Els excited about his Presidential prospects

Ernie Els came, saw and put on a charm offensive that captivated the people of Melbourne, host city of the 2019 Presidents Cup.

Entrusted with the captaincy of the International Team for the biennial showdown against the United States at Royal Melbourne Golf Club from Dec 9-15, 2019, the World Golf Hall of Famer rallied his prospective team members and the people of Australia in a full frontal media blitz during a recent two-day visit to the city.

From the moment he stepped off the plane in Melbourne, the South African star was in his element as he eased from one engagement to another and spoke passionately about the highly anticipated match against a Tiger Woods-led US team.

He also unveiled the International Team’s new logo, which is aimed at giving the team a more unified focus while also allowing members from different countries to have the flag of their homeland represented.

“To have this logo to bond us together and still represent our countries and our flags is something we can all be a part of and all get behind,” Els said.

“The players here represent the future of this team with traditional countries like Australia and Korea mixed together with some new, emerging countries where golf is growing like China, Mexico, Thailand and India.”

In a massive show of support not only for the Presidents Cup, but for Els as their captain, Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Australia’s Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith, China’s Li Haotong and Wu Ashun, India’s Anirban Lahiri, Korea’s Kim Si-woo, Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer, who all featured in the World Cup of Golf, participated in the logo unveiling.

“It’s a special group of guys from all over the world that make up the Presidents Cup International Team,” Els said. “Being from across the globe, we don’t all play for the same flag. To lift the spirit of the team, we felt like we needed a logo for ourselves.

“It means a great deal to me that these young, talented future stars would make the effort to come out to this event, embrace our new team logo and be here in support of what we are trying to accomplish.”

At every media stop, Els reiterated the importance of the Australian fans rallying behind his International squad.

“We really want the crowd, the Aussie crowd, behind us this time,” he said. “I know our play will dictate the noise of the crowd, but if we can get them from that first shot, I know how intimidating it can be.

“I think it’s going to be a feeling of when or if we lift the trophy, it’s for the Australian people. They are not just pulling for Adam (Scott) or Jason (Day) or Leish (Marc Leishman); they are adopting guys like Li Haotong and Kiradech (Aphibarnrat) and Hideki (Matsuyama) to help get us over the line.”

Royal Melbourne was the site of the International Team’s lone victory in the Presidents Cup, achieved in 1998. Els, who was a member of that squad and also won the Heineken Classic there in 2002, believes his knowledge of the course can provide his players with an added advantage.

“You know, it feels like my own home course to be honest with you,” he said. “I really want to guide them through Royal Melbourne. It’s not a course which you’re going to overpower too much.

“I think my job is to get them to buy into my kind of system of how to play it. That’s my main job.”