By Aaron M Smith
Sure it is November. Sure it is a Non-Ryder Cup year. But all eyes in the golf world will descend on Australia – specifically the Royal Melbourne Golf Club as the 2011 Presidents Cup begins on Thursday. This is the ninth Presidents Cup, which was started in 1994 to give Non-European golfers the opportunity to showcase their talents in match-play competition. Unlike the Ryder Cup which takes place over 3 days, the Presidents Cup is spread out over 4 days, and includes three different types of match play:
Foursomes:
Sure it sounds a little dirty, but this type of match play is commonly known as “Alternate Shot”. Alternate shot includes two man teams that play with one golf ball, alternating shots until the hole is completed. This format can prove difficult as golfers must adapt their golf style to their teammate’s in order to be successful. This format will be used on Thursday and Saturday morning. Adding to the fireworks was today’s announcement that Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker will go against Adam Scott and K.J. Choi in Alternate Play. With Steve Williams, Tiger’s ex-caddie on Adam Scott’s bag, it will be interesting to see how Tiger reacts. Will the moment get to Tiger? Or is it business as usual? Interesting note: Tiger and Stricker have been teammates before in Alternate Play and have a 6-1 record in match play. I expect a very motivated Woods to help make that a 7-1 record after Thursday.
Four-Ball:
Again broken into two man teams, this match play format has all four players playing their own ball throughout the round. Each hole is won by the team who has golfer with the lowest score. Four-Ball will be played on Friday and Saturday afternoon. As of right now, the matches have not been announced; something that is not uncommon in match play competition. Most Team Captains prefer to wait until the night before to announce their lineup for that day.
Singles matches:
Traditionally left for the last day of the competition, this involves golfers going head to head as they earn a point for each hole in which they have a lower score than their opponent. The most points accumulated after 18 holes wins the coveted point for their team.
Points:
In total there will be 34 matches over the weekend. Each match is worth one point. For each match won, that team will win one point. In any matches in which the score is tied after 18 holes is “halved”, and each team wins a half of a point. The first team to accumulate more than 17 points wins the Cup.
Prediction:
The U.S. team has won the past 3 President Cups, and 6 of the previous 8 Presidents Cup. A lot of the U.S. players at the end of the season were playing well, and should benefit from playing in last year’s Ryder Cup. I expect the trend to continue. The U.S. team retains the Presidents Cup.
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