ahead to the Presidents Cup, where things are a little more optimistic and, potentially, more Canadian.
Earlier this week the International Team named Trevor Immelman captain for the 2021 Presidents Cup set for Quail Hollow, N. C. The South African was an assistant captain to Ernie Els last year in Australia, along with Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., Geoff Ogilvy and K. J. Choi.
The 2019 edition at Royal Melbourne brought new life into the competition with a great venue, a great rivalry between captains Els and Tiger Woods, and a near- upset by the underdog Internationals. It will be a challenge to keep the momentum going as the return to a regular PGA Tour venue will take a little of the mystique off and the likely addition of Americans Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, who both missed Melbourne with knee injuries, will further widen the talent gap between the two teams. But something was born in the International team under Els’ leadership and the team’s analytics-based strategy, and it’s up to Immelman to keep it going. In the early going, he seems to have his eyes on some Canadians.
“We’ve already had some guys, even though we haven’t been able to play a full schedule, but you look at a guy like Nick Taylor from Canada, who won the AT&T Pebble Beach earlier this season, there’s another guy that all of a sudden has stepped up to the plate and is able to contribute to our team, Corey Conners,” Immelman said. “We can go on with names that have started to play well in the last number of years who are on the fringes of making the previous team.”
Add to that list Canada’s top- ranked player Adam Hadwin, who has played in the past two Presidents Cups, and you have a legitimate chance for multiple Canadians on the team.
It’s near- certainty that Weir will be back as an assistant in 2021, and with Canada the front- runner to host the 2023 Presidents Cup all signs point to him captaining that team. Before the world hit the COVID-19 pause button, Royal Montreal was the favourite over Thailand to be the host venue in 2023.
“Outside of Ernie and Adam Scott I think I’ve been part of the most, so I’d love to continue that,” Weir told Postmedia in Melbourne. “I would love to be a part of it. At this point in my career I think it would be great and I’d love to be the captain.”
MEMO TO PLAYERS
If everything goes according to schedule — a John Daly- sized if — we will be watching plenty of golf’s biggest events in late summer and fall.
For the world’s best players it means they have a target to gear up for as they try to figure out how to stay sharp without competition. Players such as Phil Mickelson and Xander Schauffele have already hinted that they’re having a hard time getting motivated to practice with so much uncertainty ahead.
According to a Golf Channel report, players were sent a memo this week outlining the PGA Tour’s plans for restarting the season. The memo states that it is unlikely the tour will start in late May at the Charles Schwab Challenge, which is the next tournament that hasn’t been cancelled or postponed.