CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A capsule look at the International team for the Presidents Cup, which starts Thursday at Quail Hollow Club:
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Country: South Africa.
Age: 28.
World ranking: 67.
Worldwide victories: 5.
2022 victories: None.
Majors: None.
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie.
Record: 0-0-0.
Noteworthy: The International team has had at least one South African at every Presidents Cup. Bezuidenhout was a captain’s pick and kept the streak alive. He is 0-5-1 in his two appearances at the WGC-Dell Match Play.
Corey Conners
Country: Canada.
Age: 30.
World ranking: 26.
Worldwide victories: 1.
2022 victories: None.
Majors: None.
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie.
Record: 0-0-0.
Noteworthy: He nearly made the 2019 team and now is one of the highest-ranked players on the International side. Lost in the semifinals of the WGC-Dell Match Play to Kevin Kisner on the 18th hole and beat Dustin Johnson in the consolation match.
Cameron Davis
Country: Australia.
Age: 27.
World ranking: 66.
Worldwide victories: 2.
2022 victories: None.
Majors: None.
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie.
Record: 0-0-0.
Noteworthy: This wasn’t the Cameron from Australia expected to be on the International team. Cameron Smith signed with Saudi-funded LIV Golf. Davis was taken as a captain’s pick. He qualified for only two majors this year. Quail Hollow will be his biggest stage.
Sungjae Im
Country: South Korea.
Age: 24.
World ranking: 19.
Worldwide victories: 3.
2022 victories: None.
Majors: None.
Presidents Cup appearances: 1.
Record: 3-1-1.
Noteworthy: He made a strong debut at Royal Melbourne by going 3-1-1 and impressing his team with solid iron play in the wind. He had three partners in four team matches in Australia, so that should give the captain flexibility in forming teams.
Tom Kim
Country: South Korea.
Age: 20.
World ranking: 22.
Worldwide victories: 5.
2022 victories: Wyndham Championship, Singapore International.
Majors: None.
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie.
Record: 0-0-0.
Noteworthy: The youngest player to make his Presidents Cup debut since Jordan Spieth was 20 in 2013 at Muirfield Village. Goes by the name “Tom” because he was fascinated with Thomas the Tank Engine when he was a kid. He honed his game in Australia and the Philippines as a junior.
Si Woo Kim
Country: South Korea.
Age: 27.
World ranking: 76.
Worldwide victories: 3.
2022 victories: None.
Majors: None.
Presidents Cup appearances: 1.
Record: 1-2-0.
Noteworthy: He won The Players Championship at age 21 in 2017 and made his Presidents Cup debut the same year. His most recent win was in the California desert in January 2021. He has reached the weekend of the Dell Match Play only once in five appearances.
K.H. Lee
Country: South Korea.
Age: 31.
World ranking: 43.
Worldwide victories: 6.
2022 victories: AT&T Bryon Nelson.
Majors: None.
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie.
Record: 0-0-0.
Noteworthy: He gives South Korea four players, the most ever for the Presidents Cup. Lee is one of five players who successfully defended a title on the PGA Tour season this season, winning at the AT&T Byron Nelson outside Dallas.
Hideki Matsuyama
Country: Japan.
Age: 30.
World ranking: 17.
Worldwide victories: 17.
2022 victories: Sony Open.
Majors: Masters (2021).
Presidents Cup appearances: 4.
Record: 6-7-4.
Noteworthy: He joins Adam Scott as the only International players to have competed in the Presidents Cup more than once. He won the Sony Open in January with a clutch 3-wood in a playoff, but he has been slowed by a neck injury for much of the year.
Sebastian Munoz
Country: Colombia.
Age: 29.
World ranking: 63.
Worldwide victories: 1.
2022 victories: None.
Majors: None.
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie.
Record: 0-0-0.
Noteworthy: He had a good finish to 2021, with a pair of top fives in the Zozo Championship and at Sea Island. But his lone top 10 on the PGA Tour this year was a tie for third at the AT&T Byron Nelson. He showed his firepower that week by opening with a 60.
Taylor Pendrith
Country: Canada.
Age: 31.
World ranking: 109.
Worldwide victories: None.
2022 victories: None.
Majors: None.
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie.
Record: 0-0-0.
Noteworthy: Trevor Immelman went with the big-hitting Canadian over another big hitter, Ryan Fox of New Zealand. Pendrith nearly won in Bermuda last year and still made an impact despite missing four months after The Players Championship with a back injury. He is the only player at the Presidents Cup outside the top 100 in the world.
Mito Pereira
Country: Chile.
Age: 27.
World ranking: 49.
Worldwide victories: None.
2022 victories: None.
Majors: None.
Presidents Cup appearances: Rookie.
Record: 0-0-0.
Noteworthy: His year was defined by one shot at Southern Hills. Pereira had a one-shot lead going to the final hole of the PGA Championship, drove into a stream and made double bogey. His close call got him into the next two majors, but he missed the cut in both of them.
Adam Scott
Country: Australia.
Age: 42.
World ranking: 30.
Worldwide victories: 29.
2022 victories: None.
Majors: Masters (2013).
Presidents Cup appearances: 9.
Record: 16-22-6.
Noteworthy: He made his debut in 2003 in South Africa when the matches ended in a tie. That’s as close as Scott has been to playing on a winning team. He needs two points to set the International record for most points currently held by Vijay Singh.
___
More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
