Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau would be strong Presidents Cup candidates.
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After Thursday’s first game 5-0 the American team RUBit was easy to go straight to second guessing.
Why didn’t Mike Weir put one of his spark plugs, like Tom Kim OR Min Woo Lee or even a local canadian favorite, in the first group away?
Why weren’t the fans more involved? Is Montreal the right place for this event?!
And then, perhaps the most common: Would it be closer if LIV players were on the international roster?
It’s a fair thing to wonder. In the weeks and months leading up to the last Presidents Cup in 2022, the internationals were decimated by LIV defectors and had to scramble for replacements. And while it is not one surprise that LIV pros have been disqualified from the Presidents Cup, a competition owned and operated by the PGA Tour, it’s worth exploring how things would look if they were still eligible, at least for captain selection.
So let’s do it.
Team USA
LIV lock: US Open champion (and YouTube star) Bryson DeChambeau. While he’s only been so-so (by his standards) in LIV races this season, DeChambeau has been at his best when the lights have been brighter. T6 at the Masters, second at the PGA Championship and a win at Pinehurst is clearly enough to land him in a top-12 American squad. No idea here.
maybe: The strongest case belongs to Brooks Koepka. After all, the guy has won five major championships. He has also won twice at LIV this summer. And, even though he didn’t make the top 25 in either major, he at least made the cut in the quarters. However, this would be an origin game.
After Koepka, the guys you might expect to be on this team just haven’t played that well. Patrick Reed is a famous fighter to play matches, but I don’t see that the leadership of the team will fight for him in the team. Dustin Johnson is one of the best of his generation, but he only has one LIV top 10 since February and his headline results (MC-T43-MC-T31) are uninspiring. The next man will probably be Talor Goochwho finished 10th in the LIV season standings but appeared in just one major this year – a T60 at the PGA Championship. AND Phil MickelsonThe team’s playing days seem to be behind him, although his captaincy is a more interesting conversation.
Last list: I am trading in DeChambeau for Brian Harman. I would keep Max Homa on the team because he has been the best American in the last two team events – he has earned his role as the emotional center of the team. And I think I’d trade Koepka for (bows) Keegan Bradley? This is a coin toss for me, but Bradley could stick to his original role as assistant captain and prepare in earnest for Bethpage.
So here is my final list, with two LIV pros swapped out:
Scottie Scheffler
Xander Schuaffele
Collin Morikawa
Wyndham Clarke
Patrick Cantlay
Sahith Theegala
Sam Burns (captain’s pick)
Tony Finau (captain’s choice)
Russell Henley (captain’s pick)
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU (captain’s pick)
BROOKS KOEPKA (captain’s pick)
Max Homa (captain’s pick)
INTERNATIONAL TEAM
locks: There is a couple: Joaquin Niemann is clear No. 1 and Cameron Smith is not far behind him.
Maybe: Louis Oosthuizen you’re playing golf better than you think. Abraham Ancer. Marc Leishman. Carlos Ortiz. Sebastian Munoz. Dean Burmester. Lucas Herbert. Anirban Lahiri. You will not choose all of them these guys, but you will include them in the conversation. There’s no doubt that the talent pool got significantly shallower when they headed to LIV.
Last list: Our two “locks” touch for the last two guys in: Christiaan Bezuidenhout AND Mackenzie Hughes. Hughes is a particularly tough cut – you’re going to take out a top Canadian who’s also a good player?! But it’s a harsh world.
I would happily listen to the arguments for Oosthuizen at length Min Woo Lee. But I think I’m keeping Lee because he feels like a spark plug and the future of the team.
So here is my final list, with two LIV additions:
Hideki Matsuyama
Im Sungjae
Adam Scott
Tom Kim
Jason’s day
Byeong Hun An
Corey Conners (captain’s pick)
Taylor Pendrith (captain’s pick)
JOAQUIN NIEMANN (captain’s pick)
CAMERON SMITH (captain’s pick)
Min Woo Lee (Captain’s Pick)
Si Woo Kim (Captain’s Choice)
cONcluSiON
So what gives? The US team gets one or two more players, while the internationals get two or three (or more for you Ancer fans). I’d give the internationals a slight edge if you added the LIV guys because their talent pool would be significantly deepened, especially looking ahead to the upcoming Cups. But still – the difference is not as sharp as I would expect.
Also, as I get ready to send this to my editor, the international team seems to be setting up a Day 2 charge. Maybe these teams aren’t that far apart. And maybe this event doesn’t need such an urgent fix.
