CHARLOTTE — The American team is heavily favored to win a ninth straight Presidents Cup. It has six players who were on the Ryder Cup team a year ago in Whistling Straits. It also has players who are in the Presidents Cup for the first time. Jordan Spieth is 29 and the most experienced U.S. player in the Presidents Cup. And he wasn’t even at the last one three years ago at Royal Melbourne. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele first formed their partnership in the Presidents Cup in Australia.
Here’s a look at the American team:
Sam Burns
Age: 26
World ranking: 12
Worldwide victories: 4
2022 victories: Valspar Championship, Charles Schwab Challenge
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie
Record: 0-0-0
Noteworthy: A two-time winner this year, Burns was among the last players Steve Stricker considered for a captain’s pick at the Ryder Cup last year. Won both his tournaments this year in a playoff.
Patrick Cantlay
Age: 30
World ranking: 4
Worldwide victories: 7
2022 victories: Zurich Classic, BMW Championship
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: 1
Record: 3-2-0
Noteworthy: He teamed with Xander Schauffele to win the Zurich Classic, and they are 4-2-0 in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. Spent the brief offseason getting engaged.
Tony Finau
Age: 33
World ranking: 14
Worldwide victories: 4
2022 victories: 3M Open, Rocket Mortgage Classic
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: 1
Record: 0-1-3
Noteworthy: Won in consecutive weeks after the majors were over to secure his spot on his fourth straight U.S. team dating to the Ryder Cup in France. He’s had four partners in three cups, none of whom are on this team.
Max Homa
Age: 31
World ranking: 16
Worldwide victories: 5
2022 victories: Wells Fargo Championship, Fortinet Championship
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie
Record: 0-0-0
Noteworthy: He’s on a big roll with three wins in the last year, and he played with Tiger Woods in the British Open at St. Andrews. Through it all, his chief goal for the year was to make the Presidents Cup team.
Billy Horschel
Age: 35
World ranking: 15
Worldwide victories: 8
2022 victories: Memorial
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie
Record: 0-0-0
Noteworthy: Horschel has played for his country since the Walker Cup in 2007. He won the FedEx Cup after the Ryder Cup team in 2014 had been determined. He won the Dell Match Play last year and failed to qualify for the Ryder Cup team. He played with Sam Burns in the Zurich Classic.
Kevin Kisner
Age: 38
World ranking: 25
Worldwide victories: 4
2022 victories: None
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: 1
Record: 2-0-2
Noteworthy: Partnered with Phil Mickelson in his lone Presidents Cup appearance at Liberty National. He has won the Dell Match Play and twice reached the championship match. Kisner was the 54-hole leader at Quail Hollow in the 2017 PGA Championship.
Collin Morikawa
Age: 25
World ranking: 9
Worldwide victories: 6
2022 victories: None
Majors: PGA Championship (2020), British Open (2021)
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie
Record: 0-0-0
Noteworthy: He won the clinching point at the Ryder Cup last year at Whistling Straits. He capped off last year by winning the Race to Dubai in Europe. But he has rarely challenged to win this year and is on the verge of slipping out of the top 10. Will need a new partner for Quail Hollow after Dustin Johnson bolted for LIV Golf.
Xander Schauffele
Age: 28
World ranking: 5
Worldwide victories: 8
2022 victories: Zurich Classic, Travelers Championship, Genesis Scottish Open
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: 1
Record: 3-2-0
Noteworthy: He might have been the hottest player this summer, with wins in Hartford and Scotland. Throw in the Olympic gold medal last year in Tokyo and he is rarely too far off his game. This will be another chance to forge a formidable partnership with Patrick Cantlay.
Scottie Scheffler
Age: 26
World ranking: 1
Worldwide victories: 4
2022 victories: WM Phoenix Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational, WGC-Dell Match Play, Masters
Majors: Masters (2022)
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie
Record: 0-0-0
Noteworthy: He won PGA Tour player of the year with his Masters, four wins, a tour money record, a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open and a close second at the FedEx Cup. Made an impressive Ryder Cup debut. He’s likely to partner with good friend Sam Burns unless Billy Horschel tries to claim Burns.
Jordan Spieth
Age: 29
World ranking: 13
Worldwide victories: 16
2022 victories: RBC Heritage
Majors: Masters (2015), U.S. Open (2015), British Open (2017)
Presidents Cup appearances: 3
Record: 8-5-1
Noteworthy: Even though he missed the last Presidents Cup, Spieth will be playing for the fourth time. That makes him the most experienced Presidents Cup player on the U.S. team.
Justin Thomas
Age: 29
World ranking: 7
Worldwide victories: 15
2022 victories: PGA Championship
Majors: PGA Championship (2017, 2022)
Presidents Cup appearances: 2
Record: 6-2-2
Noteworthy: His second PGA title dressed up an otherwise average year. He has played with Jordan Spieth in their last two Ryder Cups and likely will partner with him in the Presidents Cup for the first time. He has lost both his Presidents Cup singles matches.
Cameron Young
Age: 25
World ranking: 18
Worldwide victories: None
2022 victories: None
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie
Record: 0-0-0
Noteworthy: His arrival on the PGA Tour was slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but he has delivered as a rookie. His five runner-up finishes include the British Open, and he was right there at the PGA Championship. He’s a big hitter with a complete game.
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Most of the members of the International team at the Presidents Cup have never played in the matches. Thanks to so many defections to Saudi-funded LIV Golf, the International team has eight rookies on the 12-man squad. Of the four veterans, two of them have played only once. Adam Scott is the leader. This will be his ninth Presidents Cup and he has yet to play on a winning team. Making the task even more difficult is that only three players have won a tournament this year. That includes 20-year-old Tom Kim, one of the rookies.
Here’s a look at the International team:
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Country: South Africa
Age: 28
World ranking: 67
Worldwide victories: 5
2022 victories: None
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie
Record: 0-0-0
Noteworthy: The International team has had at least one South African at every Presidents Cup. Bezuidenhout was a captain’s pick and kept the streak alive. He is 0-5-1 in his two appearances at the WGC-Dell Match Play.
Corey Conners
Country: Canada
Age: 30
World ranking: 26
Worldwide victories: 1
2022 victories: None
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie
Record: 0-0-0
Noteworthy: He nearly made the 2019 team and now is one of the highest-ranked players on the International side. Lost in the semifinals of the WGC-Dell Match Play to Kevin Kisner on the 18th hole and beat Dustin Johnson in the consolation match.
Cameron Davis
Country: Australia
Age: 27
World ranking: 66
Worldwide victories: 2
2022 victories: None
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie
Record: 0-0-0
Noteworthy: This wasn’t the Cameron from Australia expected to be on the International team. Cameron Smith signed with Saudi-funded LIV Golf. Davis was taken as a captain’s pick. He qualified for only two majors this year. Quail Hollow will be his biggest stage.
Sungjae Im
Country: South Korea
Age: 24
World ranking: 19
Worldwide victories: 3
2022 victories: None
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: 1
Record: 3-1-1
Noteworthy: He made a strong debut at Royal Melbourne by going 3-1-1 and impressing his team with solid iron play in the wind. He had three partners in four team matches in Australia, so that should give the captain flexibility in forming teams.
Tom Kim
Country: South Korea
Age: 20
World ranking: 22
Worldwide victories: 5
2022 victories: Wyndham Championship, Singapore International
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie
Record: 0-0-0
Noteworthy: The youngest player to make his Presidents Cup debut since Jordan Spieth was 20 in 2013 at Muirfield Village. Goes by the name “Tom” because he was fascinated with Thomas the Tank Engine when he was a kid. He honed his game in Australia and the Philippines as a junior.
Si Woo Kim
Country: South Korea
Age: 27
World ranking: 76
Worldwide victories: 3
2022 victories: None
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: 1
Record: 1-2-0
Noteworthy: He won The Players Championship at age 21 in 2017 and made his Presidents Cup debut the same year. His most recent win was in the California desert in January 2021. He has reached the weekend of the Dell Match Play only once in five appearances.
K.H. Lee
Country: South Korea
Age: 31
World ranking: 43
Worldwide victories: 6
2022 victories: AT&T Bryon Nelson
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie
Record: 0-0-0
Noteworthy: He gives South Korea four players, the most ever for the Presidents Cup. Lee is one of five players who successfully defended a title on the PGA Tour season this season, winning at the AT&T Byron Nelson outside Dallas.
Hideki Matsuyama
Country: Japan
Age: 30
World ranking: 17
Worldwide victories: 17
2022 victories: Sony Open
Majors: Masters (2021)
Presidents Cup appearances: 4
Record: 6-7-4
Noteworthy: He joins Adam Scott as the only International players to have competed in the Presidents Cup more than once. He won the Sony Open in January with a clutch 3-wood in a playoff, but he has been slowed by a neck injury for much of the year.
Sebastian Munoz
Country: Colombia
Age: 29
World ranking: 63
Worldwide victories: 1
2022 victories: None
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie
Record: 0-0-0
Noteworthy: He had a good finish to 2021, with a pair of top fives in the Zozo Championship and at Sea Island. But his lone top 10 on the PGA Tour this year was a tie for third at the AT&T Byron Nelson. He showed his firepower that week by opening with a 60.
Taylor Pendrith
Country: Canada
Age: 31
World ranking: 109
Worldwide victories: None
2022 victories: None
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie
Record: 0-0-0
Noteworthy: Trevor Immelman went with the big-hitting Canadian over another big hitter, Ryan Fox of New Zealand. Pendrith nearly won in Bermuda last year and still made an impact despite missing four months after The Players Championship with a back injury. He is the only player at the Presidents Cup outside the top 100 in the world.
Mito Pereira
Country: Chile
Age: 27
World ranking: 49
Worldwide victories: None
2022 victories: None
Majors: None
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie
Record: 0-0-0
Noteworthy: His year was defined by one shot at Southern Hills. Pereira had a one-shot lead going to the final hole of the PGA Championship, drove into a stream and made double bogey. His close call got him into the next two majors, but he missed the cut in both of them.
Adam Scott
Country: Australia
Age: 42
World ranking: 30
Worldwide victories: 29
2022 victories: None
Majors: Masters (2013)
Presidents Cup appearances: 9
Record: 16-22-6
Noteworthy: He made his debut in 2003 in South Africa when the matches ended in a tie. That’s as close as Scott has been to playing on a winning team. He needs two points to set the International record for most points currently held by Vijay Singh.
