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'My mate's just won the U.S. Open': Why Adam Scott got off a plane to join a fellow pro's celebration

Jack Hirsh — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 13:43:04 +0000

Imagine sitting on a plane, about to embark on a transatlantic flight. You check your phone, just before you have to shut it off, and you find out your buddy just won the U.S. Open and wants you to come celebrate with him.

You figure out how to get off that plane, right?

That’s exactly what Adam Scott did back in 2006 when fellow Aussie Geoff Ogilvy won at Winged Foot.

Scott told GOLF’s Subpar co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz on this week’s podcast he wasn’t even sure Ogilvy was in contention.

Putting

Adam Scott’s unusual green-reading technique, explained

By: Zephyr Melton

“So we finished up [the tournament] and I don’t know where I finished, but not close to winning,” Scott said. “And, you know, Geoff— Geoff was right up there, but he also wasn’t necessarily looking like winning. There were so many people ahead of him.”

Scott was actually invited to fly with Ernie Els, which probably deserves a story of its own at some point.

“He invited me to fly back to London, which is dangerous at times,” Scott said of taking to the skies with the “Big Easy.”

Ogilvy started the final round one back of the lead and Phil Mickelson and Collin seemed destined for a playoff, but as many know, that didn’t happen, and Ogilvy was the last man standing at five over.

Scott wanted to be there with him.

“I thought, man, you know, we’ve played junior golf, amateur golf and basically I followed him to Europe and then came to America,” Scott said. “My mates just won the U.S. Open. I think I’ve got to go back and and celebrate with him.

“I didn’t know who he had with him that week or who was around. So I thought, I’ll go back for sure. So that’s it. I took my bags and went back to the golf course. I met him at the golf course and of course, you know, not thinking straight. He had a lot to do at the golf course after he won the U.S. Open.”

Scott actually ended up waiting with Ogilvy’s caddie back at the hotel for the champion to finish up his responsibilities before and join them.

“Wasn’t it in like the lobby of the Hampton Inn?” Stoltz asked. “And like you said, you guys were drinking like random golf fans were just walking in like, ‘Holy s—, that’s Geoff Ogilvy and Adam Scott.'”

“It was like the Marriott in White Plains or something like that,” Scott said chuckling. “And yeah, there were tons of randoms there at the end and the trophy was just getting passed around.”

You can listen to Scott’s full Subpar appearance below, in which he talks about the Presidents Cup, his career, where his family calls home now and more.

The post ‘My mate’s just won the U.S. Open’: Why Adam Scott got off a plane to join a fellow pro’s celebration appeared first on Golf.

Adam Scott's unusual green-reading technique, explained

Zephyr Melton — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:44:18 +0000

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Adam Scott does things a little differently on the greens. He uses a broomstick putter that rises to his chest, for one, and he putts with the flagstick in the hole. But the oddities don’t stop there — he reads the green in an unusual way, too.

If you’ve been watching the Presidents Cup this week, you’ve likely noticed it, but for the uninitiated, it involves the way he uses his feet and fingers to understand the slope of the greens. The technique is called AimPoint, and it’s become popular over the past several years.

Putting

Michelle Wie West explains the benefits of AimPoint putting

By: Zephyr Melton

The first step in the process is to feel the slope of the green with your feet. Do this by straddling the ball’s path to the hole about halfway to the cup. When straddling the line, determine the amount of slope you feel, on a scale of 1 to 5.

Next you stand behind the ball and close one eye. Lift your hand in front of your face so that your pointer finger is just outside the hole. Based on the percent slope you think is affecting your putt, put up that many fingers (i.e. one finger for one percent, two fingers for two percent, etc.).

With the correct number of fingers put up, you now have your aim point. For example, if you feel 3 percent slope, your aim point would be your ring finger.

With the aim point established, all you need to do is line up your ball with that point and roll it on the correct line. If it works for Scott, it can work for you, too.

Need help unriddling the greens at your home course? Pick up a custom Greens Book from 8AM Golf affiliate GolfLogix.

The post Adam Scott’s unusual green-reading technique, explained appeared first on Golf.

Why Tiger Woods plays a role in both of Adam Scott's greatest Presidents Cup memories

Jack Hirsh — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 11:47:59 +0000

This week’s Presidents Cup is Adam Scott’s 10th, more than any other International player. With 19 years of matches and memories from the event under his belt, he’s sure to have at least a couple that stand out.

He told GOLF’s Subpar co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stolz, both of his top memories involve Tiger Woods.

“South Africa, I think, was the greatest experience of the Presidents Cup for me,” Scott said on this week’s episode of the podcast. “When it came down to Tiger and Ernie having a playoff both in the prime of their career.”

Scott was referring to the 2003 iteration of the event. It was the only one to ever end in a tie after all matches resulted in an overall tie and Woods’ and Ernie Els sudden-death tie breaker ended after three holes due to darkness.

“It was really fascinating stuff, really,” Scott said. “And incredibly, incredibly nerve-wracking watching them on the sidelines.”

“I can’t imagine, especially those two, having to play in the dark with everything on the line,” Knost added. “That one is going to be hard to beat.”

The aura and legacy surrounding that match probably contributed to his other top memory; the crowd at the last Presidents Cup in 2019 in his home country of Australia.

“I felt like it was an incredibly special feeling for me playing in front of the home crowd and for the first time ever I felt like we had a home crowd advantage,” Scott said. “I always felt, certainly with Tiger and everybody else, but when they traveled the world, because they don’t travel outside of America so much, everyone’s so excited to see the U.S. team too, they kind of forget that we’re meant to have the home advantage and the cheering is very equal, which is all very nice.

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“Melbourne was great for me personally. I felt incredibly supported at home, but I also felt the rest of our team was supported.”

For more from Scott, including the mind games Woods played on the course and why he got off a plane to join a fellow pro’s celebration, listen to the full episode below.

The post Why Tiger Woods plays a role in both of Adam Scott’s greatest Presidents Cup memories appeared first on Golf.

The training aid that helps Adam Scott look like, well, Adam Scott

Zephyr Melton — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 19:28:27 +0000

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Consistency is king in golf, and Adam Scott is as consistent as they come.

Since entering the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking in 2001, he’s never left. Along the way, he’s won 31 times worldwide (including at Augusta National) and become the face of Australian professional golf. This week at Quail Hollow, he’s teeing it up for the International squad for the 10th time.

That consistency is thanks in large part to his silky smooth swing and elite ball-striking skills. But those skills didn’t come easy — they require practice.

Adam Scott warms up on the range at the Presidents Cup. Zephyr Melton

One of the keys to productive practice is, you guessed it, consistency. But thinking you’re being consistent and actually being consistent are two different things. Feel vs. real can make it difficult to know if you really are getting into the same positions every time. To combat this, it’s important to have external cues to focus on.

That brings us back to our man Adam Scott. When he practices on the range, he doesn’t just sit there beating balls until his hands bleed. Instead, he uses two alignment sticks that ensure his practice is consistent.

He places the first stick down his aiming line. As he works his way through the bag, this stick doesn’t move away from his intended target and gives him assurance that he’s aiming right where he thinks he is.

Additionally, Scott can use the alignment stick to gauge his divot pattern. If the pattern is slightly out to the right, he knows his swing path is out-to-in, or vice versa. But it’s all relative to his alignment stick.

Scott places a second alignment stick perpendicular to his target line, which helps him monitor ball position. For each club in the bag, Scott lines up the ball even with the stick, and he uses the same position for every shot with any given club.

With the second alignment stick perpendicular to the target line, Scott can hit every club knowing he’s using the same ball position for every swing. In other words, it keeps things consistent.

The post The training aid that helps Adam Scott look like, well, Adam Scott appeared first on Golf.

GOLF's Subpar: Why Adam Scott got off a plane to join a fellow pro's celebration

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 18:04:04 +0000

Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by 14-time PGA Tour winner Adam Scott who explains why he got off his plane to return to the course after the U.S. Open.

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The post GOLF’s Subpar: Why Adam Scott got off a plane to join a fellow pro’s celebration appeared first on Golf.

GOLF's Subpar: Adam Scott names his greatest Presidents Cup memory

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 17:53:00 +0000

Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by 10-time Presidents Cup team member Adam Scott recounts his greatest moment at the event.

The post GOLF’s Subpar: Adam Scott names his greatest Presidents Cup memory appeared first on Golf.

GOLF's Subpar: Adam Scott explains the mind games Tiger Woods played on the course

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 17:49:17 +0000

Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by 14-time PGA Tour winner Adam Scott who explains the subtle mind games Tiger Woods would play on the course.

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Thanks to our official sponsor Dewar’s. Make sure to check out their Reserve Bar listings today: https://www.reservebar.com/collections/house-of-dewars

The post GOLF’s Subpar: Adam Scott explains the mind games Tiger Woods played on the course appeared first on Golf.

Presidents Cup Preview: What's at stake for the U.S. team, which Internationals to keep an eye on

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 22:31:12 +0000

After three long years, the Presidents Cup is back in the spotlight. James Colgan and Dylan Dethier spoke with Adam Scott and Tom Kim about why the International Team has a fighting chance, and learned why Jordan Spieth has a chip on his shoulder heading into the competition. Our guys give their predictions on what we’ll see from Charlotte this weekend.

The post Presidents Cup Preview: What’s at stake for the U.S. team, which Internationals to keep an eye on appeared first on Golf.

'I'm not ready to do that': Adam Scott explains nuances of his LIV decision

Dylan Dethier — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 22:23:41 +0000

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — At the Genesis Invitational in February, players were mulling the merits of LIV in public for the first time. Tiger Woods had made his pro-PGA Tour stance known. Jon Rahm pledged fealty to the Tour. Max Homa explained the appeal of playing the circuit he’d grown up watching. Rory McIlroy called LIV “dead in the water.”

But Adam Scott? He had an open mind.

“Depending what your goals are in golf, I think the schedule is very appealing,” Scott said in his pre-tournament press conference that week. “From that side of things, I would consider doing that, for sure. From a lifestyle side of things, yes.”

As the summer wore on, LIV signed a handful of Scott’s contemporaries. Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Sergio Garcia and Graeme McDowell were among those who fit a comparable profile who signed up for the circuit’s first event in London. As a popular fortysomething international player and Masters winner, he appeared to be in LIV’s wheelhouse.

But even as more names came out, Scott’s wasn’t among them. Instead, he increasingly caucused with the PGA Tour. He was in attendance at the players meeting in Delaware. He praised the changes coming out of it. As Joaquin Niemann’s choice came down to the wire at the Tour Championship, he played a practice round with Scott. No doubt the two had plenty to discuss.

This week, Scott, who is 42, is representing Australia at his 10th Presidents Cup. Most of his teammates are rookies. And there’s no avoiding the fact that plenty of his would-be teammates have joined LIV. The latest batch to jump included Niemann and two of Scott’s countrymen: Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith.

When Scott took to the podium Tuesday, I asked him why he hadn’t joined them.

“Well, it’s a big conversation that I really don’t think I should enter in at the moment,” he began.

But then he continued on.

“It is what it is,” he said. “They’re doing what they want to do and the PGA Tour will continue to do what it does and try to put out the best product. Why I’m still with the PGA Tour is because it suits me best to still be on the PGA Tour. It’s as simple as that, really. The one thing I haven’t grasped is giving up my entire professional life and trying to achieve these things here and just leaving it behind. I’m obviously not ready to do that.”

Then he smiled.

“I may never be, as well, to be clear. I just think it’s a hurdle that — well, it hasn’t really been presented to me, anyway.”

Let’s parse through that. Scott’s appraisal of LIV is interesting because he’s not automatically opposed to the idea. But he’s been through so much in the existing PGA Tour ecosystem that it’s tough to just let it go. That was the phrase that stuck with me. Leaving it behind. Much of the LIV-PGA Tour discourse feels like screaming. Scott’s version is clear-eyed. His distinctions are subtle. And he’s a bit of a romantic, too.

The reasoning echoed that of Woods’, who has explained that his loyalty to the PGA Tour comes, in part, from his own experiences. “That’s where my legacy is,” Woods said last winter. Scott strolled down memory lane in Tuesday’s media availability, riffing on Cups as far back as his debut in 2003.

That doesn’t mean the schism is settled in Scott’s mind. It just means he’s had to stay as focused as possible. Asked about LIV’s quest for world ranking points, he reminded us that like everyone in the golf world, little else has been on his mind.

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“I had to stop being so deep into thinking about it, to be honest. It’s not really my job, and it’s not really my priority to think about,” he said.

“I don’t know. There’s a criteria; if they meet it, then yes. If they don’t, they’ll have to figure out how to meet the criteria. Generally, I just hope all that is objective and clear, and it’s all fair either way is what I hope, because I think that’s what we’ve always kind of thought golf stands for.”

That doesn’t mean LIV is done pursuing Scott. Fellow Aussie and LIV CEO and commissioner Greg Norman was asked by the Sydney Morning Herald whether the circuit was still interested in Scott. He said that decision would fall, in part, to Smith and Leishman.

“How can I answer that question? There were discussions early on with Adam and I think right now with Marc and Cam being the principals of Team Australia, I think quite honestly it’s over to them,” he said. Scott gave an interview to the Herald as well. The gist of it was the same as the message he delivered in the Quail Hollow press room: He’s not ready to walk away.

“I’ve focused on the majors really for 20 years and for me it hasn’t been an overnight decision to say, ‘Well, my mind changes now after 20 years,'” he said. “Although I’m older, I will still give myself time to let this landscape evolve and settle down. We will find out where we end up and what’s going on. I’ve tried, at least for the last couple of months, to remove the emotion and do what I can do, and that’s play golf.”

His next chance to do that comes on Thursday.

The post ‘I’m not ready to do that’: Adam Scott explains nuances of his LIV decision appeared first on Golf.

Who's playing in the Presidents Cup? Meet the U.S. and International teams

Jack Hirsh — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 21:07:22 +0000

The stage is set for for the 2022 Presidents Cup where 24 of the PGA Tour’s top golfers — 12 from the United States and 12 from around the world (except for Europe) — will meet for the biennial matches.

Due to the pandemic, this will be the first Presidents Cup since 2019, when the Tiger Woods-captained U.S. team narrowly edged the Ernie Els-led International squad with a miraculous come-from-behind win in Sunday singles.

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The U.S. team holds a dominating 10-1-1 record in the matches and most expect a similarly dominate performance with LIV Golf defectors being ineligible to play in this year’s event and taking the hardest toll on Trevor Immelman’s International team.

Without further ado, let us introduce you to the players who are playing this year.

United States Team

*denotes captain’s pick

Captain: Davis Love III

Love was a six-time member of the U.S. Presidents Cup team and compiled a 16-8-4 record in those matches. Love — who was born in Charlotte, N.C., home of this week’s host, Quail Hollow Club — won 21 times on the PGA Tour, including one major win at the 1997 PGA Championship. He also notably won the 2015 Wyndham Championship at the age of 51, becoming the third-oldest winner in PGA Tour history. Love was an assistant captain on the 2013, 2015 and 2017 Presidents Cup teams and captained the 2012 and 2016 Ryder Cup teams.

Sam Burns

Career Presidents Cup record: First appearance

Burns may have been overshadowed by close friend Scottie Scheffler in the early part of the 2021-22 season, but the Louisianan had a break out year himself, winning three times, including taking down Scheffler in a playoff at the Charles Schwab Challenge in May. This will be his first appearance at either the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup.

Patrick Cantlay

Record: 3-2-0 in one appearance (2019)

Cantlay had another solid year in 2022, winning once while defending his crown at the BMW Championship in Wilmington and teaming up with Xander Schauffele to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He played all of his matches in 2019 with Schauffele and figures to do so again. Cantlay was also very successful at last year’s Ryder Cup where he compiled a 3-0-1 record at Whistling Straits, the one tie coming in the only match he wasn’t paired with Schauffele.

Tony Finau

Record: 0-1-3 in one appearance (2019)

The big-hitting Finau had a slow start to the season before catching fire over the summer, notching five top-5s in a stretch of eight events, including back-to-back wins at the 3M Open and Rocket Mortgage Classic in July. He somewhat surprisingly did not notch a win in his only Presidents Cup appearance in 2019. He only had one loss in four matches, however, and he’ll be looking for a new partner as both his partners from 2019, Matt Kuchar and Bryson DeChambeau, are not playing this year. He’s picked up three wins in his two Ryder Cups in 2018 and 2021.

Max Homa*

Record: First appearance

Homa comes in as perhaps the hottest player in the matches. He won in dramatic fashion last week at the PGA Tour season opening Fortinet Championship, holing a chip shot from off the 18th green to win. He also finished a career best tied for fifth in the Tour Championship in his previous start. This will be his first team match appearance.

Billy Horschel*

Record: First appearance

If you were shocked to learn Horschel is making his first ever appearance in either the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup this week, you’re not alone. Horschel’s career resume includes seven PGA Tour titles, including this year’s Memorial Tournament, and the 2014 FedEx Cup. He’s had a mixed bag of a season, missing four of last eight cuts on the PGA Tour, but with the win in Columbus sandwiched between two of them. He did earn a top 10 in his most recent appearance during his title defense at the DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship.

Kevin Kisner*

Record: 2-0-2 in one appearance (2017)

Kisner is the oldest player on Team USA’s roster and has become known as somewhat of a match play savant, including a win at the 2019 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and owning an undefeated record at the 2017 Presidents Cup. His best finish this past season was a second at — you guessed it — the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, but he did rack up five other top 10s. Kisner will also be looking for a new partner as he played with Phil Mickelson in all three team matches in 2017.

Collin Morikawa*

Record: First appearance

Morikawa came out just as hot as his first three years on Tour to begin this season with five straight finishes of T7 or better, but he fell back to earth a little toward the end of the year, his first on Tour without a win. Although he did lead the U.S. Open through 36 holes, he struggled Saturday and was out of contention by Sunday. The two-time major winner, who is still just 25 years old, showed better form at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August with a T5 finish, but needed to be one of Love’s six captain’s selections to make it to Quail Hollow. He led the U.S. team in qualifying for the Ryder Cup last year and went 3-0-1 at Whistling Straits, his lone tie coming in singles.

Xander Schauffele

Record: 3-2-0 in one appearance (2019)

Like Finau, Schauffele also had a strong end to the season, finishing in the top 20 in all but one of his last 11 events. Again, like Finau, he notched back-to-back wins at the Travelers Championship and Genesis Scottish Open. He also teamed with Cantlay for a team win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and figures to see a lot of his close friend whom he has a 4-2-0 record with in Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup matches.

Scottie Scheffler

Record: First appearance

Scheffler has come a long way from being a captain’s selection at last year’s Ryder Cup. The Texan notched his first four PGA Tour wins last season, including a major victory at the Masters, and earned the World No. 1 ranking. While he didn’t come away with the FedEx Cup title, PGA Tour Player of The Year honors are a decent consolation — as well as the $5.75 million he got for finishing T2 at East Lake. He went undefeated, going 2-0-1 at Whistling Straits, teaming with Bryson DeChambeau in two four-ball matches. He also beat Kisner at this year’s WGC-Match Play.

Jordan Spieth*

Record: 8-5-1 in three appearances (2013, 2015, 2017)

After missing the 2019 matches, Spieth is back on the U.S. team at just the right time. With stalwarts like Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed absent this year, Spieth and Justin Thomas are the only players with multiple Presidents Cup matches under their belt coming into the week. The 29-year-old notched a win at the RBC Heritage this season and finished a respectable tied for 13th in the FedEx Cup. He carries a career 16-12-4 record in U.S. team cup matches and played with Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed in all of his partner matches in 2015 and 2017. At last year’s Ryder Cup, he paired most often with good buddy Justin Thomas.

Justin Thomas

Record: 6-2-2 in two appearances (2017, 2019)

Thomas may not have met all of his preseason goals, but he notched 11 top 10s last season and his second major title at the PGA Championship. He brings with him the most impressive U.S. team match record, going 12-4-3 across two Presidents Cups and two Ryder Cups. In his two previous Presidents Cups, he paired with Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler and Daniel Berger, all of whom are not playing this week. He figures to play more with Spieth as he did twice at Whistling Straits.

Cameron Young*

Record: First appearance

Young had a debut season to remember, notching six top-three finishes and was one of two rookies to qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship. Those top finishes also include just missing out on the playoff at the PGA Championship by one stroke, and the memorable eagle finish at the Open Championship at St. Andrews to earn the runner-up spot.

International Team

*denotes captain’s pick

Captain: Trevor Immelman (South Africa)

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Immelman is the youngest captain in International team history at just 42 years old. The South African is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, including one major, holding off Tiger Woods to win the 2008 Masters. He’s also picked up six victories around the world on the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour. He’s a two-time veteran of the Presidents Cup and served as assistant captain under Ernie Els in 2019. Many fans will know him now for his broadcasting as he is expected to take over as the lead analyst for CBS’s golf coverage, following Nick Faldo.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout* (South Africa)

Record: First appearance

Bezuidenhout had a solid rookie year, making 20 cuts in 24 starts on the PGA Tour with 10 top-25 finishes. He’s perhaps better known in Europe, having a breakout year in 2020 while notching three victories including the Alfred Dunhill Championship. His best finish on the PGA Tour in 2022 was a T2 showing at the John Deere Classic and he advanced to the second FedEx Cup Playoff event at the BMW Championship. He’s one of five Presidents Cup first-timers selected by Immelman.

Corey Conners (Canada)

Record: First appearance

Conners played his way to the Tour Championship for the third time of his career thanks to 20 made cuts in 25 starts and four top-10 finishes. One of those top 10s came last month at the BMW Championship where he finished in T5, but he missed the cut last week in the PGA Tour’s season-opening Fortinet Championship. The Canadian has one win under his belt on the PGA Tour, coming at the 2019 Valero Texas Open.

Cam Davis* (Australia)

Record: First appearance

Davis notched five top-10s in 25 starts last season on the PGA Tour. His best golf came toward the end of the season when he made his last 10 cuts in a row. His best year on Tour came a season ago when he made 21 of 26 cuts and notched his debut win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. His cuts-made streak broke last week at the Fortinet Championship where rounds of 74 and 70 sent him to Charlotte early.

Sungjae Im (South Korea)

Record: 3-1-1 in one appearance (2019)

The iron man of the PGA Tour, nobody plays more golf than Sungjae Im. Im had another strong season on Tour in 2021-22, winning for the second time at the Shriners Children’s Open and finishing strong with three T2 finishes in his last five events, including at the Tour Championship. The World No. 19 will be heavily relied upon as one of just four veterans on the International team with Presidents Cup experience. All three of his partners from Royal Melbourne — Adam Hadwin, Abraham Ancer and Cameron Smith — are not on the team this year.

Tom Kim (South Korea)

Record: First appearance

Kim burst onto the scene in 2022, finishing third at the Genesis Scottish Open, seventh at the Rocket Mortgage, and then capturing his first win at the Wyndham Championship in August to secure his PGA Tour membership and even qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He was only a special temporary member when he won, but had earned enough points to get his full status for 2023. He’s now exempt through 2024 and he auto-qualified for the International team.

K. H. Lee* (South Korea)

Record: First appearance

Lee has two PGA Tour titles and both have come at the AT&T Byron Nelson. At this year’s tournament, Lee outdueled Jordan Spieth down the stretch to defend his title. The rest of his season wasn’t much to write home about, with almost as many missed cuts (7) as top-25s (8), until he used T20 and T5 finishes in the first two Playoff events to catapult his way into his first Tour Championship appearance.

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan)

Record: 6-7-4 in four appearances (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019)

Hard to believe the 30-year-old Matuyama is about to start his fifth Presidents Cup, but the Japanese star heads to Quail Hollow as the alpha of the International squad. It was another good year for the World No. 17 on the PGA Tour, finishing 11th in the FedEx Cup after winning twice, with one of those victories coming last fall in his home country at the Zozo Championship. Only one of his previous partners, Adam Scott, is on the roster this week and they haven’t played together since Matsuyama’s Presidents Cup debut in 2013.

Sebastián Muñoz* (Colombia)

Record: First appearance

Munoz hasn’t quite played up to the same level as he did in his breakout season in 2019-20 when he got his first win at the Sanderson Farms Championship and then went on to finish 8th in the final FedEx Cup standings thanks to a solid performance at East Lake, but his 2021-22 campaign was enough to earn a captain’s pick. He had two runner-up finishes on the season.

Si Woo Kim* (South Korea)

Record: 1-2-0 in one appearance (2017)

Kim was the only one of Immelman’s captain’s selections with previous Presidents Cup experience, winning a four-ball match and losing in foursomes and singles matches in New Jersey in 2017. That season was also the year of his signature win, The Players Championship. He won in early 2021 at The American Express, but has not played well as of late, only recording one top 10s in 21-22, last fall at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Both of his partners from 2017 are not on this year’s team.

Taylor Pendrith* (Canada)

Record: First appearance

Normally for a rookie, an injury can be devastating. Taylor Pendrith missed time between The Players in March and the Barbasol Championship in July because of a rip injury, but it didn’t stop him from earning nine top 25s in 16 starts. Since coming back from the injury, Pendrith finished worse than T13th once in six starts, including a tie for second at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and a tie for eighth at the BMW Championship.

Mito Pereira (Chile)

Record: First appearance

Heartbreak at the PGA Championship overshadowed what was otherwise a very respectable debut season on the PGA Tour for Pereira. He opened the year with a solo third at the Fortinet Championship and had two other top 10s, including at Southern Hills. Of course his season will be remembered for the leading the PGA through 71 holes, only to hit his tee shot in the water on 18, leading to a double bogey and missing the playoff. Pereira was rumored to be joining LIV Golf, but reportedly is waiting to jump so he could play in the Presidents Cup.

Adam Scott (Australia)

Record: 16-22-6 in nine appearances

The 42-year old hasn’t missed a Presidents Cup since 2001 and is by far the most experienced player on either team, having more appearances than the entire International team combined and as many as the entire American team combined. His 10th appearance will break his own record for the Internationals. He also has a chance to tie or pass Ernie Els’ International record of 21 points this week. Aging like fine wine, the 42-year-old didn’t win on the PGA Tour this year, but only missed two cuts all year and had five top 10s. His back-to-back T5s to start the FedEx Cup Playoffs helped him play his way into the Tour Championship from outside the top 70 at the end of the regular season. Matsuyama is the only teammate his paired with before on the International roster.

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