It’s difficult to find the perfect adjective to most accurately describe how talented the American team will be during the Presidents Cup, which will be presented in Montreal in September. And this observation delights Jim Furyk to the highest degree.
Of the 12 players on the United States team, led by Furyk, 6 will be automatically selected based on their position and points accumulated at the FedEx Cup.
The most prominent player for the American team on the L’Île-Bizard property will undoubtedly be Scottie Scheffler. He has already won three times since the start of the season, during the three most significant tournaments. “He keeps winning!” », Launched Furyk, Wednesday, by videoconference with a small group of North American journalists.
For the 53-year-old veteran, being able to count on the most recent champion of the Masters Tournament would be an immense privilege. Above all, it would be a formidable weapon. First, because “it is right at the heart of an entire sequence”. Then, because “he’s so fun to watch play.”
Then, because by learning to win, the best player in the world managed to change, without changing his nature. A major asset, according to Furyk. “I want him to be a leader for our team. He is transforming himself from one of the most talented young players to the leader of the team. »
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Team USA Presidents Cup Captain Jim Furyk
Training
As of April 18, Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark,
Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day, Tom Kim, Nick Taylor, Min Woo Lee and Byeong Hun An are currently the highest-ranked players for the international team led by Mike Weir, which bases its scoring system on the world rankings.
Coming back to the Americans, their superiority on paper is obvious. Scheffler is the best player in the world and he just won his second green jacket in three years. Clark is the reigning U.S. Open champion. Homa and Morikawa finished tied for third at Augusta National. Schauffele stood five rows behind.
In full preparation to play the Dallas tournament on the senior circuit of the PGA Tour, Jim Furyk said he was excited to have seen so many compatriots excel during the first major tournament of the season last week.
He met them in Georgia, as he did during the Players Championship in March. “I don’t watch a lot of golf on TV,” Furyk admitted. I made a career out of it, so I try to get away from it in my free time, but I’ve been doing it a lot more this year. »
Two names to follow
Also asked about Max Homa, who was in the leading group for almost the majority of the Masters Tournament and who jumped three places to temporarily insert himself into the group of six, Furyk spoke of his resilience.
PHOTO ASHLEY LANDIS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Max Homa at the Masters Tournament
Before becoming one of the ten best golfers in the world, the 33-year-old played on the Korn Ferry circuit in addition to losing his PGA Tour membership twice.
He is certainly an extremely talented golfer. He’s been playing really good golf for a few years. He’s a very confident guy and he fought, he never had it easy. He will also add a lot to the team, he is funny and unifying. In all this context, he would be a very good teammate.
Jim Furyk, captain of the United States team at the Presidents Cup
Finally, with the return of Tiger Woods in the news, it is legitimate to wonder if Furyk has already thought about the possibility of assigning one of his “captain’s choices” to the Tiger to bring him to Montreal. “I’d be curious to know what the odds are in Vegas on that right now,” he replied to an English-speaking colleague.
Furyk, by refusing to get involved, instead deflected the question to the probabilities of seeing Woods act as captain of the American team at the next Ryder Cup, on the Bethpage course, in 2025. “I know that There was discussion about this at the Masters Tournament. »
Tickets on sale
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
One of the greens of the Royal Montreal Golf Club, where the Presidents Cup will take place.
So-called “general admission” tickets for the Presidents Cup have been on sale for a week. For the non-competition days of Tuesday and Wednesday, tickets are listed at $63 and the price for the rounds from Thursday to Sunday starts at $195.50. The price of tickets for the Captains’ Club, more comfortable spaces where other services will be offered, a bit like boxes, vary between $235.50 and $350.50.
“We wanted affordable prices,” declared Ryan Hart, general director of the tournament, The Press last week. That was the priority. The needs and limitations of amateurs do not matter. And we have had a positive response so far. »
With the golf season getting underway, work at the Royal Montreal Golf Club can finally move forward. The team is building temporary facilities throughout 600,000 square feet of the property. The organizers ended the work during the second week of December. Now that the snow is completely melted, the hourglass is sinking again.
The idea remains to attract as many people as possible. And Hart refuses that ticket sales are aimed only at golf enthusiasts. “It’s no longer just the die-hard golf fan who attends events, there are also sports fans in general. We want to attract foodies, people from the Montreal community. We must highlight the local cultures of our events. »
reference: www.lapresse.ca