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TSN Senior Reporter

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It’s no secret that The Presidents Cup has been one big lopsided event. In its 10 previous editions, the U.S. has lost just once while another ended in a tie. The Yanks are currently on a five-win streak, winning those by an average of a whopping four points.

The result is that the event lacks teeth, importance and much-needed tension. Rather than an international battle, it more closely resembles a made-for-TV skins game, a hit-and-giggle.

For sure, this isn’t the Ryder Cup.

So why has this happened? Here are three reasons.

1. Team Unity

In the Ryder Cup the team from Europe bonds over the land mass its members represent and also because there’s a European Tour. Most of the players have spent time on that circuit with the other members of their team so they have friendships and bonds.

The International side is made up of the awkwardly described rest-of-the-world-outside-Europe. Try logo-ing that on a hat.

The tough part is there’s nothing that links the golfers – no flag, no culture, no other sports team or golf tour.

It also includes players who aren’t familiar with each other and that don’t even speak the same language. In 2013 at Muirfield Village, Adam Scott was paired with Hideki Matsuyama for several matches. The communication barrier between the teammates was obvious although Scott said they managed by using one simple phrase.

“’Good shot’ is the international language,” Scott stated.

Still, the differences are just one more thing International captain Nick Price must try to overcome that his counterpart, Jay Haas, won’t.

2. Format

Although generally similar, The Presidents Cup format has some significant differences with the Ryder Cup and it comes in the form of player participation. For the first two days of the Ryder Cup, the fourball and foursome matches include only eight of the 12 players.

The Presidents Cup previously featured 34 matches in total with all 12 golfers playing during the first two rounds – one fourball and one foursome. That dropped to five matches in rounds three and four with two players on each side sitting out.

This put the weaker side at a distinct disadvantage and the International side has consistently been that.

This time out, International team captain Nick Price did manage to convince PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem to drop the overall number of matches from 34 to 30. There will be five matches on Thursday and five on Friday, and four matches in both rounds on Saturday.

Against the powerhouse U.S. squad, this will allow Price to sit some of his weaker golfers and avoid losing points in lopsided matches.

Price lobbied for more changes – such as a blind draw for the singles matches – but was turned down by Finchem.

3. Talent

For most of the previous 10 Presidents Cups, the American team has held an advantage in overall talent. This time out is no exception.

Five of the 12 U.S. players are in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking. Jason Day, at No. 2, is the only International team member in that group.

All 12 American golfers are inside the top 30; seven of the Internationals are outside that number.

The lowest-ranked player on the U.S. team is Bill Haas at 29. Sangmoon Bae, at 85, is the lowest on the International team. Both of those golfers are captain’s picks but even among those who made the team on points, the gap is glaring: Chris Kirk is 27th, Charl Schwartzel sits in 47th.

It’s a tall mountain to climb for the International Team but underdogs have come through before in team competitions – just not very often in this event.

But for The Presidents Cup to gain even the smallest of toeholds on the significance scale, the International side needs to step up. It can get away without winning, but at the very least, it must become competitive.