Ryder Cup captains Paul McGinley and Tom Watson will be extremely interested observers when the 10th Presidents Cup gets under way today in Ohio.
Although neither man will be present at Muirfield Village as Fred Couples’s United States side takes on the International team captained by Nick Price, Watson’s vice-captain Andy North will be there and McGinley will watch on television after play in the Seve Trophy finishes each day.
“I have Andy North there all week,” Watson said. “He has been around these players a lot more than I have and he will be my eyes and ears. I don’t think it’s my place to be there. I will be watching with great interest to see who is playing with who.”
McGinley will also be keen to see what pairings Couples comes up with, adding: “A big mark in the sand for me is the Presidents Cup. It has served the Americans particularly well in terms of forming partnerships.
“Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson – who won all three of their matches together in the Ryder Cup at Medinah last year – has come out of that. It will be interesting to see what is done with Jordan Spieth and what he will do with Tiger Woods.”
The United States has dominated the competition since it started in 1994, winning seven times and losing just once, while the 2003 contest ended in a controversial 17-17 tie in South Africa with a play-off between Ernie Els and Tiger Woods halted due to darkness.
Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel admits the International team needs to start winning.
“We’re feeding off guys like Ernie and Adam (Scott) who have played in seven or eight of these things,” said Schwartzel, one of a record five South Africans in the team along with former Open champions Els and Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Richard Sterne.
“And you can see by the way they feel that they really are sick and tired of losing. That’s urging us on to change that around. We feel we’re sort of the new generation. If you want to take the Presidents Cup to the next level, it’s up to us to do it.”