President’s Cup: Aussies head the queue of players to tackle Tiger Woods in match-play
Every member of the youth-filled International team have put their hand up to take on Tiger Woods in the President’s Cup – the man most likely to win the hounour is an Aussie.
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Australian stars Marc Leishman or Cameron Smith could be given the task of taking down Tiger Woods at the Presidents Cup with both “jumping out of their skin” for the December showdown.
International team assistant captain Geoff Ogilvy revealed every member of his youth-filled outfit had put their hand up to take on the 15-time major champion in Sunday match-play at Royal Melbourne.
Australia’s last major champion, Jason Day, defeated Woods and Rory McIlroy in a skins game in Japan earlier this month and Ogilvy said he would have “no problem” putting the Queenslander in a head-to-head duel.
But Ogilvy, who played on three Presidents Cup teams and knows Royal Melbourne inside out, said Smith and Leishman could be at the front of the queue.
“Jason can clearly hang with Tiger and go down the stretch with him,” Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open champion said.
“But Cam and Leish, they have really stood up the last couple of years and they are so bought in to this. Cam is bouncing out of his skin. We have 12 great players, they all have a case.
“It depends in the situation of the match. It depends how the picks go too, we alternate, so Tiger could choose who he wants to play against. There’s no real control there.
“But you’d be pretty happy sending Jason out against Tiger.”
Day, the former world number one, missed the cut at this week’s Mayakoba Championship and after a winless 2019 needed a captain’s pick to make the Presidents Cup team.
But Ogilvy said Day had the intimidation factor which could play a major role against a US team with six first-time players.,
“Jason in average form is better than a lot of guys in decent form,” Ogilvy said.
“He’s an intimidating guy to stand against on the first tee, he’s won a major, he’s been number one in the world. For a young American to go up against Jason Day, they will be more nervous than Jason. Just on that alone, I think he’ll be OK.
“This is his fourth or fifth Cup now, and it’s built on him. The guys got so close in Korea and he was pretty annoyed when we lost last time. I think he’ll be ready to go.
“You know he can make putts that matter. He’s a big guy, and he carries himself big. In match play sometimes that kind of intimidation factor is important.”
Day has also committed to playing the Australian Open in Sydney the week before the Presidents Cup.