Presidents Cup: Dan Hicks says don’t overlook underdog Internationals

Dan Hicks has had a front-row seat to the biggest moments in golf since ascending to NBC Sports’ lead announcer role in 2000.

His “Expect anything different!?” call of Tiger Woods’ birdie putt at the 2008 U.S. Open ranks up there. As does this past year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, where Bryson DeChambeau fended off Rory McIlroy to win his second major title.

He has also called every Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup since 2000, witnessing firsthand how the Europeans have dominated the Americans in one competition while the Americans have overwhelmed the Internationals in the other.

“I think it’s the tale of two cups, right? I think you see the Americans perform a lot differently in the Ryder Cup than they do in the President’s Cup,” Hicks said to Playing Through.

“Maybe it’s because the Ryder Cup has had more history to it. So the Americans feel that [pressure], and then they get to the Presidents Cup, and they just want to have fun, get together, and play golf. And when you relax, sometimes you play your best. So, I think there’s something to that theory. I think it’s been proven. We’ve got nine straight Presidents Cup wins for the Americans.”

This week’s Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal marks the 15th edition of this competition, which began in 1994. The International Team, which consists of players from non-European countries, has triumphed only once, with that victory coming in 1998 at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. The two teams then tied five years later in South Africa, but the Americans retained the Presidents Cup due to their win in 2000.

It has been all red, white, and blue since.

Once again, the Americans arrive in Canada with a better team on paper. Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, who have had ridiculous 2024 campaigns, will lead the American team. But Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark have had solid seasons, too. As did Patrick Cantlay and Sahith Theegala, the other two automatic qualifiers for the Americans. In fact, all 12 players on the U.S. side rank among the top 25 players in the world. But the International Team boasts only four, highlighted by Hideki Matsuyama, who is seventh. Matsuyama has had an incredible season, winning the Genesis Invitational and the FedEx St. Jude Championship, but injuries have plagued the 2021 Masters Champion at some points this year.

Adam Scott, Tom Kim, and Sungjae Im are the other Internationals among the top 25.

Yet, despite that disparity and the fact that Hicks has never called an International win at the Presidents Cup, the long-time broadcaster says that nobody should rule out the home side.

“I’ve been around sports long enough to know that sometimes when you’re presented this kind of scenario, you get the shocker, you get the totally unexpected,” Hicks said.

Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

“There are four rookies on the U.S. team, and you never know how these guys will play in their first big-time taste of international competition. It’s totally different. They’ll all tell you that, but for Sahith Theegala and the Russell Henley and these guys competing for the first time, you’ve got to have good production out of everybody. You can’t really count on winning the Presidents Cup unless everybody’s hitting on all cylinders.

“I know they’ve had some lopsided wins, but the last one at Quail Hollow got a little close. The Internationals had a chance there. They won a session late on Saturday and had a little momentum. So, I guess the bottom line is that everybody in the world expects the Americans to win again and win handily. But golf is the craziest sport that I’ve ever seen. And just when you think you’ve seen it all, you see something else. You never know.”

Perhaps nothing embodies that mantra more than what happened at the 2007 Presidents Cup, the last time Royal Montreal hosted this competition.

By Sunday morning, the Americans had already won 14.5 points and needed to win only one Singles Match to retain the Presidents Cup. It was over. The Americans would win again.

But Canadian Mike Weir, the 46th-ranked player in the world at the time and one of the shortest hitters on the PGA Tour, squared off against the almighty Tiger Woods in the fourth match on Sunday. Thousands of Canadian fans swarmed the match, cheering on their fellow countryman to pull off the ultimate upset. Weir did just that, winning 1-up, evoking the Little Engine That Could, playing the role of David taking down Goliath. It is one of the defining scenes of this competition’s history.

“You would have thought that match was going to decide the President’s Cup,” Hicks reminisced.

Photo by Chris Condon/PGA Tour

“That’s how important it was for the Canadians to cheer on their guy Mike Weir. I’ve never seen a Cup competition, so to speak, become one match like that one, and it lifted the whole event up even though the U.S. won. And so I think there’s that feeling 17 years later, now that Mike Weir is the captain back at Royal Montreal. So, if anybody can get something special done and pull off the improbable, I would not look past Mike Weir and do it in his home country of Canada.”

Weir selected three of his fellow countrymen to join him at Royal Montreal this week. Corey Conners, Mackenzie Hughes, and Taylor Pendrith will play for the Internationals on their home soil, hoping the crowd will be as passionate as they were in 2007.

But if the RBC Canadian Open is any inclination, they will.

Nevertheless, to embrace the why-not-us mentality, Weir would be wise to lean on his victory from that year, so says Hicks.

“If I’m Mike Weir, I’m bringing up what happened and saying to the team, ‘You know what? No one thought I could take down Tiger Woods, and I did, and no one thinks you guys are going to win this Presidents Cup. But I’m telling you it can happen, and I saw it happen, and I got it done,’” Hicks explained.

“I would really lean on that victory from all those years ago.”

Of course, everyone on the International Team must play well to pull off the upset. That includes Adam Scott, the only player in this year’s Presidents Cup who also teed it up in 2007. The Aussie went 1-3-1 that week, defeating Zach Johnson in Singles after the result had long been decided. No player has lost more Presidents Cup matches than Scott, who will make his 11th appearance this week. That said, only Ernie Els has won more matches than him. Scott boasts an overall record of 18-25-6, winning 21 points for the Internationals across 10 Presidents Cups. He has played in every edition since 2003, meaning Hicks has seen plenty of him over the years.

“I think it will be important for Adam Scott to play well,” Hicks explained.

“He’s the patriarch of the team, so to speak. I think he will be looked up to as almost an assistant captain, somewhat of a playing captain for Mike Weir. But I think he will be somebody that all the younger guys lean on. I think they’re fortunate that Adam Scott is in really good form now, but can he keep the form that he has had? Sometimes, you see guys have a great year, and then they get in these Cups, and sometimes, they run out of gas.”

For Scott’s sake, hopefully, that does not happen this year. But he is 44 years old and has played in 21 events this season. He most recently played at the BMW PGA Championship this past week, tying for 57th at Wentworth. Yet, Scott has two runner-ups and three other top-10 finishes in 2024, proof that he is still one of the best players in the world.

Nevertheless, Hicks has his eye on another Australian in Montreal this week.

“Min Woo Lee is as charismatic and as fun to watch as anybody,” Hicks said.

“I think he’s the kind of guy that thrives in this environment. I think he’s looking forward to it. I also think he is a guy who loves the limelight every time he’s in contention. He’s been one of those guys who does not seem afraid of the moment. And so I think he will be extremely fun to watch because of his demeanor and how he plays, which suits this environment.”

Lee is one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour, ranking fifth in total driving distance and sixth in strokes gained off the tee. He plays like his electric personality, full of creativity and amusement. ‘Chef Min Woo’ has two top 10 finishes to his name this year, an impressive accomplishment for just his second full season on the PGA Tour. He also won the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship last November at the Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane. More victories will come in the future, as he even has the potential to win a major championship soon. But Lee must play well this week to help the International Team win.

The entire team must play well as a whole.

Yet, as Hicks has alluded to, we should never count out the International side, despite the odds stacked against them. They have plenty of talent to get the job done. Plus, they will have the home crowd on their side. And who knows? Stranger things have happened. Bigger upsets have transpired. Just ask the 1980 U.S. Men’s Ice Hockey Team. Or the 2023 Farleigh Dickinson team that Purdue. Or the 2001 New England Patriots. Heck, Shaun Micheel won at Oak Hill in 2003, proving that anything can happen on any given week.

That same mantra applies to this week.

Just ask Weir, who knows all about being the underdog.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.