In thirteen past Presidents Cup matches, the U.S. holds a dominant 11-1-1 record and hasn’t lost since 1998. And even though the 2019 edition at Royal Melbourne was a surprisingly close 16-14, the LIV Tour has stolen a number of the best and more promising international players in Cameron Smith, who won both the most recent major and LIV event, 2019 Presidents Cup surprising star Abraham Ancer, up-and-comer Joaquin Niemann, and grizzled vet Louis Oosthuizen.
Among the top 10 players in the OWGR playing at Quail Hollow this week, zero of the play for the Internationals. In fact they have just two of the top 20.
Still there are a lot of uncertainties and match play can bring out a lot of surprising things. And the U.S. isn’t at full strength either, with 2019 star Tiger Woods not physically able to go, and they lost a few experienced guys to the LIV too in Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, and Bryson DeChambeau.
Lots of pride is at stake this week, here is how we rank who’s there:
24. Christiaan Bezuidenhout
International captain Trevor Immelman use of his picks on his fellow South African Bezuidenhout, in feels like a risky pick, given that he’s a Presidents Cup rookie and is 0-5-1 in his WGC-Match Play history… He has had some success in Europe, but ranks just 67th in the OWGR and has not been terribly relevant on the PGA Tour this year aside from a T2 at the John Deere Classic. To his credit, he did make 20 of 24 cuts on Tour this season, but just one of those events resulting in a top-ten.
OWGR: 67
Best OWGR: 33
Experience: Debut
Native: South Africa
Team: International
23. Si Woo Kim
Largely due to ghastly putting, Kim notched just one top-10 in the 2021-22 season. Also, ranking just 76th in the OWGR does not inspire much confidence. On his plus side, though, he does have three Tour wins, and on weeks where he putts competently his results are typically solid… Immleman is going to be praying that this is one of those weeks every so often that he seems to have where Kim is feeling and it does not become a liability. Kim played in the 2017 Presidents Cup, playing just two matches and going 1-1, losing in Sunday Singles to Daniel Berger.
OWGR: 76
Best OWGR: 28
Experience: 1 (2017)
Native: Korea
Team: International
22. Sebastian Munoz
Another Presidents Cup rookie, the 29-year-old Colombian, is currently 64th in the world rankings, and has just one top-10 since the 2022 calendar year started, a T3 at May’s AT&T Byron Nelson. His ball-striking this past season was above average, but his short game circumscribed his results, and it is not terribly promising that he has a career record of 1-4-1, although he should feel good that he notched a half and a win after losing his first four attempts. He could be a wild card this week.
OWGR: 64
Best OWGR: 49
Experience: Debut
Native: Colombia
Team: International
21. K.H. Lee
Just two top-10s in 28 starts on Tour this past season, but he did record a very impressive victory when he closed with a 63 to capture the AT&T Byron Nelson, outdeuling a number of bigger names to successful defend is 2021 Byron Nelson victory… A T5 at last month’s BMW Championship, the second leg of the FedExCup players shows some promise for his current state, as he was one of the 30 to reach the Tour Championship… He has absolutely no match-play experience as a professional however.
OWGR: 43
Best OWGR: 39
Experience: Debut
Native: Korea
Team: International
20. Taylor Pendrith
Coming off a T67 performance at last week’s Fortinet Championship, which included a Sunday 77, the 31-year-old Canadian isn’t coming into the week in the best of motivation… Still, in six of his previous seven starts, he finished T13 or better including a T2 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, which made him an attractive replacement… He finished last season tenth in both driving distance and greens in regulation.
OWGR: 109
Best OWGR: 109
Experience: Debut
Native: Canada
Team: International
19. Cam Davis
The winner of the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic, the 27-year-old Aussie did blow the doors off the Tour this year, but got himself consistently on the fringes of the mix last season, especially later on when he posted finishes of T16 or better in five of his last six events… He did miss the cut at last week’s Fortinet Championship though… The world No. 66 has absolutely no match-play experience on Tour, so this appears to be another one of those players where the International captains are going to have their fingers crossed.
OWGR: 66
Best OWGR: 63
Experience: Debut
Native: Australia
Team: International
18. Joohyung “Tom” Kim
As of recent months, no one in the golf world has suddenly vaulted onto the big stage faster than 20-year-old South Korean Jooyhung Kim, who followed a surprising third place at the Genesis Scottish Open with a victory at the Wyndham Championship, the latter being the last event of the PGA Tour season and got him into the FedExCup playoffs (as a non-member, FedExCup points do not count without a victory)… A T13 in the FedEx St. Jude Classic the next week leaves us all wondering the ceiling for this precocious player… Is he too green for the Presidents Cup though? Simply making the team is a huge success for him.
OWGR: 22
Best OWGR: 22
Experience: Debut
Native: Korea
Team: International
17. Mito Pereira
With Joaquin Niemann in the LIV, Pereira is the man in the field representing Chile. He had shown a lot of promise and very nearly won the PGA Championship, squandering a lead on the final hole. He took the disappointment with class, but has not been especially relevant in a lot of events since, missing four cuts in a row after a T13 at The Memorial, which he followed up with a T42 and a T54, causing him to miss the Tour Championship… Statistically, he’s a fantastic shot maker though, finishing the year 16th in strokes played; tee-to-green.
OWGR: 49
Best OWGR: 45
Experience: Debut
Native: Chile
Team: International
16. Corey Conners
The 30-year-old Canadian has gotten himself into the mix in a number of big-time events, but is still looking for his first win on Tour since April of 2019… Conners is not arriving at Quail Hollow in pristine form, with just one top-10 in his last six starts of the 2022 season, and he missed the cut in last week’s season-opening Fortinet Champion. On the plus side, he shined at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, reaching the third-place match where he won 3&1 over Dustin Johnson. In fact, he has won six of his last seven matchups in that event, with the only loss coming against match play wizard Kevin Kisner… This will be Conners’ Presidents Cup debut.
OWGR: 26
Best OWGR: 25
Experience: Debut
Native: Canada
Team: International
15. Sam Burns
The Match Play rookie – at least as far as his professional career goes – is coming off a three-win season on the PGA Tour, and has consistently played well in clutch situations. However, the LSU product lost considerable momentum late in the year with nothing better than a T19 over his final seven starts. What could be encouraging though was that he was solo-second at the team-based Zurich Classic, while paired with Billy Horschel, who is on the Presidents Cup team. Despite his inexperience and recent drop-off in play, there is little season to believe Burns will be a liability this week.
OWGR: 12
Best OWGR: 9
Experience: Debut
Native: Louisiana
Team: USA
14. Cameron Young
It was a phenomenal rookie season for Young, a 25-year-old Wake Forest product. He has not won quite yet, but he recorded five(!) runner-ups, in addition to two other third places… 12 of his 25 starts were inside the top 25 and he contended late in two majors. Up to 18th in the OWGR, Young is clearly one of the biggest up-and-comers in American golf. Do not be surprised if he looks more in his element than expected.
OWGR: 18
Best OWGR: 18
Experience: Debut
Native: New York
Team: USA
13. Max Homa
One of the few players who was at the Fortinet Championship last week, Homa won it for the second year in a row. The 31-year-old now has five career victories, and is likely someone who will really take in the team experience next week. Surprisingly this will be Homa’s debut in a team match-play experience. His advancements in his putting game should be a big help, and at the very least, he should be great for team chemistry.
OWGR: 16
Best OWGR: 16
Experience: Debut
Native: California
Team: USA
12. Billy Horschel
Shockingly, Horschel has never represented the U.S. in a team play event, and he has struggled badly on the major stage, but he is also a gritty player who has had considerable successes in his career. And even if he’s a rookie as far as this event goes, he has shown match play prowess, posting an impressive 13-7-2 career record at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, winning the 2021 event over Scottie Scheffler… For the season, Horschel had a victory at The Memorial Tournament and two runner-ups, and consistently flashed an elite short game.
OWGR: 15
Best OWGR: 11
Experience: Debut
Native: Florida
Team: USA
11. Tony Finau
After an extremely disappointing start to the 2022 season, something with Finau clicked and he was red-hot down the stretch, winning back-to-back events in July, and then finishing T5 the following week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship despite opening with a 77… His game had basically no weakness after May. The Utah native’s match-play history has been up-and-down, but he has experience at both the Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup.
OWGR: 14
Best OWGR: 9
Experience: 1 (2019)
Native: Utah
Team: USA
10. Collin Morikawa
The 2021-22 season was not Morikawa’s best, as he didn’t a record victory and struggled with his short game, but it might be worse than it was because he set the bar so high so early with four wins, including victories in his first ever attempts at both the PGA Championship and Open Championship… He also killed it at the 2021 Ryder Cup, going 3-0-1 in the American Victory, including the clinching half-point in his Sunday singles match against Viktor Hovland… It might be worth noting that all three of those team wins came with Dustin Johnson as his partner, who lost his position after defecting to the LIV… If his putting is there, he will again be a huge threat, as hardly anyone, if anyone, is a better ball-striker.
OWGR: 9
Best OWGR: 2
Experience: Debut
Native: California
Team: USA
9. Hideki Matsuyama
At No. 16 in the OWGR, the eight-time Tour winner and former Masters Champ is the highest-ranked player on the International side. His experience (this will be his sixth Presidents Cup) will be critical if the Internationals want to pull off the upset, and Matsuyama has been excellent in the event, going 3-1-1 in singles matches… It was a two-victory season for the 30-year-old from Japan, and a Saturday 63 at the recent Tour Championship could be a sign he is rounding back into elite form.
OWGR: 17
Best OWGR: 2
Experience: 4 (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019)
Native: Japan
Team: International
8. Jordan Spieth
The 13-time major champion, three of which occurred in majors, is already competing in his eighth professional team event despite still only being 29. That 2017-2019 slump now looks long in his rear-view mirror, as he has notched two victories, four runner-ups, and two additional third-places over his last two seasons… Strangely though, Spieth has been awful in singles matches 0-7-1, with the half coming against Tommy Fleetwood in last year’s Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. However, he thrives in the team events, where he has a stellar 16-6-3 record… He’s a fit with anyone, but it’s likely he will be spending time with close friend Justin Thomas this week.
OWGR: 13
Best OWGR: 1
Experience: 3 (2013, 2015, 2017)
Native: Texas
Team: USA
7. Kevin Kisner
In his 2017 Presidents Cup debut, Kisner finished with the lowest amount of points for the United States Team, but Kiz has had a reputation for a long time as being a match-play god… In solo match play, he is an incredible 22-7, and has made the championship game in three of the past four WGC-Dell Technologies Match Plays… Surprisingly, he has one made on team match play event, going 2-0-1 at the 2017 Presidents Cup… He was extremely hit-or-miss on the Tour this year, but was trending positively late and nobody has more confidence in this format.
OWGR: 25
Best OWGR: 14
Experience: 1 (2017)
Native: South Carolina
Team: USA
6. Adam Scott
The smooth Aussie will be making his tenth Presidents Cup appearance this week, which is more than the rest of the international squad combined… Scott was a good performer in 2019 at Royal Melbourne, going 2-2-0 and nabbing 2.5 points for the team. Not particularly consistent on the PGA Tour this year, Scott, though, finished the year hot, going T5 in the first two rounds of the FedExCup playoffs – the only player to play himself into the next round for both events… He’s a leader and nobody knows this event better, his team will be relying heavily on him.
OWGR: 30
Best OWGR: 1
Experience: 9 (2003-19)
Native: Australia
Team: International
5. Xander Schauffele
He might still be looking for his first major, but Schauffele has been consistently great in his career and was very strong over the second half of this past season, winning three times since last April, and finished the FedExCup Playoffs T3-4, although he squandered a good chance late at the Tour Championship, which is historically an event he has dominated… Xander was used heavily in 2019 at Royal Melbourne going 3-2-0, and is likely to be paired up again with close friend Patrick Cantlay… He is 4-0 in his career in foursomes, and knocked off an extremely experienced Adam Scott in the last Presidents Cup.
OWGR: 5
Best OWGR: 4
Experience: 1 (2019)
Native: California
Team: USA
4. Sungjae Im
The 24-year-old from South Korea is one of the Internal heavyweight, scoring a team co-high 3.5 in 2019 and was one just two players (Cameron Smith) to win their Sunday signals match… When we last saw Im, he made a furious charge up the leaderboard at the Tour Championship, finishing just one stroke behind champion Rory McIlroy and tying Scottie Scheffler, who had begun the week up top. Im has five consecutive top-15 finishes and won the Shriners Children’s Open in October… Both his partners from 2019 were LIV defects though (Smith, Ancer).
OWGR: 19
Best OWGR: 16
Experience: 1 (2019)
Native: Korea
Team: International
3. Patrick Cantlay
The world No. 4 has been involved in six winning matches between the most recent Presidents and Ryder Cups, pacing the field at the last Ryder Cup with an early Sunday victory over Shane Lowry, making him a key player in the American triumph… Overall, he’s 12-6-3 in his match play career, including a 4-0-0 mark in foursomes… In addition, Cantlay was red-hot to finish the PGA Tour season, with 11 top-15 finishes in his last 13 starts, including two victories… One of those wins was at the Zurich Classic, the only team event in the PGA Tour season, while teamed up with Xander Schauffele, a pairing we very well might see a heavy dose of at Quail Hollow.
OWGR: 4
Best OWGR: 3
Experience: 1 (2019)
Native: California
Team: USA
2. Scottie Scheffler
Sunday disappointment at the Tour Championship aside, the world No. 1 was overwhelmingly voted PGA Tour player of the year, with four wins (including The Masters), and four runner-ups among 11 top-10s. Scheffler led the Tour the past season in green in regulation, the second-best birdie average and fourth-best scoring average… Most encouraging of all, Scheffler has an immaculate match play record, with his highlight coming when he blasted a red-hot Jon Rahm in Sunday Singles at the 2021 Ryder Cup… He also won this year’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
OWGR: 1
Best OWGR: 1
Experience: Debut
Native: Texas
Team: USA
1. Justin Thomas
Thomas was spectacular at the 2019 Presidents Cup, with his 3.5 points (3-1-1) leading the American side… He also notched 2.5 points at last year’s Ryder Cup, going 2-1-1… The 15-time Tour winner does not have a spectacular singles record overall, but he has improved considerably in that regard, and most of his losses are related to the WGC Match Play event… As a teammate, he is another one likely to be relied on heavily, with an incredible 10-2-3 team record, including 6-0-1 in fourballs… On the Tour season, Thomas sputtered a bit after winning the PGA Championship in a dramatic seven-stroke comeback, but still pulled off ten top-10s and should be among the most confident players at Quail Hollow.
OWGR: 7
Best OWGR: 1
Experience: 2 (2017, 2019)
Native: Kentucky
Team: USA
