The Presidents Cup rookie is rocking a new look in Canada.
Min Woo Lee is donning the International Team black and gold for the first time at this week’s Presidents Cup, but it’s his haircut that has everyone talking heading into the biennial event at Royal Montreal Golf Club.
Let’s just say Rickie Fowler would be proud.
Lee, 26, has yet to win on the PGA Tour but totaled eight top-25 finishes in 18 starts this year, including a pair of runner-ups (Cognizant Classic and Rocket Mortgage Classic). The Aussie’s solid 2024 resume was good enough to earn one of Mike Weir’s captain’s picks, and the Internationals are hoping he can bring some youthful energy to the team.
The PGA Tour has added Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis to its roster of future locations.
The biennial competition pitting the United States against the rest of the world (minus Europe) will be heading to America’s heartland in 2030.
The PGA Tour has selected Bellerive in St. Louis as host site for the competition. The event is staged every two years, opposite the Ryder Cup. The American squads have dominated the competition: over the 13 matches, they are 11-1-1, including a comeback win in 2019 in Australia.
The 2022, 2024 and 2026 locations have also been announced, so with the naming of Bellerive in 2030, we await in the international location for 2028.
Below is a closer look at the future sites for the Presidents Cup.
The Man Out Front says Canada will host the Presidents Cup in 2023 while the 2027 site is still under consideration.
The Man Out Front is a planner, with accommodations already booked as far out as the 2032 Ryder Cup at The Olympic Club.
Seriously, can we slow down with some of these announcements of major championship venues, please? The Presidents Cup, in contrast, has some catching up to do. Having just returned from America’s 16-14 victory in the Land Down Under, TMOF couldn’t help wonder where will his dog-eared passport be stamped next?
We already know that the 2021 edition of the biennial competition is a USA home game at Quail Hollow in Charlotte. But The Forecaddie has gone ahead and made a down payment on an AirBnb North of the Border after hearing from multiple sources that the 2023 Presidents Cup is expected to return to Royal Montreal Golf Club, which hosted in 2007. Anyone think Mike Weir for International Team captain, eh?
International Team Captain Gary Player hugs Mike Weir during Opening Ceremonies for the 2007 Presidents Cup at The Royal Montreal Golf Club. (Photo by Chris Condon/PGA Tour)
The bigger question is 2027, where the likes of Argentina, China and Mexico will be seeking to host for the first time while Australia and South Africa will be under consideration for an encore performance. But let’s not forget another country with Presidents Cup aspirations. New Zealand is turning into quite the golf destination and Royal Auckland is prepping for its potential close up.
“We want to be in the frame for that discussion,” said Rob Selley, general manager of Royal Auckland.
In March, the club will open a new clubhouse and the first 18 of 27 planned holes from a renovation by Nicklaus Design (conducted by senior design associate Chris Cochran) after merging with neighboring Grange Club. Royal Auckland is situated in a cosmopolitan city with plenty of accommodations and close enough to the airport (roughly 20 minutes) that you can see planes overhead from several fairways. Then there is the 300-acre footprint, which would include nearby King’s College, to handle all the necessary infrastructure, not to mention that the 18-hour time difference with the east coast of the U.S., which will be even better than Oz for prime-time golf.
Royal Auckland officials received an introduction to PGA Tour bigwigs from club member Craig Heatley, who is better known in golf circles as an Augusta National green jacket and chairman of the Masters Tournament media committee. Selley made the trip to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida after the latest Masters to present to among others Ron Cross, senior vice president of the Presidents Cup, Matt Kamienski, the Cup’s executive director, and Matt Rapp, senior vice president of championship management.
Hosting an event of this stature requires an eight-figure commitment from both local and national sponsors. Mexico, South Africa and Argentina each are attractive for their own reasons but may lack the financial resources. New Zealand’s hopes likely will hinge on garnering the same level of government support that helped make Royal Melbourne a reality. TMOF hears China is the favorite in ’27 and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the Tour decided eight years was enough elapsed time to bring the Cup back to Royal Melbourne for a fourth tour of duty. But don’t count out the Kiwis.
“It would be a major happening here and 2027 will give us enough time to prepare properly,” Selley said.
