Presidents Cup 2015: Teams, Dates, TV Schedule, Format and More
After competing against each other all year, the top American golfers will come together in an attempt to continue their winning streak over the International side at the 2015 Presidents Cup.
Unlike the Ryder Cup, which features European players battling the United States, this competition excludes Europe but instead brings together the top players from the rest of the world. Despite this pool of talent, however, the international stars have only earned one win and a tie in 10 tries, with the only victory coming in 1998.
Major winners such as Jason Day and Adam Scott will now try to break this streak and come through with a victory. Playing at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon City, South Korea, could certainly provide an advantage for those from the Eastern Hemisphere.
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Although there is no prize money on the line—each player donates his funds to charity—there will be plenty of competitive spirit throughout this worldwide competition.
| Wednesday, Oct. 7 | Golf Channel | 10 p.m. - 3 a.m. | Foursome Matches (10:05 p.m. start) |
| Thursday, Oct. 8 | Golf Channel | 2 - 7 p.m. | Replay/TV Coverage |
| Golf Channel | 8:30 p.m. - 3 a.m. | Four-ball Matches (8:35 p.m. start) | |
| Friday, Oct. 9 | Golf Channel | 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. | Replay/TV Coverage |
| Golf Channel | 6 p.m. - 4 a.m. | Foursome Matches (6:05 p.m. start); Four-ball Matches (10:35 p.m. start) | |
| Saturday, Oct. 10 | NBC | 12 - 3:30 p.m. | Replay/TV Coverage |
| Golf Channel | 3:30 - 8 p.m. | Replay/TV Coverage | |
| Golf Channel | 9:30 p.m. - 3:30 a.m. | Singles Matches (9:35 p.m. start) | |
| Sunday, Oct. 11 | NBC | 12 - 6 p.m. ET | Replay/TV Coverage |
Thanks to the time difference of Incheon City being 13 hours ahead of Eastern time, a lot of the schedule will be inconvenient for viewers in the United States. The tournament still officially runs from Thursday through Sunday—as it will be in South Korea—but every session begins late the night before for those watching at home.
If you want to watch at a reasonable hour, Golf Channel and NBC will be showing each round the following day.
As for the format itself, the first three days feature an assortment of doubles matches. In four-ball, two players from each team will complete a hole from start to finish, and the best score wins the hole. In foursome, the two partners from each team alternate shots, and the better of the two teams wins the hole.
Thursday and Friday feature five matches each session, down from six in previous years. This means two players from each team will be left out. Saturday's two sessions will feature just four matches each, causing the captains to make some tough decisions about whom to play and when.
The event will come to a conclusion on Sunday when all 24 players compete in singles matches.
Each match, whether it's singles or doubles, is worth one point with 30 total points on the line. The first to 15.5 will win it all.
| Jordan Spieth | Jason Day |
| Bubba Watson | Louis Oosthuizen |
| Jimmy Walker | Adam Scott |
| Zach Johnson | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Rickie Fowler | Branden Grace |
| Dustin Johnson | Marc Leishman |
| Patrick Reed | Anirban Lahiri |
| Matt Kuchar | Charl Schwartzel |
| Chris Kirk | Thongchai Jaidee |
| J.B. Holmes | Danny Lee |
| Bill Haas | Steven Bowditch |
| Phil Mickelson | Sangmoon Bae |
There is certainly a lot of ability on both teams, but it does seem like the United States has more depth at first glance. In fact, five-time major winner Phil Mickelson might be the biggest question mark on the team after being selected as a wild-card pick by captain Jay Haas.
Although Lefty didn't have a great 2015 season, Haas explained his value is more important than his current form, per Reuters (via the Guardian):
"I think Phil, the intangibles that he brought to the team maybe put him over the top. You could say his play didn’t warrant being a consideration and all that. But I don’t know you can put a value on what he means to the players and the demeanour he brings into the team room.
[...]
I would say that across the board the players were all-in [about Mickelson].
"
It's clear his experience at this event and overall will be a major factor. Meanwhile, if he does struggle, the reduced sessions could help hide the veteran, with the team only using him sparingly.
On the other hand, the international team might have fewer household names, but major winners such as Day, Scott, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen have the skill to carry it to great heights.
Jason Day vs. Jordan Spieth?
While the entire tournament should be fun to watch for all the talent on display and the team atmosphere it provides, the clear top storyline in this competition will be whether fans are treated to a head-to-head matchup between Jordan Spieth and Jason Day.
Not only would this pit together the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world, but these two young stars were by far the most accomplished during the 2015 season. ESPN's Jason Sobel discussed Day's quick rise to the top of the rankings, only for the 27-year-old to lose it later:
For a few months Day was completely unstoppable, although Spieth still came through with wins at the Masters Tournament, U.S. Open and recently the FedEx Cup title worth $10 million. This helped him earn the PGA Tour's Player of the Year award at just 22 years old.
ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski described the battle between the two stars:
Although he admitted he wasn't sure what the strategy will be, Day did appear excited when asked about the possibility of matching up against Spieth.
"I think it would be a lot of fun. We've both played pretty good golf (this year)," the Australian told reporters, per Peter Rutherford of Reuters.
In any case, these two young players will be expected to lead their teams throughout this event and provide the best performance possible each time out.
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