The International team will be hoping they can win the Presidents Cup for only the second time when their 12-man team head to Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada looking to see off a star-studded USA line-up.
However, Mike Weir’s squad could have their work cut out over four days of match play as they look to avenge their 17.5-12.5 point defeat at Quail Hollow in North Carolina two years ago.
- USA TO WIN BY 7 POINTS OR MORE
- COLIN MORIKAWA TOP USA POINTS SCORER
- ADAM SCOTT TOP INTERNATIONAL TEAM POINTS SCORER
USA Look Set To Dominate
The USA have dominated the Presidents Cup since its 1994 inception, losing just once and being held to one tie, and this year’s captain Jim Furyk looks to have one of the strongest teams the holders have ever assembled.
All 12 of his players are in the 25 of the world rankings, including the best player on the planet, Scottie Scheffler, and with just two players in the top 20 - Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and Australia’s Adam Scott - the International team simply does not possess the same star quality.
Even if one of the big guns fails to fire, the rest of the American team should step up and Furyk could have probably picked a second-string squad that would have still been favourites to win the competition.
The International Team could be in for a very difficult weekend and it is worth putting faith in the Americans to seal a comfortable win of at least a seven-point margin as they look for that magic figure of 15.5.
USA TO WIN BY 7 POINTS OR MORE
Morikawa Ticks All The Boxes
Scheffler is unsurprisingly favourite to be the American’s top points scorer, but the world number one endured a miserable Ryder Cup last year - he and Brooks Koepka were beaten 9&7 in the foursomes by Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland - so this may be the week to give the main man a swerve.
He also claimed just half a point from four matches two years ago, so preference is for Collin Morikawa to be Furyk’s top performer.
It has been a nearly season for the two-time Major winner, as he was second in the Tour Championship, third at the Masters and fourth at the US PGA Championship.
However, he has the ideal temperament for this format, as he showed on his Ryder Cup debut three years ago at Whistling Straits, when he took 3.5 points from four matches.
He is a great iron player, which is a key skill at Royal Montreal and should be guaranteed both plenty of playing opportunities and, more importantly, points.
COLIN MORIKAWA TOP USA POINTS SCORER
Scott’s Experience Is A Big Plus
Matsuyama is the highest-ranked International player in action this week, but Scott’s experience could come to the fore and the former Masters winner has been displaying some strong form.
The Australian makes his 11th appearance in this competition and it comes after a season when he was fourth at the Tour Championship, having finished second at the BMW Championship the week before.
He should rise to the occasion, while it is questionable how many of his team-mates will do the same, particularly home players Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith, who failed to claim a single point between them at Quail Hollow.
ADAM SCOTT TOP INTERNATIONAL TEAM POINTS SCORER
