The FedEx Cup playoffs came to an end at the Tour Championship as Xander Schauffele claimed the tournament, but Justin Thomas won the Cup with a second-place finish. Thomas will head on to Liberty National Golf Club for the Presidents Cup with the United States team, who will take on the International team, which consists of countries outside of Europe. The Presidents Cup is played every two years and this will be the 12th edition of the event. The United States have won nine times, with the International team winning in 1998 and the two sides tied in 2003.
Details
Event: Presidents Cup
Category: PGA
Date: September 28th – October 1st
Location: Liberty National Golf Club, Jersey City, New Jersey
United States (Captain – Steve Stricker): Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Daniel Berger, Brooks Koepka, Kevin Kisner, Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar, Kevin Chappell, Charley Hoffman, Phil Mickelson
International (Captain – Nick Price): Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen, Marc Leishman, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, Kim Si-woo, Jhonattan Vegas, Adam Hadwin, Emiliano Grillo, Anirban Lahiri
Past Five Winners
2015: United States 15.5-14.5
2013: United States 18.5-15.5
2011: United States 19-15
2009: United States 19.5-14.5
2007: United States 19.5-14.5
The Field
Taking a look at the field for this week, it’s a star-studded event. There are two sides of this equation going head-to-head: the American team and the International. The American team is made up of a number of big names, including five major champs. That includes Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson. Steve Stricker is the captain of the group. The rest of the team is made up of Patrick Reed, Kevin Chappell, Matt Kuchar, Charley Hoffman, Kevin Kisner and Daniel Berger.
The International team is loaded too. There are four major champs, which include Jason Day, Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel. There is also a couple of Top 10 players in Hideki Matsuyama and Marc Leishman, who won last week. Beyond that, we’ll see some names like Branden Grace, Jhonny Vegas, Canadian star Adam Hadwin and Anirban Lahiri.
With such a diverse field going head-to-head, this should be a really fun week of action.
What To Know About The Course
Liberty National opened in 2006 and hosted the Barclays in 2009 and 2013. It is 7,328 yards, and a few things have changed since then. The first four holes of the event that was held four years ago are now the last four holes on the course. Going out is a par-38 that has all three of the par-5s on the course, while coming home has three par-3s, including the final hole. The Americans have the advantage not only as the deeper team, but eight of their players played there in 2013; only four of the International players were there four years ago.
Top Team Points Scorer: Jason Day +450
For the Americans, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson are the favorites in term of points scorers at +450, but for the International team, it’ll probably be Day at +450. Day’s record at the Presidents Cup is shaky at best at 4-8-3, but he comes into this tournament on a roll with three top-10s in his last five starts and he finished T-17 at the Tour Championship, although a final-round 74 brought that down a peg. Day will be one of the leaders of this International team along with Adam Scott, and he has to show it on the course.
Winning Pick: USA -350
The Americans are favored at -350, the Internationals come in at +350 and a draw is listed at +1200. The Internationals have decent enough odds that you could bet something on them, but the Americans are simply better. The Internationals’ best player in terms of points over the season, Hideki Matsuyama, struggled with fatigue down the stretch. He would be at least the sixth or seventh-best player on the United States at full strength. The Americans won three of four majors and the FedEx Cup, and their depth will be too much for the International.
Odds To Win 2017 Presidents Cup
Team To Win
USA -330
International Team +325
Tie +1215
Team To Win
USA -500
International Team +325
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