Power Rankings: Presidents Cup

You can’t win if you don’t play. That familiar refrain crosses pursuits as serious as life and as hopeful as the lottery, but it also can be a rallying cry for the hosts of the Presidents Cup.

The Internationals represent the home team for the 15th edition of the biennial competition that alternates sites abroad with stages inside the United States. Back inside the friendly confines of The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada this week, the Internationals aren’t just bidding to win for only the second time in history (1998), there’s also the matter of ending an active losing streak that stands at nine. It included a five-point defeat, the first time that Royal Montreal hosted in 2007.

But is it fair that any of that matters this week? Beneath the individual team Power Rankings is an exploration of that thought, details of the course, a peek at the format and more.

NOTE: In a match-play team competition consisting of five sessions over four days, only one of which is Singles on Sunday, and with matchups and momentum determined in real-time, the ranking of the players below reflects projected impact on the event.

They lace up spikes and press tees in the ground because you never ever ever ever know. Golf is a four-letter word, but romancing the possibilities is the heartbeat of the hype for the International Team to reverse course in the Presidents Cup. While there is a potential for the weight of the losing streak in the team room, every squad is unique, so the only objective is to win one in a row, for this team, for this time. Objective simplified.

Yes, everything is always easier said than it is done, and especially when the opponent presents as formidable as the Americans. Then again, the road team also has to hit the shots. What’s more, while losing would constitute an upset for the Yanks, consider the pressure of having arrived with the pride of being called upon to uphold the winning streak that spans the first quarter of this century.

If that seems like a long time, consider that The Royal Montreal Golf Club is the oldest of its kind on the continent having just celebrated its 150th anniversary last year. The Blue Course is the standout on the property that boasts two 18-hole tracks and a nine-hole walk. The stock par 70 can stretch to 7,279 yards, which is not long by any professional’s standard, so accuracy from tee to green supersedes muscle no matter the format. Targets covered with bentgrass are just 5,000 square feet on average.

In addition to the 2007 Presidents Cup, the Blue Course also has hosted numerous RBC Canadian Opens, the most recent of which in 2014. Tim Clark, the diminutive sharpshooter from South Africa for whom it could be assumed never won a long-drive contest, emerged with a one-stroke victory at 17-under 263. He missed a field-low nine fairways and squared only two bogeys all week. Of this week’s two dozen participants, only Taylor Pendrith (T43) and Corey Conners (MC) competed in that tournament, both as amateurs.

While the Blue Course inherently forces cause for pause off the tee, if Captain Mike Weir’s strategy for the setup is to let the bluegrass rough grow, thus taking drivers out of the hands of the visitors, the psychology of attrition through ball-striking from similar distances on approach could emerge as a tactic by Sunday’s Singles. Given his position as the leader of the underdog of the battle royale, Weir will want to keep things close with 12 of the 30 points totaled by both teams up for grabs in the final session. In the interim, he will be navigating nine matches each of Foursomes and Four-ball across three days, all the while committing to a passion and a potion of merging 12 charges representing five countries all to pull on the rope at the same time.

As it often does in this outdoor activity, the weather could be a headliner for Thursday’s opening session as rain and potentially storms could linger long enough to disrupt the schedule, but there will be enough daylight until at least 6:40 p.m. local time to allow all five matches to finish. Close to zero concerns for the remainder of the competition, however, as a dry pattern locks in. Daytime highs will flirt with 70 degrees and wind will not factor once the early energy exits.