Adam Scott Has Seen It All at the Presidents Cup (Except for an International Team Victory), but He Believes This Week's Team is Prepared
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The fallout is real at the Ryder Cup, where the sting of losing sometimes impacts careers. That’s been the case for 30-plus years, back to when Europe and then-captain Tony Jacklin changed the fortunes of the event by not only becoming competitive, but winning—often.
Today the Ryder Cup is far more than the friendly exhibition it set out to be when seed merchant Samuel Ryder offered up his support for the trophy that is still given in his name. It hurts to lose, and sometimes those defeats can be difficult to digest and overcome.
So, what of the Presidents Cup?
Sure, if the Americans lose to an International team that is a heavy underdog at Quail Hollow Golf Club this week, there will be considerable hand-wringing and second-guessing on the American side.
The International team? Not so much.
For all of its attempts to replicate the Ryder Cup, the one thing that is difficult to match is national pride for the International squad. It’s tough to imagine Hideki Matsuyama, for example, getting much grief in his native Japan if the Presidents Cup does not go his way. Same for Cameron Davis in Australia or Christiaan Bezuidenhout in South Africa.
But that doesn’t make losing any easier. Just ask Adam Scott.
The Aussie who made his Presidents Cup debut in 2003 has never been on a winning side. He will play in the competition beginning Thursday for the 10th time, his first experience remains the best, a riveting tie in South Africa where he won two matches with Ernie Els.
At 42, Scott’s opportunities are dwindling, and while he admits the negativity around losing might not be the same as that for an American or a European Ryder Cup player, it’s certainly no fun, either.
“Even though the International team’s struggles have been well-documented over the years, everyone becomes very invested at some point in the week,’’ Scott said Tuesday after a practice round at Quail Hollow. “As individual competitors, we don’t like losing. And I know that’ something we do a lot anyways playing individual tournaments.
“It’s stung a lot. It’s been frustrating. The close calls really sting, the couple times we’ve been really thumped is very, very frustrating. In saying all that, I’m the only one carrying any real baggage into this one. I think Hideki (Matsuyama) has felt some as well.
“But I think the beauty of this one for me is that I see a lot of guys out here for the first time, and when I made the team for the first time, it was like, you make the Presidents Cup team, you come out and win points, it's what you've dreamed of, and that's kind of how it started for me, on a pretty good note. That's what I think these guys can do this week.
“I certainly am not dwelling on anything, and to be perfectly honest, looking back at Melbourne (2019), although that was one that stung for sure, I thought so much changed, the direction of this team changed there, and I think that's carried over. Trevor (Immelman) has embraced that a lot and done an incredible job.
“I think we're going to see that continue no matter what the result. I still remain incredibly optimistic that we have a shot this week.’’
That’s a lot to unpack from Scott, who his 16-22-6 in his previous nine Presidents Cup appearances, with a 5-4 record in singles. He went 2-2-1 three years ago at Royal Melbourne, where the International team was on the brink of victory, only to see the Americans rally during singles for a 16-14 win.
Scott said a majority of the team does not possess the bad memories of so many losses, with eight of the 12 players making their first appearance.
That is a good news-bad news scenario for the International team, which doesn’t carry around the burden of so many defeats but is terribly inexperienced. Much of that is due, in part, to several potential International players bolting for LIV Golf. British Open champion Cam Smith, along with Marc Leishman, Louis Oosthuizen, Joaquin Niemann and Branden Grace would have certainly give the team more firepower.
But Scott sees the advantages. There was noticeable change under Els as captain three years ago, as the South African sought to change the mindset and create more unity among a bunch of players who hail from countries outside of the United States and Europe with little more reason to come together.
Scott said a two-day scouting and bonding trip to Quail Hollow a few weeks ago was a big help, and Immelman—who was an assistant to Els in Australia—has adopted many of the same ideas for continuity.
“I feel very confident in everything that's happened,’’ Scott said. “From the preparation side, I come in here, all I've got to worry about is playing some golf, and that's the only thing I can do anyway, so that feels like a really nice place as a player to be. I'm really not polluting anyone else's mind with anything more than that. These guys are incredibly talented, and relatively unknown maybe compared to the stars of the United States, but they've now been given a platform to show off this week, and I hope they do.’’
The International team’s lone victory is but a faint memory for Scott. He was in college at the time in the United States, and the competition took place at Royal Melbourne. The year was 1998. A U.S. team captained by Jack Nicklaus and featuring Tiger Woods got beat in a rout in December. It was only the third Presidents Cup, the first outside of the U.S.—and nobody dreamed it would be the only International victory.
Since then, the International side has come within two points only twice—a 15 ½ to 14 ½ loss in South Korea in 2015 and the 16-14 defeat to the Woods-led Americans in 2019.
With a slew of new players and an all-star lineup of Americans that features Masters winner Scottie Scheffler, PGA champ Justin Thomas as well as Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay, Scott knows it is a difficult ask.
“I think I'm leaning into the younger guys because of their enthusiasm and everything. I think it's good for like an old dog like me to see that,’’ Scott said. “I remember when I pegged it up in South Africa, I was a bit of a deer in the headlights, just went out and played golf and I didn't know any better, and I kind of got carried a little bit by Ernie, and some exciting stuff happened at the end. It was just like I had dreamed of doing as a kid, getting on this team and winning a point. That's kind of how I feel these guys should be this week.
“They really don't have anything to lose at all, and the stage is there for them to completely show off, and I really feel like if we want to push the Americans this week to a place where we can win, we have to really let loose on the course.’’