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‘Important’ for S. Korea to have own players as host for Presidents Cup: PGA official

April 17, 2015

Bae Sang-moon is one of the top South Korean contenders for the non-European Presidents Cup team. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — As South Korea prepares to stage the 2015 Presidents Cup golf competition in the fall, one of the event’s top organizers said Friday it will be “important” for the host country to field at least one of its own at the biennial competition.

Jay Monahan, deputy commissioner of the PGA Tour and a member of the organizing committee for the Presidents Cup, said the presence of any South Korean player will surely fire up the crowd at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon, just west of Seoul. The Presidents Cup, which will pit a team of Americans versus an international squad of non-European players, will take place from Oct. 8 to 11.

Monahan was addressing the possibility that South Korea could be shut out of players on the 12-deep International Team, which will be finalized on Sept. 8. South Korea also didn’t have any player at the most recent Presidents Cup in 2013.

“It’s important for a player from the host country to be in the field, and we certainly would like to see that,” Monahan said at a press conference in Seoul, following the inauguration of the organizing committee. “Either way, whether there’s a player (from South Korea) on the team or not, I think there will be tremendous energy on the International Team. But when you have someone from your home country, you might be rooting extra hard, and we’d like to see that happen.”

The U.S. and the International Teams are selected using different criteria. The top 10 U.S. players on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup points rankings, from the 2013 BMW Championship through the 2015 Deutsche Bank Championship on Sept. 7, will earn automatic spots, with the points earned in 2015 worth twice as much. Jay Haas, the U.S. captain, will make two additional picks on Sept. 8.

The top 10 non-European players on the world rankings at the end of the 2015 Deutsche Bank Championship will make the International Team. Nick Price will then make two captain’s choices on Sept. 8.

Presently, no South Korean is inside the top 10 in the Presidents Cup standings. Bae Sang-moon, a two-time PGA Tour winner, is in 17th place, followed by Noh Seung-yul, who earned his first tour win last year, at No. 24.

Choi Kyoung-ju, better known as K.J. Choi in the U.S., is vice captain to Price. Though he has expressed a desire to play his way on to the team, Choi, an eight-time PGA Tour winner, is sitting at 35th.

The Presidents Cup was first held in 1994 and the United States hosted the first two events. Since then, a non-European nation and the U.S. have alternated as hosts. Australia, South Africa and Canada have been international hosts, and South Korea is the first Asian host.

In each of the past four events held outside the United States, the hosts had at least one homegrown player.

Choi has played in three Presidents Cups. South Korea was best represented in 2011, with Choi, former major champ Yang Yong-eun, and the Japanese tour star Kim Kyung-tae in action.

Monahan noted that the International Team is “fortunate” to have Choi serving as vice captain on home soil.

“We would like to see one, if not more, of the South Korean players emerge,” he added. “We will be watching closely as the Presidents Cup approaches.”

For the organizers, in addition to having at least one South Korean, Tiger Woods, whose star has fallen in recent years amid a series of on- and off-field issues, may hold the key to the event’s popularity. Though he has dropped all the way to No. 101 in the world rankings and is only 135th in the Presidents Cup standings, there’s little doubt that Woods, who has played in eight Presidents Cups, remains arguably the biggest attraction in golf.

Monahan said he was fully aware of Woods’ potential impact, but he nonetheless hinted that Woods’ presence may not be an absolute necessity to make the 2015 competition a success at the gates.

“Clearly, when Tiger Woods plays, the world watches,” Monahan said. “But one thing I will point out about this event: it’s unique and only the 12 best players from each side will qualify. I think, ultimately for the Presidents Cup, the quality of the field and play will be strong enough, with some young emerging players. The world will still be watching.”

Leading the points for the U.S. team is Jordan Spieth, who captured the Masters earlier this month for his first major championship, followed by Jimmy Walker, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed and Dustin Johnson. Seasoned Presidents Cup veterans such as Jim Furyk (seven appearances) and Phil Mickelson (10 appearances) remain outside the top 10.