If the 2013 Presidents Cup was played today…

…four Aussies and six South African’s would be facing a mighty US Team.

In just over six months time, the 2013 Presidents Cup will get under way at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio (October 1- 6, 2013). But if you’re hoping for an International Team victory, you may have to wait another few years.

The International Team has only recorded one victory in the previous nine Presidents Cup’s, at Royal Melbourne in 1998. Last year’s defeat to the US Team back at Royal Melbourne was anti-climatic after most golf experts predicted the Internationals had a fighting chance of winning on Australian soil.

But like previous Presidents Cup’s, the US Team took a commanding lead on the opening day and never relinquished the lead, putting to bed any thoughts that US golfers can’t play good golf outside of their comfortable PGA Tour surroundings.
So is the result going to be any different in 2013?
While we understand that the teams will change before October, we thought we would have a look at the current make-up of the teams, and see if there is any hope of the Internationals beating the mighty US.

Presidents Cup Teams
USA Internationals
Tiger Woods (2) Louis Oosthuizen (6)
Brandt Snedeker (4) Adam Scott (7)
Matt Kuchar (9) Charl Schwartzel (17)
Hunter Mahan (22) Ernie Els (24)
Phil Mickelson (10) Brandon Grace (29)
Steve Stricker (8) Jason Day (35)
Dustin Johnson (20) George Coetzee (42)
Bubba Watson (13) John Senden (47)
Keegan Bradley (14) Richard Sterne (48)
Webb Simpson (19) Geoff Ogilvy (50)

 

Quite frankly the US Team looks awesome, and would win by a comfortable margin.
Form and rankings
Steve Stricker is the only guy on the US Team who hasn’t won in the past year and all ten players are ranked inside the world’s Top-30 golfers. In fact, only Hunter Mahan and sits outside the world’s Top-20 ranked players, currently ranked 22nd.
Conversely, the International Team has just the three players in the world’s Top-20 ranked golfers as it stands; Louis Oosthuizen (6), Adam Scott (7) and Charl Schwartzel (17) and five haven’t recorded a professional victory in the last 12 months, four of them are the Australians.
How the teams might change
The depth of American golf is extraordinary right now. Sitting just outside the bubble for the US Team is Jason Dufner, Bill Haas and Zach Johnson. Jason Dufner will certainly be a part of the action in October but I could also see young players such as Russell Henley or Michael Thompson getting a start if their 2013 form continues.

Jason Day and John Senden need to find some form in order to stay safely in the team as automatic selections. If the team stays as it is, Nick Price will most likely opt for a few more experienced heads such as KJ Choi.Of those players on the cusp of the team, Thongchai Jaidee is the most likely to make a run at automatic selection showing glimpses of good form on the European Tour.It would be great to see KT Kim back in the team. His weekend matches at Royal Melbourne in 2011 were quite brilliant with a superb putting display. Chilean Felipe Aguilar is turning a few heads on the European Tour and could come into consideration when Nick Price needs to make his picks.

Is there any hope at all for the Internationals?
As it stands, nope. The US Team looks far too good and if we played this event this week, I’d be expecting a big margin between the teams.

But of course, golf is a funny game and thankfully for International Team hopes, they still have over six months for players to find some form.

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