US team guarding against overconfidence

United States Max Homa watches his drive on the 18th hole during practice for the Presidents Cup golf matches at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (Jeff Siner/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
United States Max Homa watches his drive on the 18th hole during practice for the Presidents Cup golf matches at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (Jeff Siner/The Charlotte Observer via AP)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The American team room at Quail Hollow has photos of winning teams from the Presidents Cup over the years, and it's a wonder there's room for all of them.

The matches began in 1994. The Americans have lost just once.

Captain Davis Love III would be quick to point out one detail from the most recent picture at Royal Melbourne three years ago: Only four players from that team are at Quail Hollow this week -- Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas and Tony Finau.

Go back to the last U.S. victory on home soil, at Liberty National, such a romp it almost ended before Sunday singles. The only players still around from that 2017 team are Thomas and Jordan Spieth.

"We come into these things wanting to win every time," Love said Tuesday. "I tell them, 'You don't have a record.' This 12 has never competed as a team before. This team understands. They want that picture next time."

Odds are heavily stacked in their favor they will pose with gold trophy again Sunday. It's one thing to have captured the Presidents Cup the past eight meetings against the International team, and 10 out of 12 times (one ended in a tie).

Throw in the LIV Golf factor -- it has depleted the International team far worse than it did the Americans, at least based on current form and health -- and this has all the markings of another runaway.

Love has heard this story, too.

"We're used to being called the favorite, even when we lose three Ryder Cups in a row," said Love, who was on six "favored" teams that didn't win a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup. "Statistically, yes, we have a higher ranked team. But I know a bunch of those young guys on their team, and they're going to come in with a chip on their shoulder."

Tuesday was the first full day of practice for the 12-man teams on a Quail Hollow Club course that is familiar to most from hosting the Wells Fargo Championship most years and the PGA Championship in 2017.

Adding to the confidence for the U.S. team is the Ryder Cup win last year at Whistling Straits, a 19-9 victory against a European team that was aging and had no support from fans because of covid-19 travel restrictions.

Seven Americans return from that team. Missing is LIV defector Dustin Johnson. Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau went to LIV, too, but both are still making their way back from injury and probably wouldn't have been on this team, anyway.

This team is so young that the player with the most Presidents Cup experience is Spieth, who turned 29 this summer and is playing for the fourth time.

He said his idea to stay grounded was to compete individually among a team setting.

"It's almost like we're all going to compete against each other to get the most points we can on our team. We want the bragging rights on our own team," he said. "And if we stay within ourselves, then I don't think you get overconfident in the entire situation."

International captain Trevor Immelman had a tougher time with LIV defections, with two top-20 players -- British Open champion Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann -- not announcing their departures for the Saudi-backed league until three weeks ago.

He has eight Presidents Cup rookies on this team. Only three of them are among the top 25 in the world. All 12 Americans are in the top 25.

But there's something about youth and inexperience that has him encouraged.

"If you look at our record in this tournament and you look at our world rankings versus their world rankings, we have absolutely nothing to lose," Immelman said. "So we can go out there and play absolutely as free as we want ... and see if we can match up with crazy good skills the Americans have."

Immelman also said he is not willing to look back, whether it's three years ago and the close call at Royal Melbourne or three weeks ago when the last of the players went over to LIV.

He said all of the players who left -- starting with good friend Louis Oosthuizen in June right up until Smith and Niemann after the Tour Championship -- were in touch with him about their thinking and their decisions. And he said they all knew the ramifications.

"I respect those guys making those decisions," he said. "I also do respect them for keeping me in the loop and making sure that I understand exactly where we're at at all times so I could try and be as prepared as I could. Am I disappointed that they're not able to be here? Absolutely.

"But we have the 12 guys here that we love and wanted to be here, and now we get to go. We get to go up against a strong American team. So we're looking forward."

  photo  United States Justin Thomas, bottom right, stops to sign autographs for fans following during practice for the Presidents Cup golf matches at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (Jeff Siner/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
 
 
  photo  United States captain Davis Love III waits along the 18th green during practice for the Presidents Cup golf matches at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (Jeff Siner/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
 
 
  photo  Xander Schauffele hits off the 13th tee during practice for the Presidents Cup golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
 
 
  photo  United States Scottie Scheffler watches his drive on the 16th hole during practice for the Presidents Cup golf matches at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (Jeff Siner/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
 
 
  photo  FILE - Jason Day celebrates after winning the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, May 6, 2018. The Presidents Cup golf tournament begins Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, at the Quail Hollow Club. (AP Photo/Jason E. Miczek, File)
 
 
  photo  Justin Thomas follows his shot off the 13th tee during practice for the Presidents Cup golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
 
 
  photo  FILE - International team player Adam Scott of Australia grimaces after missing a putt on the 16th green in his singles match during the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019. The last Presidents Cup was so close the International team walked away with renewed hope that it had enough game and enough fight to conquer the mighty Americans. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill, File)
 
 
  photo  FILE - The U.S. team hold their trophy after they won the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019. The U.S. team won the tournament 16-14. The last Presidents Cup was so close the International team walked away with renewed hope that it had enough game and enough fight to conquer the mighty Americans. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill, File)
 
 
  photo  Christiaan Bezuidenhout, of South Africa, hits the ball on the fith fairway during practice for the Presidents Cup golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
 
 

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