Team USA parties at Crown after Presidents Cup win, internationals kick the footy
The international players drowned their sorrows after the Presidents Cup with a casual kick of the footy. Team USA had very different plans when they headed to Crown casino.
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Cranking tunes, champagne bottles and a kick of the footy.
The Internationals got over their heartbreaking Presidents Cup loss in true Melbourne fashion, led by Aussie trio Marc Leishman, Adam Scott and Cameron Smith.
The Americans, meanwhile, partied hard at Crown.
With stars and stripes costumes and the Presidents Cup as headwear, Team USA lived it up in style after its come from behind win at Royal Melbourne on Sunday.
Initial reports had indicated that the team would jet straight out of Melbourne after the historic victory, but the team did not fly out until lunchtime on Monday.
The content the people want ... more bus singing from from the #USTeam 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Nhh8t9zzxx
— Presidents Cup (@PresidentsCup) December 15, 2019
In the meantime, a private area at Crown Casino was set aside for the team — complete with gambling tables and dealers.
The team had wasted no time in getting the party started on Sunday night, with star player Rickie Fowler popping bottles of Veuve Cliquot on the team bus as “We Are The Champions” and “Don’t Stop Believing” rang out over the speakers.
Even team captain and superstar team member Tiger Woods sang along, complete with backwards cap.
Once they arrived back at the casino, it was time to slip into something a little more comfortable, with Fowler donning a onesie emblazoned in the stars and stripes while teammate Tony Finau decked himself out in ski goggles and wore the cup as a hat.
On the opposite side of the ledger, things seemed a little more low-key.
Team skipper Ernie Els had been philosophical following the team’s defeat at the hands of the superstar line-up of Team USA, but stuck to its heart-and-soul style of the week with a relaxed comedown after a huge week on the course.
The Sherrin was quickly whipped out on the manicured practice range at Royal Melbourne, with the booming right boot of Leishman — who hails from Warrnambool — copping plenty of kudos on social media.
At the end of the day, it’s about memories made & in @Melbourne, that means @AFL footy with your mates on the driving range at @royal_melbourne. pic.twitter.com/qraL0KWCtI
— Presidents Cup (@PresidentsCup) December 15, 2019
Scott proved handy on the run, while visiting pair Joaquin Niemann and “Aussie” Abraham Ancer also got involved, with Chilean Niemann landing a mark that impressed onlookers.
“It was wonderful serving with them,” Els said.
“We’ve got to fly a long way to get home.
“It’s going to be tough to swallow but we do have a great sense of humour in our team.
“It won’t be long before you see the music or hear the music playing in our team room. Nobody died out there, and it was a sport, and we gave it our all. So, so be it.”
Els had started the tournament with a healthy dose of AC/DC in the team’s hut — which included a booming sound system and table tennis tables — where the team and their partners hung out when they weren’t on the fairways.