Medinah, Ill. — There is an old yarn about a man who walks along a street and sees another fellow hitting his head against a wall.
“Why are you doing that?” he asks.
“Because if feels really good when I stop,” the wall crasher replies.
The person hitting their head against the wall could be the International team, which will, once again, try to end the long drought at the Presidents Cup.
It will take on a superior U.S. team at Medinah Country Club this week in hopes of stopping the 10-event losing streak. In fact, in the 15 editions of this team event, the squad representing everywhere outside of Europe has managed just one victory and a tie.
Starting Thursday, they will once again hit their collective heads, trying through some bolt of magic to defeat a much superior American side.
The U.S. has eight players in the top 11 in the Official World Golf Ranking. The Internationals’ highest-ranked golfer is Si Woo Kim at 14. Jackson Koivin, a 21-year-old surprise pick, is the lowest-ranked golfer for the Americans at 57, while the Internationals have five golfers behind him on the list.
Despite all this, hopes remain high in the International team room. They are a close-knit group, brought together with a very simple game plan.
“I think make more putts than them,” said Corey Conners, who is making his third appearance. “Keep it simple; win one more hole than them. Get a point on the board.”
That’s simplistic and it’s realistic. It’s just a matter of whether it can happen for the Internationals.
If the team needed a little bit of optimism, it could be that the Americans are on a bit of a slide themselves. They lost the Ryder Cup last year to the Europeans and this year were on the losing end of Walker Cup, giving up a big lead on the last day losing for the first time since 2015. Then there was the Solheim Cup, where Europe won a tight battle against the U.S. women.
Another burst of optimism can be found in the stats from 2024. Even though the Internationals lost by seven points, they won 116 holes while the U.S. one just one more at 117. It can be that close.
“I think we’re more together than we’ve ever been,” said International captain Geoff Ogilvy. “We’ve had a lot of sort of together moments this year, more than normal. The chat group is as active as it’s ever been. They just seem to be in really good spirits. They’ve been very excited to get here for quite a long time. I don’t know, it’s just a good-feeling group. I think the time is right.”
On the other side, the American team is prepared to extend the streak. Captain Brandt Snedeker has been making sure his 12 players are ready and prepared, eschewing any thoughts of overconfidence that might come from the winning streak.
“No fear. These guys are competitors,” he stated. “They don’t want to lose anything. They don’t want to lose in ping pong; they don’t want to lose at anything. And this team’s never really been together. We have three rookies on here who’ve never played for a cup. They’re super motivated. I don’t think it’s going to be an issue with us.”
That may not have been the case at the last cup in Montreal. The American side won all five matches in fourball on the opening day and then lost all five in foursomes the second day, several by wide margins. It could have been a lack of focus or intensity from the Americans, or it may have been the change in format. But it certainly made Saturday more meaningful.
This week could also be more important from a future perspective. With a new PGA CEO/commissioner in Brian Rolapp who is not afraid to shake things up, an event that is as one-sided as this one has been might see his hatchet or, at the very least, a significant change of format.
How much longer will corporate sponsors be lined up for a biennial beat down? How much longer will viewers stay tuned in?
That’s a discussion for Sunday evening when this edition is over. Right now, the Internationals need to stop hitting their heads against the wall and try to raise the cup for the first time in decades.
