There is no explaining it, really. The lack of victories in one competition, the overall success in the other. The International team that has had so much difficulty beating the Americans in the Presidents Cup is often just as formidable as the European side that gives the U.S. fits in the Ryder Cup.
And so we've arrived at the competition that doesn't get nearly the same run as the Ryder Cup, for reasons such as lack of tradition and, more likely, U.S. domination.
This week's Presidents Cup at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea is the 11th edition of the competition formed by PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem in 1994 to capitalize on the success of the Ryder Cup and give players from outside Europe a taste of this kind of compelling event.
The problem is, those international players have rarely had success. In the 10 previous Presidents Cups, the U.S. holds an 8-1-1 advantage. The lone international victory came in 1998 in Australia. In 2003, there was a gripping final day in South Africa that led to the event's first playoff and before it ended in a tie that inspired a change in the rules.
Since then? It hasn't been very close. The U.S. has won each of the last three Presidents Cups by a minimum of 3 points.
"I think more than anything, this Presidents Cup needs to be very competitive, because the last several, you can argue, have not been,'' said Nick Price, who will captain the International side for the second time.
"When we started out with this, the initial guys, myself and Greg [Norman] and Ernie [Els], we so enjoyed watching the Ryder Cup and so wanted to be part of the Ryder Cup-type format. The Presidents Cup came along, and that was fantastic. The first couple of years have been exciting, but as we have seen in the last decade, it's just not been as competitive as we would like.''
Will this year be any different? We take a closer look.
U.S. depth and experience
Only Chris Kirk for the Americans has never played in a Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup. The American team has eight players who competed in the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles last year. Either Jim Furyk or Dustin Johnson could have been the ninth, but Furyk withdrew due to injury and Johnson sat out the tournament due to a leave of absence. The other newcomers this year are J.B. Holmes and Bill Haas, who is the lowest-ranked among the Americans at No. 29 in the world. Five U.S. players are ranked in the top 10 in the world.
International inexperience
Jason Day is the only player ranked among the top 10 in the world, and the team has nine members who have played in one or no Presidents Cups. It does boast Louis Oosthuizen, who was second in two major championships this year; veteran major champ Adam Scott; Hideki Matsuyama, who is ranked 15th in the world; and Branden Grace, who also contended in a couple of majors. But seven players are ranked outside the top 30, with two outside the top 50, including the only South Korean, Sang-Moon Bae.
New format
The International side has lobbied for a change in the number of points for several years and Finchem recently relented. Instead of 34 matches, the tournament is now down to 30. (The Ryder Cup has 28.) That might not seem like a big difference, but instead of six foursomes matches on Thursday and six on Friday, each session is now reduced to five matches. Both Saturday sessions are also reduced from five matches to four, for a total of 18 matches through the first three days. Sunday's singles will remain at 12 matches, for a total of 30 points.
Reducing the number of matches means the Americans cannot take full advantage of their depth. (This, it can be argued, is also a big factor at the Ryder Cup.) Two players will sit on each of the first two days, and four players will be held out on Saturday, two from each session.
Of course, that works both ways, but the theory is that the International side has more need to hide its weakest players or at least sit those who are not performing well.
What will Phil do next?
There was a good deal of outside consternation when Phil Mickelson was chosen by U.S. captain Jay Haas over a younger player. After all, Mickelson finished 30th in the points and hasn't won in two years.
But two players on the U.S. team are lower than Mickelson in the world rankings, and seven players on the International side are lower. Mickelson has played in every Presidents Cup going back to its inception in 1994.
And the new format sets up beautifully for Mickelson, who will almost certainly be asked to play just three matches -- four-ball on Friday and Saturday and singles on Sunday.
Is there a format that favors the International side?
Not really. During the past three Presidents Cups, the U.S. has lost just one session -- singles in 2013 at Muirfield Village -- after taking a big lead into the final format. Of those 15 sessions played during that period, the U.S. won 10 of them, lost 1 and halved 4.
But if there is a place where the Americans are vulnerable, it is in the foursomes competition that kicks off the Presidents Cup on Thursday. The U.S. went 0-6-2 in foursomes at Gleneagles last year, winning just one of eight points. It is often forgotten that the U.S. trailed by just 6 ½ to 5 ½ after the Saturday morning four-ball session in Scotland. Then the competition got away from them with a 0-3-1 American showing in foursomes. Who knows how things might have been different had the U.S. prevailed in one or two of those matches.
And yet, two years prior, the U.S. went 5-3 in foursomes against Europe at the Ryder Cup.
The problem for the International side is the format is not one they have mastered, either. Alternate shot is unusual for everyone in the competition.
How much of a home-course advantage do the Internationals have?
Virtually none, which is another reason the Presidents Cup has a hard time standing up to the Ryder Cup. When the Presidents Cup is played in the U.S., and no matter where the Ryder Cup is played, the visiting side faces something rare in golf -- cheering for bad shots. While the venue is an American-style course designed by Jack Nicklaus, South Korean golf fans have just one countryman, Sang-Moon Bae, to root for, although New Zealander Danny Lee was born in South Korea. And they might be more inclined to cheer for Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson and Mickelson than International team members such as Steven Bowditch and Charl Schwartzel.
Matches we'd love to see
Unlike the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup captains mix and match their pairings. So it is quite conceivable that we can have a Spieth-Day singles match on Sunday. A Watson-Oosthuizen (2012 Masters playoff) match would also be nice, as would perhaps a Rickie Fowler vs. Matsuyama showdown. Mickelson-Scott wouldn't be bad, either.
As for the team matches, look for Spieth and Patrick Reed to reprise their successful Ryder Cup showing. Mickelson and Fowler would seem to be another good pairing. Watson and J.B. Holmes would make for a great best-ball tandem.
Keep an eye on:
Adam Scott. The Aussie is coming off a disappointing season and, at least in practice, has gone back to the short putter. Starting Jan. 1, he will no longer be able to use an anchored stroke, so perhaps he has fully committed to the change now. He is not required to keep using it, but it is something to watch if he struggles on the greens.
Who wins?
As much as the competition could use an International victory, it's simply tough to see that happening. The average U.S. world ranking is 14.8 compared to 33.8 for the International side. The U.S. is loaded with experience, while four International players have never taken part in the competition.
All that said, deciding these matches on paper is never a good idea. The U.S. knows all about from the Ryder Cup, as 18-hole match play tends to even out. The key for the Internationals is to keep it close as they can for as long as possible and see what happens in singles.
