Trevor Immelman hasn’t had it easy assembling his team ahead of the Presidents Cup tournament to be played on American soil at Quail Hollow in two weeks. With the exodus of his best golfers, the captain went back to selecting recruits. The formation will include two Canadians since Taylor Pendrith has joined Corey Conners.
• Read also: Taylor had drawn a line
Immelman announced his six discretionary picks on Tuesday. In addition to Pendrith, Colombian Sebastian Munoz, South Koreans Si Woo Kim and KH Lee, South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Australian Cam Davis joined his team.
Of the lot, five will live their baptism of fire of the biennial tournament played this year in Charlotte, North Carolina.
For the first time in the history of the event played since 1994, two maple leaf golfers will be teammates. By virtue of his performance in 2022 and the standings at the competition, Conners was guaranteed to play in this tournament pitting the United States against the world, except Europe.
After a first campaign during which he signed three top 10 finishes and finished in 47e rank in the seasonal standings, Pendrith was slowed by a rib injury. His fiery comeback convinced the captain to invite him to the team competition.
“His style of play fits well with the course where we will be playing. He’s a really long hitter, Immelman explained. We will certainly be able to use it to our advantage. »
Those who already see him automatically forming a duo with Conners shouldn’t get carried away too quickly. The captain knows their close friendship very well, but he believes in the versatility of his men. He wants to avoid forming pairs according to nationalities.
Without big names
En route to Charlotte, Immelman lost two of his best golfers when Australian Cameron Smith and Chilean Joaquin Niemann joined the ranks of the dissident LIV Golf league.
Like others who made the switch to this Saudi-money-powered “tour,” they lost the privilege of competing in the PGA-sponsored Presidents Cup.
Winner of the British Open and ranked second in the world, Smith leaves a huge hole in the formation which will include eight rookies.
“We often reviewed the options and ways of assembling the team during the long process. In the uncertainty, it was scary at times,” Immelman said.
The captain thus alluded to the exodus of his headliners to LIV. Earlier in the summer, the Abraham Ancer, Louis Oosthuizen and Carlos Ortiz had defected to the controversial league.
“The last few weeks have been difficult and sometimes frustrating,” he said bluntly. I know that I now have 12 hungry players who want to participate in this tournament.
daunting task
“We see the mountain in front of us. The American team is possibly the most powerful to have ever participated in this competition. We’ll be the neglected ones. »
The Americans pulverized the Europeans at the Ryder Cup last year. Despite the exodus to LIV, the core remained largely intact.
The international squad has a record of just one win in 1998, 11 losses and a draw in 2003.
USA captain Davis Love III will announce his picks on Wednesday.