No automatic Presidents Cup spots for SA golfers

For the first time in Presidents Cup history, no South African golfer has automatically qualified for the biennially International team ahead of next month's event at Quail Hollow Club.

The team comprises the top eight players from the Presidents Cup International team points list, followed by four selections made by the captain.

The International team will be captained by South Africa's 2008 Masters champion, Trevor Immelman, with Davis Love III leading the US team.

Since its inception in 1994, at least one South African golfer had qualified before the captains named their picks. However, a winless 2022 season so far on both the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour for SA's golfers has seen them fall down the world rankings.

South Africa's top-ranked golfer, Louis Oosthuizen, who was the country's sole golfer at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, was ineligible to compete in his fifth Presidents Cup after signing with the controversial LIV Golf Invitational Series this year.

"I'm not going to lie, it hurts us immensely. Louis Oosthuizen and Abraham Ancer were two integral parts of the International Team. Louis, because he is so experienced. He's played a number of Presidents Cups," Immelman told GolfWeek.

"He still has what it takes to compete at the highest level, under the most pressure. He proved that in the way he played in the major championships last year. Over and above the way he plays, he is one of the leaders in the locker room.

"He's extremely approachable, he's funny as heck, he has an amazing personality and people gravitate towards him in the locker room. So it's a massive loss on and off the golf course."

So far, Immelman's International side will consist of Cameron Smith, Hideki Matsuyama, Sungjae Im,