Jason Day announced as fourth Australian in International President’s Cup team
Ernie Els has named a fourth Australian in the International team for December’s President’s Cup in Melbourne, including former World number one Jason Day to face Tiger Woods and the US.
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Former World number one Jason Day has been locked in as a fourth Australian member of the International team for December’s President’s Cup where a showdown with Tiger Woods looms.
International captain Ernie Els confirmed Day as one of his four captain’s picks for the event at Royal Melbourne joining countrymen Adam Scott, Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith in the 12-man team.
And Els full expects five-time Masters winner Woods, who is captain of team USA, to pick himself on Friday after his last-start victory in Japan which elevated the 43-year-old to number seven in the world.
Woods would become just the second playing-captain in the history of the Presidents Cup
“I do think he’s going to pick himself. I don’t think he has any choice,” Els said on Thursday.
“He’s in form, he’s Masters champion and he’s played in so many matches.
“This is our generation’s best player by quite a distance, and people want to see him play. He’s done things other people haven’t done on the golf course.
“Under the format too, you only have to play once before Sunday, not that he has to only play once, but he could do that.
“He’s bringing a lot to the tournament and it would be great to see him play.”
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The US team already boasts six of the world’s top 10 players, with Woods inclusion, which is set to be confirmed on Friday, would make that seven.
Els three captain’s picks were Korean Suinjae Im, Joaquin Niemann from Chile, and Canadian Adam Hadwin.
Im, the reigning US PGA Tour rookie of the year, is just 21 and Niemann just 20, giving Els the youngest team in Presidents Cup history.
Els said he would be relying on the quartet of Australians in his 12-man team, plus assistant captain Geoff Ogilvy, to reach out to their teammates between now and the event to impart every bit of their local knowledge.
“We are going to have a lot of chatting going on, we are open for business now so to speak,” Els said.
“The Aussies on the team are going to play a big part now.
“Some of the players want to get there a lot earlier, and we encourage that also, and a lot of the guys are going to play the Australian Open, which I have been asking for.”
All four Australians in the International team, plus Els, are locked in to play the Australian Open at the Australian Gold Club in Sydney the week before the Presidents Cup.
Originally published as Jason Day announced as fourth Australian in International President’s Cup team
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