In 2007, during the last presentation of the Presidents Cup in Montreal, Mike Weir won his duel against Tiger Woods. So he knows better than anyone how to beat the best player in the world.
The international team players will face a major challenge on the fairways of the Royal Montreal Golf Club from September 26 to 29. The American team, winner of the last nine editions, will be able to count on the two best players in the world to defend its honor.
PHOTO MATT YORK, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Scottie Scheffler at the BMW Championship on Saturday
Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player for 66 weeks, and Xander Schauffele, the winner of two majors this season, represent a two-headed monster. And international players will have to tame it if they are to end their drought.
But Weir learned the hard way how to beat an unbeatable. Seventeen years ago, he defeated Woods by one shot. “The match play [partie par trous] is different from stroke play [partie par coups] ” said the captain of the international team in a telephone interview with The Pressmidweek. Weir had just completed a round in a Michigan pro-am.
But his head is already in Montreal. For two years, he has been thinking about the best way to beat his American rivals.
“You can play against a player in a very different way when you play match play. But the best advice I would have to offer players would be to play their own style of game, the way they usually play, and not necessarily change their habits or behaviors.”
Facing players who already have one foot in the legend should not influence the way golfers play, he believes.
“When I played Tiger Woods, I couldn’t try to hit the ball farther. Or do all the things he does better than me. I had to play my game and do it the best I could. That’s what our players have to do to be successful. They have to have confidence in themselves.”
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
In September 2007, Tiger Woods congratulates Mike Weir after his victory in the Presidents Cup tournament at the Royal Montreal Golf Club.
Nothing to envy
Hideki Matsuyama is at the top of the provisional ranking of players automatically invited to the classic. Sixth in the world rankings, the Japanese will be the spearhead of the international team, if his health allows. Last week, he withdrew from the second round of the BMW Championship due to lower back pain.
The fact remains that if he can be present in L’Île-Bizard in three weeks, his team’s chances of being able to compete with the Americans increase considerably.
Hideki is a great player. He is a great competitor, difficult to face. He is a very focused person.
Mike Weir
The 2021 Masters winner, 18 years after his captain’s triumph, Matsuyama has two victories in 2024: the Genesis Invitational in February and the FedEx St. Jude Championship about ten days ago. According to the PGA Tour’s advanced statistics, no player is better than him this season around the greens and from the apron.
“Every aspect of his game is flawless,” Weir continued admiringly. “He hits the ball a lot of distance. He’s very accurate. His short game is very good. He’s good in the long grass and in the bunkers. He’s probably the hardest-working golfer I’ve ever seen. He puts in so much time and effort.”
PHOTO MATT YORK, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Hideki Matsuyama
In an attempt to accommodate Matsuyama, who is accompanied by an interpreter given his discomfort in English, Weir has chosen Shigeki Maruyama as the fifth and final assistant for the tournament. He joins Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman, Geoff Ogilvy and Camilo Villegas.
“Shigeki and Hideki are friends,” Weir says. “He brings a lot of energy. He’s very funny. He’s a great competitor. But it’s also good to have him because he’s close to the Koreans, too.”
Indeed, the three-time PGA Tour winner will be able to serve as a mentor to the team’s Asian delegation. At the time of writing, Tom Kim, Sungjae Im and Byeong Hun An are also part of the top 6 provisional.
The Canadians
Weir has said repeatedly since his appointment: he will lead the international team, not the Canadian team.
That’s why he’ll have some tough choices to make if none of his countrymen qualify automatically through the world rankings. The 54-year-old will have to choose six players to complete his 12-man squad.
“There are six billion people who could be part of the international team around the world. It’s not just Team Canada. Obviously I want to make room for Canadian players, but it’s not realistic to think they’re all going to be able to be part of the team.”
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Team USA captain Jim Furyk’s cart at the Royal Montreal Golf Club
Corey Conners, Nick Taylor, Adam Hadwin, Taylor Pendrith and Mackenzie Hughes will all be at Weir’s disposal. The captain will feel a bit like he’s having to choose between his sons. “It’s tough, as a captain, knowing that you’re going to let players down. But that’s the reality of being a captain in the Presidents Cup. There’s going to be phone calls that are fun to make and there’s going to be phone calls that are not so fun to make.”
The first six automatic qualifiers will be announced on Sunday evening, at the end of the BMW Championship, while Weir and Jim Furyk, his American counterpart, will announce their choices on Tuesday, September 3, live on the Golf Channel network.
Playing style
Stroke play is the most common style of play. The one played by professional golfers every week in tournaments and the one favored by amateurs on the fairways of their local golf club. Every shot counts and the total number of strokes equals a golfer’s final score. If a PGA Tour player hits 72 strokes in a round, he will play par.
Match play is a game mode in which golfers compete on each hole of the course. Golfers do not need to count all of their shots to post a score over 18 holes. When a golfer manages to put his ball in the bottom of the cup before his opponent, he scores a point. If there is a tie, the score remains unchanged. The golfer who accumulates the most points during the round wins.