Fresh off last year’s Ryder Cup win, the best golfers from the USA are preparing to once again exert their dominance on the international stage with the upcoming 2015 Presidents Cup to be held from October 8-11 in Incheon, South Korea. Jordan Spieth will headline the American contingent to battle against the very best of the rest of the world (excluding Europe), who will have red-hot Jason Day leading the way.
Read on for our preview of this biannual international golf event. And for more of our Presidents Cup coverage, check out what the top golf experts think about the outcome of the tournament here, as well as our very own picks to be tournament sleepers here.
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2015 Presidents Cup Preview
Where: Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, Incheon, South Korea
Before delving into the nitty gritty of the tournament, let’s first give a quick primer on the Presidents Cup.
[sc:Golf240banner ]The Presidents Cup is what is known as a match play tournament. Unlike tournaments like the Masters, which use a stroke play scoring system, match play tournaments use points to determine winners.
Match play tournaments also incorporate a “team” aspect to golf. The Ryder Cup, another famous match play tournament, pits the US against Europe. In the case of the Presidents Cup, the two sides are the US and a team of the top international golfers outside of Europe. Each team has 12 members who will fight for 30 points (down from 34 in previous editions) that are up for grabs throughout the four-day tournament. The first team to 15.5 points wins.
These points are contested in events known as “foursome” and “four-ball” matches, to be played by pairings selected by the respective team captains, as well as 12 one-on-one matches on the final day.
In “foursomes,” the two teammates will alternate shots (one player tees off and the other hits the subsequent shot) and the pair that takes the fewest number of shots to complete the hole wins the point. In “four-balls,” meanwhile, all four players will each get to play their own ball. A team’s score will be determined by the team member who has the lower score of the two. In the one-on-ones, the player with the lower score gets the point for his team.
In all three event types, each event is worth one point and a half-point is awarded in case of a tie.
Betting on the US Team
Team Captain: Jay Haas
Roster: Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Jimmy Walker, Zach Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar, Chris Kirk, J.B. Holmes, Bill Haas, Phil Mickelson
The US has been historically dominant when it comes to the Presidents Cup. The Americans have won the last five editions in a row (by an average of four points), and have not lost to the Internationals since 1998.
They’re significant -270 favorites to continue that run of dominance this year as they bring a star-studded team to Incheon. All 12 team members are currently inside the top 30 in the world rankings, headlined by the newly-crowned FedEx Cup champion Jordan Spieth.
The 22-year-old already got his first taste of Presidents Cup action back in 2013. He went 2-2, and lost his singles match. However, that was two years and two Masters wins ago. Spieth is now one of, if not the best golfer in the world today, and should be able to carry his weight in the team.
Of the 12 team members, five (Jimmy Walker, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed, Chris Kirk, and J.B. Holmes) are making their Presidents Cup debuts. Don’t sleep on Reed, though, who has experience (and success) when it comes to match play. The 25-year-old was instrumental in the US’s Ryder Cup win last year, going 3-0-1 in his matches.
Those debutantes can lean on the sage experience of Phil Mickelson, who will be making his 11th-consecutive Presidents Cup appearance.
Betting on the International Team
Team Captain: Nick Price
Roster: Jason Day, Louis Oosthuizen, Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama, Branden Grace, Marc Leishman, Anirban Lahiri, Charl Schwartzel, Thongchai Jaidee, Danny Lee, Steven Bowditch, Sangmoon Bae
No one was playing better golf at the tail-end of the PGA season than Jason Day. The 27-year-old won four of his last seven tournaments, including his first ever major in the PGA Championship. The Aussie will be expected to lead the underdog International team, which is priced at +230 to beat the Americans.
Day has not fared well in past Presidents Cup appearances, going just 4-4-2 in the competition. But he’s currently in the form of his life, and should give the Internationals a fighting chance to break their long-standing losing skid against the Americans.
Fellow Aussie, former World No. 1 Adam Scott, is the other marquee name on the team, but he has not had a particularly great 2015. Scott missed four cuts and finished in the top 10 just three times this past season. He also hasn’t had any sort of success in the Presidents Cup, as his 12-15-3 lifetime record indicates.
Incidentally, Charl Schwartzel is the only member of the International team that has a winning record in the Presidents Cup at 5-4-1.
Scott’s struggles have put the pressure on Hideki Matsuyama to carry the torch for the Internationals along with Day. The young Japanese went 1-3-1 as a 21-year-old in the 2013 Presidents Cup, but has since flourished into one of the steadiest players on tour.
The debuting (and Souths Korean) duo of Danny Lee and Sangmoon Bae will also look to come good in front of their countrymen. Bae, in particular, will be intimately familiar with the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club, as he has already won twice on the course in his career.
Writer’s Prediction
The US continues its dominance over the Internationals with a 16-14 win. Create a betting account now and cash in on some exciting international golf action.
