USA clinched its 10th straight Presidents Cup, sparking talks on how to make the USA vs. Internationals match more exciting.
The Internationals have only won once in 15 editions, back in 1998. There have been close calls like the tied game in 2003 and narrow losses in other years.
So, what can be done to level the playing field?
Mixed Event:
One idea is to make it a mixed competition with top players from the LPGA Tour. Stacy Lewis suggested this recently. Adding stars like Lydia Ko, Jin Young Ko, Brooke Henderson, and others would boost the Internationals’ team strength .
However, this seems difficult because the PGA Tour runs the event alone. Also, changing formats to include more players could be tricky.
LIV Golfers:
Jim Furyk missed out on Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka due to their LIV Golf involvement. Including LIV golfers could help the Internationals more by bringing back Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann, Abraham Ancer, Louis Oosthuizen, and Dean Burmester.
Fans might think this is a good move for a fairer competition.
This option seems possible as PGA Tour and Saudi PIF are negotiating deals.
Europeans:
It may sound odd at first but adding Europeans could work. The Presidents Cup aims to grow PGA Tour’s global reach and international player profiles. Europeans fit that bill too!
While they play Americans in Ryder Cup already, adding them here could increase International chances of winning and boost cup’s profile. Here’s one way to pick the International team:
– 2 from Europe
– 2 from Americas
– 2 from Africa
– 2 from Asia
– 2 from Australasia
– 2 wildcards from any international country
What do you think? Should changes be made for a closer contest?
