Presidents Cup 2015: The Top 10 Storylines Heading into South Korea
The 2015 Presidents Cup from Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, South Korea, kicks off Thursday when 24 of the best golfers from the United States and the rest of the (non-United Kingdom) world go head-to-head in a three-day competition.
For this first time in the tournament's history, the Presidents Cup will be contested in Asia, which is a fact that introduces several storylines.
A late scratch, controversial captain's picks and arguably the two best golfers in the world all combine for a number of compelling storylines.
Click through for the top 10.
J.B. Holmes Replaces Jim Furyk
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With Jim Furyk's injured wrist forcing him out of the Presidents Cup, captain Jay Haas tapped J.B. Holmes to serve as Furyk's replacement.
J.B. played good golf to wrap up his 2014-15 season. Holmes tied for fourth at the BMW Championship and tied for eighth at the Tour Championship.
However, we don't know what type of practice and preparation Holmes has been engaging in this past week or whether he went fishing after the Tour Championship.
How Holmes fares will be a major point of interest this week.
Sang-Moon Bae: A South Korean in South Korea
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Sang-moon Bae has been a fixture in golf headlines this season as his battle to delay conscription has been quite the saga. At 19th in the points standings, his selection as a captain's pick likely has more to do with his nationality than the quality of his play.
However, Bae has played decent golf recently, making it into the field for the Tour Championship and without a missed cut in his last six starts.
As a captain's pick and Presidents Cup rookie, and as the only Korean in the field, will be in the crosshairs this week.
U.S. Dominance of the Competition
3 of 10Unlike the Ryder Cup, the United States squad has done very well in the Presidents Cup.
The U.S. side has won eight of the 10 competitions, including the past five in a row.
The real question isn't whether this trend will continue, because it seems likely to, but rather if the U.S. side can translate success in this competition to good form at Hazeltine next year.
Look for captain Haas to try to find teams that work in the foursomes and four-ball formats that could become fixtures for the Americans going forward.
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The Hot and the Not
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As we arrive at the Presidents Cup, it's no surprise that members of both teams are playing well and playing poorly.
Will the players who are on top of their games continue to play well in South Korea? Will the gentlemen currently in the deep freeze turn things around?
The underdog International side will be leaning heavily on the likes of Jason Day, Danny Lee and Hideki Matsuyama, all of whom are playing well entering the biennial competition.
Likewise, the U.S. side will be looking for Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler to keep up the good work. Additionally, late addition J.B. Holmes has top-10 finishes in his two most recent starts.
Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott, to name a pair, haven't been playing well recently. As veterans, the opposing captains will be looking for both to reverse the trend and lead by example.
What Will Captain's Pick Mickelson Do?
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Phil Mickelson has competed in the Presidents Cup an impressive 10 times.
However, the veteran hasn't been playing his best golf this season. He had just three top-10 finishes and was eliminated from the FedEx Cup playoffs after the BMW Championship.
The Mickelson pick, although reportedly cheered in house, was somewhat controversial, as the veteran effectively threw his Ryder Cup captain under the bus and isn't playing well.
How will Phil help his team? Fans and scribes will be paying close attention to see.
Which Rookie Will Step Up?
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Looking at the Presidents Cup rosters, we have quite a few rookies who will be teeing it up.
For the International side: Anirban Lahiri, Thongchai Jaidee, Danny Lee, Steven Bowditch, Sang-moon Bae
And for the Americans: Jimmy Walker, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed, Chris Kirk
Of course, all rookies aren't created equal, as Jimmy Walker, Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed have all competed in the Ryder Cup.
Rookies will undoubtedly play a big role in this year's competition. The only question: which ones?
Spieth-and-Reeding?
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The No. 1 golfer in the world, Jordan Spieth was the top points-getter for the U.S. side at the 2014 Ryder Cup.
Patrick Reed, for his part, was the No. 8 points-earner.
At the Ryder Cup, the pair went 2-0 in four-balls and halved their match in foursomes play.
Looking ahead to future team competitions, the U.S. side will be eager to see the pair develop as stalwarts of the foursome and four-ball formats.
Jordan Spieth vs. Jason Day
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The two best golfers on tour this season will be competing in the Presidents Cup.
Just a refresher, here's how Jason Day and Jordan Spieth fared this season.
Jason Day made 18 of 20 cuts, with 11 top-10 finishes. He won five times, including the PGA Championship and two playoff events.
Jordan Spieth made 21 of 25 cuts, with 25 top-10 finishes. He totaled five victories, including wins at the Masters and U.S. Open.
If we're lucky, we'll get to see Misters Day and Spieth square off in the Sunday singles portion of the competition.
South Korea Plays Host
9 of 10For the first time in the history of the competition, the Presidents Cup will be contested in Asia.
Look for many, many mentions of this fact during the telecast.
Really, though, it's a big moment for golf on the continent in general and for South Korea in particular, whose most notable PGA Tour star is assistant captain K.J. Choi.
The Excitable Danny Lee
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Danny Lee is pumped for the Presidents Cup.
As Amanda Balionis of PGATour.com related regarding Lee: "Could barely get my question out about how excited he was to play on the International Team before he began going nuts over it in Atlanta. His parents are Korean and Lee has a ton of Korean fans. He will embrace this opportunity."
The prank warrior's enthusiasm could be a major storyline this week.
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