Tag: Presidents Cup 2019

Where will we see Tiger Woods play next?

He’s coming off back-to-back weeks of competition at the Hero World Challenge and the Presidents Cup. So where will Tiger Woods play next?

[jwplayer Xx43OCcU-9JtFt04J]

He matched Sam Snead with his 82nd victory at the PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship in late October.

He’s coming off back-to-back weeks of competition at the Hero World Challenge and the Presidents Cup, where the U.S. won and he set the team’s all-time record for wins with a singles match defeat of Abraham Ancer.

Now he’s going to take some time off. So where will Tiger Woods play next?

That remains a mystery.

Woods is eligible for the winners-only Tournament of Champions in Maui, but he skipped it last year even after gaining eligibility as winner of the Tour Championship and hasn’t appeared at Kapalua since 2005 despite a memorable victory there in 2000.

PRESIDENTS CUP: Special podcast | Sunday results | Gallery
GRADES: Captains, Royal Melbourne earn high marks
MORE: When Captain America is hurting the USA

More likely, Woods will make his 2020 debut at his usual starting spot, the Farmers Insurance Open (Jan. 23-26) in San Diego, where he’s won eight times at Torrey Pines, including the 2008 U.S. Open. Woods has yet to commit there, but he’s already done so for the Genesis Invitational, Feb. 13-16. He’s still never won at Riviera Country Club.

Given his myriad injuries, Woods will likely continue with a less is more schedule. So, it will be surprising to see him sign up to the Waste Management Phoenix Open, where he once made the whole state of Arizona shake with a hole-in-one at TPC Scottsdale’s 16th, but also couldn’t break 80 with the chipping yips during his last appearance in 2015. Nor is he likely to be in the mood for the six-hour rounds, potentially cold weather and bumpy greens of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

After his hosting duties at the Genesis Invitational, Woods has been a loyal attendee of WGC’s and could test his stamina by teeing it up two weeks in a row with a start at the WGC-Mexico Championship in Mexico City. If his body cooperates, the Honda Classic, despite being a home game for Woods and the start of the Florida Swing, will be a scheduling casualty as it is doubtful he will choose to play three in a row. That’s too much golf for his back and knee at this stage in his career.

Woods missed the Arnold Palmer Invitational last year. That has been a favorite hunting ground for him and site of eight of his victories. It’s a safe bet that if the body is willing this time, he’ll be there, and the week after is The Players Championship, where Woods is a two-time champion.

In 2018, Woods finished second at the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook. The course fits his eye, but don’t count on Woods showing up unless he’s had to alter his schedule for health reasons or feels the sudden urge to add a start in his run up to the Masters if he’s missed a bunch of cuts and looking for reps.

Last year, Woods made his final tuneup for Augusta at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Texas. There’s the potential to have to play a lot of golf should Woods go far in the competition, including 36 on Saturday, so his participation here could be subject to change.

All of this leads up to April 9, and Tiger’s defense of the green jacket. That can’t come soon enough, but there should be a respectable number of early-season starts to see Woods and his chase for Tour title No. 83.

[opinary poll=”tiger-woods-has-15-majors-will-he-pass-j” customer=”golfweek”]

[lawrence-related id=778017097,778017041,778017022,778016948]

Australian PGA Championship field boasts President Cup, PGA Tour players

The Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne has come and gone, but the action in Australia isn’t over thanks to the Australian PGA Championship.

The Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne has come and gone, but the action in Australia is far from over.

On the heels of Tiger Woods and Team USA’s epic comeback to win their eighth straight Cup is the 2019 Australian PGA Championship at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast.

The tournament, which has a $1.5 million purse, will begin Thursday, Dec. 19 and end Sunday, Dec. 22, and features a field of some of golf’s best, including a handful of Presidents Cup competitors.

A pair of Australian members of Ernie Els’ International team, Adam Scott and two-time defending champion Cameron Smith, are the biggest names in the field, alongside heavy-hitting youngster Cameron Champ and his fellow Americans Stewart Cink and Smylie Kaufman.

PRESIDENTS CUP: Special podcast | Sunday results | Photos
GRADES: Captains, Royal Melbourne earn high marks
MORE: When Captain America is hurting the USA

[opinary poll=”what-was-your-favorite-part-of-the-presi” customer=”golfweek”]

[lawrence-related id=778017025,778017147,778017101,778017097]

Did Team International squander its last, best chance to end its Presidents Cup losing streak?

The International Team squandered an opportunity to end its Presidents Cup losing streak and the challenge may get even tougher from here.

[jwplayer Xx43OCcU-9JtFt04J]

MELBOURNE, Australia – The eyes of Liezl Els told the result of the Presidents Cup.

The wife of Ernie wiped away fresh tears and tried to hide her disappointment behind a pair of oversized sunglasses. Only she really knows the countless hours that her husband invested as captain of Team International. The pain of a 16-14 defeat will linger because victory was there for the taking.

And it begs the question: if not this time, when will the Internationals end one of the longer losing streaks in sports – now at 21 years and counting?

The lopsided nature of the matches had some observers suggesting that it was time to scrap the biennial competition. They tried tweaking the format and having fewer points at stake to make the match close, but that made little difference in 2017, when the final score was 19-11.

What transpired this time was one of the most spirited competitions to date. Credit to Els for devising a way to neutralize the so-called American advantage. He threw himself head-long into his captaincy, and he turned over every stone in search of the slightest edge. He became convinced that the pairings mattered, and he developed a strategy using advanced analytics.

PRESIDENTS CUP: Sunday results | Photo gallery
GRADES: Captains, Royal Melbourne earn high marks
MORE: When Captain America is hurting the USA

“If you compare our team on paper with other teams in other sport, you would have laughed us out of the building,” Els said. “But we gave it a hell of a go and we came mightily close to winning and upsetting one of the greatest golf teams of all time. … It didn’t quite work out, but we came damn close.”

Els also created a new team culture that went far beyond a unifying team logo.

“Sometimes you met the guy for the first time on Tuesday afternoon of the competition,” International team assistant captain Geoff Ogilvy said. “I didn’t know K.T. Kim. By Saturday we’re great friends but it took until Saturday. We’re ahead of that curve.”

“I do believe he has created a different culture and created some continuity on this International squad,” former Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger said.

Has Els set the wheels in motion to end the U.S. domination by nearly pulling off an improbable upset? Will another loss diminish the team’s competitive spirit or ignite an intense rivalry?

International Team Captain Ernie Els gives a thumbs at the Presidents Cup. (Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

This set up as the best chance for International victory.

Royal Melbourne was a great equalizer that took several rounds for the Americans to learn to play and their players had more experience and understanding of how to play the Australian Sandbelt style of golf. There isn’t another venue where that edge will exist.

Also, the Americans had to travel 26 hours and suffered from jet lag, which surely contributed to its slow start. And let’s not forget, the U.S. was playing without World No. 1 Brooks Koepka, who was sidelined with injury, and with a rusty Dustin Johnson (coming of knee surgery) and Rickie Fowler. Els’s squad took advantage and jumped to a 6½-3½ lead.

But Els will be left thinking about what could have been if the Americans hadn’t flipped a few late matches. It could’ve owned a commanding 9-1 lead.

“That was probably the difference,” Els conceded. “You know, we had so much momentum. We had so much going for us, and you know, at the end there, they won that 18th hole twice and halved it. That’s almost 2½ points, and where we are, we are at 2½ points – well, 1½ points, … I felt it was a bit of a blow.”

Australia’s Adam Scott lost his singles match 2 and 1 to Xander Schauffele and looked like a man who was told his dog had been run over by a car. He’s still winless in nine Presidents Cups. No one has suffered more defeat at the hands of the Americans. All he could muster this time was to say, “I like what’s happening in the future. … I can’t wait for another crack at it.”

[jwplayer x5bfcXmZ-9JtFt04J]

But this was an opportunity lost.

In two years, when these foes meet again, the Americans will be back on home soil at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, a course most of the players have played at the Wells Fargo Championship or the 2017 PGA Championship. Koepka and Justin Thomas will be even more polished as players and young guns Collin Morikawa and Matthew Wolff likely will be in the mix for the team. Jordan Spieth may be back on top of the world.

Hopefully, Jason Day’s back will have healed and allow him to regain his form and the International side is starting to produce new blood, too. (Sungjae Im and Joaquin Niemann weren’t on the radar yet, and likely will be team members for the foreseeable future.) But there’s a chance Team USA may be an even bigger favorite.

Good luck to whomever takes the baton as International team captain in 2021. The job may leave you in tears.

[opinary poll=”what-was-your-favorite-part-of-the-presi” customer=”golfweek”]

[lawrence-related id=778016999,778016948,778016864]

Justin Thomas responds to trolls, defends showing emotion at Presidents Cup

Justin Thomas shared a celebratory photo of himself, Rickie Fowler and the Presidents Cup, but the trolls took it from there.

[jwplayer Xx43OCcU-9JtFt04J]

Justin Thomas is done with the trolls, and they’re not letting up after a couple of memorable moments at the Presidents Cup.

After the Americans rallied from two points down to win the Cup and the celebration looked to be fully under way in Melbourne, Thomas posted a photo of himself and Rickie Fowler (who appears to be wearing a USA onesie and ski goggles) posing with the Cup and the caption, “Remember that time we blew a 5 up lead? Yeah, neither do we.”

In Saturday’s foursomes, JT and Fowler were 5 up through seven holes against Abraham Ancer and Marc Leishman. And as we all know by now, that big lead was erased over the last eight holes and they finished in a tie.

But Twitter wouldn’t let Thomas off the hook, with some responding to him with references to Patrick Reed and others pointing to an incident that occurred in an earlier match against Leishman and Haotong Li.

“If you feel you can knock it from 3 feet you should not mind having to tidy it up!! Move on to the next and show some class!!
@JustinThomas34,” wrote one commenter, @HartleyGolfShop.

In the match against Li and Leishman, after making a 3-foot putt on the 11th hole, Thomas made a ‘gimme’ gesture that showed he didn’t appreciate that the Internationals didn’t concede the putt. Some saw it as JT just messing around, others took offense.

Thomas responded, “Just having fun with my partner was all I was doing. Totally understand it didn’t come off as a good look I’m sorry for that. But Rick and I like to have fun and I show some emotion to pump us up 🇺🇸”

It was the heat of the moment and in the department of bad looks, not the worst by any means. So let him have his day or don’t follow him on Twitter.

[opinary poll=”what-was-your-favorite-part-of-the-presi” customer=”golfweek”]

[lawrence-related id=778017101,778017097,778017070,778017041]

Abraham Ancer wasn’t cocky when he said he wanted Tiger Woods at Presidents Cup

Ancer, a rookie for captain Ernie Els’ team, said his tone when talking about playing Tiger Woods was never meant to be challenging.

[jwplayer Xx43OCcU-9JtFt04J]

“Abe wanted it, he got it.”

The above quote from U.S. playing captain Tiger Woods has made the rounds on social media after the 15-time major champion propelled his team to victory after winning the first match of the day against Abraham Ancer during Sunday’s Presidents Cup singles matches at Royal Melbourne.

Golf fans have mocked the 28-year-old for poking the bear at last month’s Mayakoba Golf Classic, where Ancer said: “I would like to play against Tiger (Woods), but the truth is that our objective is to do everything we can to win. Winning a match in the singles would be very special, so we need to try to get the cup.”

That quote led to the jab from Woods in the victory press conference, but Ancer has added some context to the situation after losing to Woods, 3 and 2.

“When they asked me that at Mayakoba first of all, that question was in Spanish, so the tone when I said it, it was never like cocky or challenging or anything like that,” said Ancer. “At the moment I thought it would be a great experience, which it was. No matter what, with the outcome of the match, I would have gained a lot. I would have become a better player just from being in that situation.”

He added Sunday after the Internationals defeat, “I’ve got a lot of grief from people, like, are you kidding me, I never like said it in a competitive way or talky way. I just thought the situation would make me a better player.”

Ancer, a rookie this week for International captain Ernie Els, had a stellar debut in the biennial competition, earning a 3-1-1 record. The rising star may just be a thorn in the side of U.S. teams for years to come.

[lawrence-related id=778016582,778017041,778017022]

U.S. Team wins 2019 Presidents Cup

Golfweek’s Adam Woodard reports on the U.S. Team winning the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

Golfweek’s Adam Woodard reports on the U.S. Team winning the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

Singles matches results: U.S. earns first point, looks for comeback win at Presidents Cup

Check out the results from all 12 singles matches at the Presidents Cup as Team USA looks to make an epic comeback.

The Internationals entered the final round singles matches at the 2019 Presidents Cup with a 10-8 advantage over Tiger Woods and the Americans.

The playing captain went out first and set the tone early for Team USA, who need to win 7½ points to win the biennial competition for the eighth straight time. Ernie Els and company dominated the competition early at Australia’s gem of a track, Royal Melbourne, and need just 5½ points from the final 12 matches to win for just the second time and first since 1998.

Below you’ll find the results and information on all 12 singles matches as they conclude:

Singles results

Tiger Woods (USA) def. Abraham Ancer (Int.), 3 and 2

Just Tiger Woods doing Tiger Woods things. The U.S. playing captain called his own number, never trailed in the match, and dominated en route to a crucial first point for his team. What a match.

Tony Finau vs. Hideki Matsuyama

Patrick Reed vs. C.T. Pan

Dustin Johnson vs. Haotong Li

Bryson DeChambeau vs. Adam Hadwin

Gary Woodland vs. Sungjae Im

Patrick Cantlay vs. Joaquin Niemann

Xander Schauffele vs. Adam Scott

Webb Simpson vs. Byeong-Hun An

Justin Thomas vs. Cameron Smith

Matt Kuchar vs. Louis Oosthuizen

Rickie Fowler vs. Marc Leishman

 

Presidents Cup: Tiger Woods puts crucial point on board, defeats Abraham Ancer

Tiger Woods improved his stellar record in the Presidents Cup, defeating International MVP Abraham Ancer in the final round of play.

Tiger Woods called his own number to lead Team USA out of the gate in the Sunday singles matches at the 2019 Presidents Cup.

Nice call, captain.

Woods took on the MVP of the week so far for Ernie Els and the Internationals, 28-year-old Abraham Ancer, and steadily dominated the match en route to a 3 and 2 victory, putting a crucial first point on the board for the Americans on the final day of play.

“I think I went with experience,” Woods told Golf Channel moments after the match. “I’ve been out with this session before, as the lead-off batter. I didn’t play yesterday so I was well rested.”

Woods never trailed in the match, but every time he won a hole, his rookie counterpart answered, especially on the front nine. Team USA’s playing captain made the turn at 1 up and took a 2 up lead for most of the back nine before ending the match on the 16th hole.

Woods improved to 7-2 in Presidents Cup singles and ends the competition a perfect 3-0. Ancer failed to earn a point for the first time in five matches this week, ending a stellar debut 3-1-1.

[lawrence-related id=778016864,778016773,778016778]

Tracker: Follow Tiger Woods’ match vs. Abraham Ancer shot-by-shot at Presidents Cup

Follow Tiger Woods’ final round at the 2019 Presidents Cup with shot-by-shot analysis from Royal Melbourne.

After sitting out both rounds of play on Saturday (Friday night in North America) at the 2019 Presidents Cup, playing captain Tiger Woods is back on the course for Sunday’s final singles match.

Woods, who boasts a 6-2 record in eight previous appearances, will be first out the gate for the Americans, taking on the MVP for the Internationals, Abraham Ancer. The Presidents Cup rookie has been lights-out for Ernie Els this week at Royal Melbourne, going 3-0-1 in his four matches.

Woods and Ancer tee off in Australia at 6:02 p.m. ET, and you can follow their final match with shot-by-shot analysis below.

Pre-round

[lawrence-related id=778016758,778016710,778016706]