Ahead of this week’s Presidents Cup, one of the International veterans, Adam Scott, who has played in every competition since 2003, weighed in on this year’s squad.
The International Team has not won a Presidents Cup since 1998. Their last non-loss came in 2003, when they tied the Americans, meaning the Internationals have now lost nine straight. Despite that, Scott believes in his fellow teammates.
“I think we are putting forward our strongest team for quite a while,” Scott said.
“I think things have been moving in a positive direction for our team since Ernie [Els] took over as captain.”
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Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
He elaborated more on how the unified shield logo, introduced by Els in 2019, has improved the camaraderie of the International Team.
“It’s becoming bigger and bigger, and there are guys like Min Woo [Lee] on this team whose golf life has been aiming to play for the International Shield,” Scott said.
“You know, our team effort and dynamic have changed so much. The captains, the program the captains have put into place for us, are teeing everything up for us.”
Team energy appears to be a huge component of their confidence. Scott referenced the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hallow and how the team was there, but a few guys were not completely bought in. However, things have changed for the Internationals, and they are now focused on coming together more than ever.
“We’ve rebuilt and put together a formidable team,” Scott said.
“I think playing the United States is never easy, whether you’re the Internationals or Europe, but we can take inspiration from what Europe has managed to do with, in general, on paper, being the underdogs. We are determined to go out there and change the script of this event.”
Scott even acknowledged that his record is not up to this new standard. In his previous Presidents Cups, the Aussie has gone 18-25-6.
“I’m very determined. I don’t know how many more opportunities I’ll get, if any,” Scott said.
“This is a big week for me, but I have a lot of belief in this team. I can’t remember feeling so comfortable coming into a Presidents Cup.”
In Thursday’s fourball session, Scott and Min Woo Lee will take on Team USA’s Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala. They are the second match of the day, following behind Jason Day and Byeong Hun An, who will square off against the American duo of Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau.
It will be interesting to see the difference in the camaraderie of the International Team from years past.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @golf_girl_sl.
