Deeper resolve for Presidents Cup side after LIV losses - Immelman

Internationals captain Trevor Immelman says losing several top players to LIV Golf has deepened the determination of the players who will compete against the United States at the Presidents Cup.

Having worked with more than two dozen players over the past 18 months, Immelman hopes the lost talent might help create a tighter bond among the players who will tee off starting on Thursday in the team showdown at Quail Hollow.

"Strengthened our team from a resolve standpoint," Immelman said. "The 12 that are here, they are the ones that remained loyal, stayed with our team, wanted to play in the Presidents Cup and those are the guys I want to fight with."

The Americans lead the all-time rivalry 11-1-1, having won eight in a row. Their only loss came at Melbourne in 1998.

The Internationals were seen as a serious threat to win on US soil for the first time before losing several top players to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series.

Open winner Cameron Smith, the world number three from Australia, Chile's Joaquin Niemann, South African Louis Oosthuizen, Mexico's Abraham Ancer and Aussie Marc Leishman were the top names who jumped to LIV, bringing indefinite bans from the PGA and banishment from Presidents Cup consideration.

"There's a tension and strife in the game right now," US captain Davis Love said.

Immelman still has five top-30 players in past Masters champions Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama, South Korean stars Kim Joo-hyung and Im Sung-jae and Canada's Corey Conners.

But the diminished global squad is seen as a severe underdog against a mighty US line-up with 12 of the world's 25 top-ranked players, 11 of them in the top 18.

And that's with eighth-ranked Will Zalatoris injured and several US stars joining LIV, including Dustin