Here’s the list of automatic qualifiers for both the International and U.S. teams at the Presidents Cup that will be held in San Francisco:
Player Country Prior appearances Record Pos. Jan. 1, 2009
Geoff Ogilvy Australia 2007 2-3-0 No. 4
Vijay Singh Fiji All (1994-2007) 14-15-6 No. 1
Camilo Villegas Colombia — — No. 2
Retief Goosen South Africa 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007 11-7-2 No. 20
Ernie Els South Africa 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2007 13-10-2 No. 3
Angel Cabrera Argentina 2005, 2007 3-3-3 No. 18
Mike Weir Canada 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007 11-7-1 No. 8
Robert Allenby Australia 1994, 1996, 2000, 2003 6-11-2 No. 9
Y.E. Yang Korea — — No. 169
Tim Clark South Africa 2003, 2005 4-5-1 No. 10U.S. TEAM
Player Prior appearances Record Pos. Jan. 1, 2009
Tiger Woods 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007 13-11-1 No. 1
Phil Mickelson All (1994-2007) 11-13-9 No. 2
Steve Stricker 1996, 2007 5-5-0 No. 7
Kenny Perry 1996, 2003, 2005 7-6-0 No. 5
Zach Johnson 2007 2-2-0 No. 23
Stewart Cink 2000, 2005, 2007 8-4-1 No. 6
Sean OHair — — No. 10
Jim Furyk 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007 13-8-2 No. 8
Anthony Kim — — No. 4
Justin Leonard 1996, 1998, 2003, 2005 6-10-2 No. 3
Interesting notes on the International side include the appearance of Y.E. Yang after his PGA Championship win, Robert Allenby’s name on the list despite not having won in recent memory (though still making a lot of cash…), and little Tim Clark making the team (I wouldn’t want him putting a four-footer with the tournament on the line). Of course, Mike Weir is there after a couple of solid years, despite not having a win since 2007. He’s got a solid record at the event, and his exacting style of play makes him a strong team player in the event. What of the others? Els seems unable to pull out the big wins any longer, while Goosen has returned to form. Singh, on the other hand, is clearly fading, and the only really young player on the team is Villegas.
Could there be two Canadians on the team? That’s the question facing Greg Norman. Stephen Ames sits 16th on the International list and looks like he might be a good fit, despite a mixed year. A stronger finish at the PGA Championship would have helped his cause, especially with Matt Goggin playing well (and being a fellow Australian for Norman to pick ). What about Adam Scott, who recently announced he’s taking some time away from instructor Butch Harmon?
The U.S. team, on the other hand, has two new players — the struggling Anthony Kim and Sean O’Hair, who has emerged as one of the game’s best. Plenty of veterans on this team — from Woods to Mickelson and Stricker to Perry. Throw Justin Leonard and Jim Furyk in there and you have a team with tons of experience. It’ll surely be tough to beat, especially coming off the success at Valhalla last year in the Ryder Cup.
Who is on the outside looking in for the U.S. Team? U.S. Open winner Lucas Glover, who had a fine PGA Championship, would seem like an obvious pick. Ryder Cupper Hunter Mahan is close by, as is veteran David Toms. What about a bomber like Dustin Johnson?
Couples was on the Golf Channel yesterday morning and said he had already picked Mahan. Surprised he’d be so candid…