The 4th staging of the Presidents Cup and one that has been eagerly awaited since the American team were thrashed 20?-11? in Melbourne two years ago. The event returns to the Robert Trent Jones golf club where the Americans won the first two matches, though only by a single point in 1996. The format is fairly similar to the Ryder Cup with foursomes and fourball matches taking place over the first three days and singles on the final day. Of a total of 32 matches, 16? is the magic figure.
The American team has been described as the 'Dream Team' and has attracted odds of -200 and lower. Funny, I seem to remember similar descriptions and odds for the American team in the last two Presidents Cups and umpteen Ryder Cups and with the exception of the very first Presidents Cup in 1994 there has been no easy victory for either side for almost twenty years. Reputations can be real handicaps in these events. When the expectation of victory is so high, it imposes tremendous pressure on the favourites. Davis Love talked about it openly before the last Ryder Cup and how else can we explain Tiger Woods' dreadful record in this event and the Ryder Cup.
This will be a very close game and talk of an American stroll is false. The American team contains seven [of twelve] who have no Presidents Cup experience and three who have no matchplay record at all. The International team contains eight players who recorded that famous victory two years and of the rest, only two are 'rookies'. Nor is the 'home' venue a significant advantage for the American team, ten of the International team ply their trade on the PGA Tour, which is quite different from the Europeans for the Ryder Cup.
And then there are the captains. Peter Thomson captains the International team for the third time. The first time they lost by a single point and on the second occasion he completely outwitted Jack Nicklaus with outstanding tactical prowess. If only Mark James had had a shadow of that ability at Brookline... The American captain is Ken Venturi, the TV pundit, who is a 'rookie' at this level and has shown by his captain's picks that his heart may be prone to ruling his head. He is an unknown quantity, but faces a huge tactical challenge to avoid having his biggest assets frustrated.
Ideally I would like a point or two handicap to make the outright play more secure - those 2? points were useful in the Ryder Cup - but at +230 there is tremendous value in the outright win for the International team. Also fancy Els to be top points scorer for the International - he will be used in all five games and was in great form in the matchplay events of the last two weeks, but it is a very unpredictable market for short odds, so will pass with just the one outright play and a search for a couple of points handicap.
Outright play:
International team to beat the USA +230 @ Carib
Note there is a scalp with Victor Chandler, Sportsinteraction, William Hill and Paddy Power offering the USA team -200
The American team has been described as the 'Dream Team' and has attracted odds of -200 and lower. Funny, I seem to remember similar descriptions and odds for the American team in the last two Presidents Cups and umpteen Ryder Cups and with the exception of the very first Presidents Cup in 1994 there has been no easy victory for either side for almost twenty years. Reputations can be real handicaps in these events. When the expectation of victory is so high, it imposes tremendous pressure on the favourites. Davis Love talked about it openly before the last Ryder Cup and how else can we explain Tiger Woods' dreadful record in this event and the Ryder Cup.
This will be a very close game and talk of an American stroll is false. The American team contains seven [of twelve] who have no Presidents Cup experience and three who have no matchplay record at all. The International team contains eight players who recorded that famous victory two years and of the rest, only two are 'rookies'. Nor is the 'home' venue a significant advantage for the American team, ten of the International team ply their trade on the PGA Tour, which is quite different from the Europeans for the Ryder Cup.
And then there are the captains. Peter Thomson captains the International team for the third time. The first time they lost by a single point and on the second occasion he completely outwitted Jack Nicklaus with outstanding tactical prowess. If only Mark James had had a shadow of that ability at Brookline... The American captain is Ken Venturi, the TV pundit, who is a 'rookie' at this level and has shown by his captain's picks that his heart may be prone to ruling his head. He is an unknown quantity, but faces a huge tactical challenge to avoid having his biggest assets frustrated.
Ideally I would like a point or two handicap to make the outright play more secure - those 2? points were useful in the Ryder Cup - but at +230 there is tremendous value in the outright win for the International team. Also fancy Els to be top points scorer for the International - he will be used in all five games and was in great form in the matchplay events of the last two weeks, but it is a very unpredictable market for short odds, so will pass with just the one outright play and a search for a couple of points handicap.
Outright play:
International team to beat the USA +230 @ Carib
Note there is a scalp with Victor Chandler, Sportsinteraction, William Hill and Paddy Power offering the USA team -200
