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2015 Presidents Cup: Spieth versus Day showdown

Jason Day is in a good position at the US PGA Championship (Photo: AP)
Roar Guru
7th October, 2015
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The President Cup might not be as legendary or prestigious as the Ryder Cup, but given the dominance of Australian and South African golfers in past couple of years the 2015 tournament promises to be one of the most closely contested yet.

History
The International team has only managed to defeat the US team once, and that was back in 1998. Since then the International team has managed a tie in South Africa in 2003. But the US have managed to win the past five tournaments. The last one a couple of years ago finished with US winning 18 1/2 to 15 1/2.

Teams
US team: Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Jimmy Walker, Zach Johnson, Ricke Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Patrick reed, Matt Kuchar, Chris Kirk, JB Holmes, Billy Haas, and Phil Mickelson.

The US team has a distinct advantage having five players currently ranked in the top 10 players in the world (Spieth, Watson, Fowler, Johnson and Johnson). Add to that the experience of Mickelson and Kuchar (both have played more than 10 Presidents Cups) and it is formidable team.

International team: Jason Day, Louis Oosthuizen, Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama, Branden Grace, Marc Leishman, Anirban Lahiri, Charl Schwartzel, Thongchai Jaidee, Danny Lee, Steven Bowditch, and An Byeong-hun.

Jason Day is the only golfer that sits in the top 10 but the likes of Oosthuizen, Scott and Matsuyama (ranked 12th, 13th and 14th) are just outside the top 10.

The likes of Grace, Leishman and Lahiri were all among the top 10 finishers in Majors this year, and have shown they can compete with the top crop.

Format

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Day 1 and 2
Five matches – fourballs
Five matches – foursomes

Day 3
Four matches – fourballs
Four matches – foursomes

Day 4
Twelve singles matches

Course: Jack Nicklaus Golf Club, Korea

In total 30 matches will be played with one point for a win after 18 holes. If the match is square after 18 holes then half points will be awarded. The US team will be declared winners if it’s a tie since they are the current holders of the Presidents Cup.

Dream match-up
The whole world wants to see Day and Spieth go head-to-head on the last day. It would be one of the greatest finishes if both of them were the last to tee off against each other with the Presidents Cup still undecided.

Prediction: The US team should win by at least three matches.

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