Presidents Cup: NBC broadcaster gives perception from caddie perspective

It’s Tuesday morning at Royal Montreal, and NBC Sports activities broadcaster John Wooden is on the vary, watching the American workforce follow and heat up. The U.S. gamers will play the entrance 9 earlier than half of the workforce addresses the media within the afternoon forward of the Presidents Cup. However the workforce seems as relaxed as ever, not like the Ryder Cup, the place the U.S. seemingly faces an awesome quantity of stress 12 months in and 12 months out.

The distinction right here, although, is that the U.S. has dominated this competitors, having received 9 in a row and 13 of 15 cups total. In the meantime, within the Ryder Cup, Europe has received 10 occasions relationship again to 1995, whereas the People have emerged victorious solely 4 occasions. When the U.S. final received the Ryder Cup on European soil in 1993, the Presidents Cup didn’t even exist.

Therefore, Wooden’s colleague, Dan Hicks, described this actuality as “The Story of Two Cups,” because the longtime broadcaster has referred to as golf for NBC since 2000. The People dominate the Internationals, whereas the Europeans have stymied the U.S. within the Ryder Cup.

Wooden agreed with this evaluation and thus supplied a strong motive for the Internationals’ struggles over time.

“I really feel just like the Internationals at this occasion have been just a little handicapped by language boundaries and guys not figuring out one another as nicely. I feel that may be robust,” Wooden stated to Enjoying By.

“However, you understand, despite the fact that the U.S. has received rather a lot, there have been some shut ones. Korea [in 2015] got here proper all the way down to the final match. [In 2019] in Melbourne, the Internationals dominated for the primary two days and appeared like they’d an opportunity to run away with it. Then, the People discovered their footing, began enjoying higher golf, and received. So, you understand, you look on paper, and sure, the U.S. has dominated when it comes to wins and losses, however there have been some shut ones as of late.”

There isn’t a doubt that the Worldwide Workforce has improved over time. Ernie Els’s introduction of the Worldwide Protect in 2019 helped give this workforce an id. Even all through this season, Worldwide Captain Mike Weir has held conferences and dinners to assist foster that camaraderie and create the all-important bond required to tug off a win.

The Internationals are nonetheless the underdogs towards the closely favored People, with all 12 of its gamers rating among the many prime 25 on the earth. However the Internationals have some terrific gamers, too, boasting three main champions of their very own: Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, and Jason Day.

“I feel Mike Weir goes to be an incredible captain. I feel he’s embracing the underdog function. And, on the finish of the day, these guys are all good, and something can occur in match play,” Wooden stated of this 12 months’s Worldwide Workforce.

“I feel Mike might be actually stressing that to his workforce, and I feel he’s going to lean on a few of these veterans, Hideki, Adam Scott, to essentially set the tone. However different guys, Tom Kim and Sungjae Im, performed unbelievably in North Carolina collectively [at the 2022 Presidents Cup.] They’ve some sneaky picks, sneaky pairings, and sneaky partnerships that might be actually good that almost all guys won’t take into consideration.”

So, who’re these under-the-radar, darkish horse gamers that the Internationals might want to depend on?

“If the Canadians can get going, and people three guys get the group concerned, I feel it’s an entire new ball sport,” Wooden stated.

Jamie Palatini/Golf Channel

“I’m fascinated by that threesome as a result of the final time, Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners have been the one Canadians in North Carolina. They didn’t play nicely. They didn’t even get a half-point between the 2. So if they’ll get going, they would be the key.”

Pendrith will play alongside Christiaan Bezuidenhout in Thursday’s fourth Fourball match towards Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley.

Conners, in the meantime, could have Hideki Matsuyama by his facet as this duo will face Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns within the ultimate match of the day. Mackenzie Hughes, a Presidents Cup rookie and the third Canadian on this workforce, will sit out the opening session, a shocking improvement since he hails from Canada.

However, if the Internationals need to pull off the upset, they should be, on the very least, tied after Thursday’s opening session.

“Like every sport, when the house workforce will get off to an excellent begin and the group will get concerned, that’s big for momentum,” Wooden stated.

“Clearly, the U.S., on paper, are massive favorites, world rating sensible and the historical past of the occasion. However, you understand, in any sport, if the favourite lets the underdog dangle round, dangle round, dangle round, unexpectedly, the stress utterly switches. If the worldwide workforce can they hold it shut, for 2 or 2.5 days, unexpectedly that stress begins to shift to the People, who start to assume, ‘We ought to be dominating this, we ought to be profitable this, and we’re not.’ Impulsively, the boldness grows on one facet and it drops on the opposite. So I feel they should keep shut, they should get the group concerned, and the longer they’ll dangle round, the higher their possibilities.”

As for the course itself, rain on Wednesday night into Thursday morning will soften Royal Montreal, making the tough thicker and creating mud-balls that would wreck havoc on any given gap.

“If we get that rain, I feel it’s gonna be far more of a, ‘You gotta discover these fairways’ kind of day,” Wooden added.

“I don’t assume you essentially have to be a bomber to play nicely right here in any respect. And as everyone knows, these workforce occasions, I don’t care what occurs, They at all times come all the way down to placing. You’ll be able to say all you need a couple of horse becoming the course, however these workforce occasions at all times come all the way down to what workforce makes probably the most putts on the essential time.”

Wooden would know as a result of he has caddied in loads of Ryder Cups and Presidents Cup earlier than. He even caddied for Hunter Mahan in 2007, the final time Royal Montreal hosted this competitors.

“I bear in mind this course very nicely. I like this place, particularly for match play. That again 9 is so enjoyable. A lot can occur,” Wooden added.

“It’s a type of programs that it actually sticks in your mind.. Although I haven’t been right here for 10 years, I used to be my previous yardage books on the flight out right here, and I remembered nearly each single gap. That claims rather a lot a couple of golf course.”

Wooden then described this course as a ball-strikers golf course, which means matches might be received or misplaced on whether or not or not gamers can discover the greens from the fairways. Bombing it round this place will do gamers no good, as a misfire will settle within the thick, moist tough that strains these fairways. That can forestall a participant from touchdown it the place they need to up on the inexperienced. So being correct off the tee outweighs the importantce of being lengthy. It’s a must to discover the green, even should you layup simply so you may have an opportunity to seek out the placing surfaces. In case you miss these undulating greens, nevertheless, a misplaced gap looms. And should you lose sufficient holes, you lose a match. And should you lose sufficient matches, you abruptly end up in hassle.

No person is aware of that higher than Wooden, the person who wears a number of hats as a caddie, broadcaster, and workforce supervisor of the U.S. Ryder Cup workforce.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By. You should definitely try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.