Internationals lose Presidents Cup but blood new players

CHARLOTTE, N.C. : What the world of professional golf will look like when the next Presidents Cup is staged in Montreal in two years' time is unclear as the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series feud over the sport's structure.

That messy squabble directly impacted this year's event at Quail Hollow Club, robbing both the United States and International teams of the services of top players who had left for the breakaway Tour.

Without the deep talent pool available to U.S. captain Davis Love III the International team were particularly hurt as the Americans went on to claim the golden trophy for a ninth consecutive time on Sunday with a 17-1/2 to 12-1/2 victory.

But that dispute may have provided an unexpected opportunity that could pay dividends in 2024 with International captain Trevor Immelman forced to blood new players in the Presidents Cup pressure cooker.

Immelman was pushed into a late overhaul of his team after losing talent like British Open champion and world number two Cameron Smith of Australia, Chile's Joaquín Niemann and South African Louis Oosthuizen, who were suspended by the PGA Tour for signing on with the LIV venture.

That resulted in the International team arriving in Charlotte with a Presidents Cup record eight debutants on their 12-man roster going up against a powerpacked U.S. lineup that featured nine players in the top 15 of the world rankings.

Canadians Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith, Colombian Sebastian Munoz, Australian Cam Davis, South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Chile's Mito Pereira and South Koreans Kim Joo-hyung and K.H. Lee all received a baptism under fire.

"It's just the beginning for this team, really," said Australian Adam Scott. "I think you're seeing a lot of guys here who will