Early in the week, the 16th edition of the Presidents Cup has all the makings of the prior 14: a victory by the United States. An overwhelming favorite stretched out to -600 in some places -- implying the Americans should win just about eight out of 10 contests -- the red, white and blue strolls into Medinah Country Club with some already handing them back the cup. But this is golf after all, an outdoor sport played in the elements.
Variables are introduced. Budding stars blossom while others may wilt. Factor in a volatile format like the Presidents Cup -- 30 points up for grabs between 12 singles matches, nine foursomes bouts and nine four-ball duels -- and while no one may be singing the praises of the International team, that does not mean there will not be a time when that happens.
Just look at the last time these teams squared off. The teams were mostly the same. Early on, the result was a 5-0 U.S. advantage after Thursday's action ... until the International team started to believe.
They started to think that it was possible, and they squared the Presidents Cup at 5-5 heading into the weekend. A performance like that will be required by the International team for more than just one day if they are to pull off another upset defeat of the Americans at Medinah. They will need the ball to bounce their way with the bad breaks falling mostly on the home team.
It sounds impossible and unlikely, but crazier results have occurred in sport. So, while they may have the better roster on paper, the U.S. team will still need to perform at a high level and do these things if they are to improve its all-time Presidents Cup record to a whopping 14-1-1. The competition is every bit as psychological as it is about the golf for the Americans.
They are expected to win. They are expected to run away with the Presidents Cup, given the conjecture up to this point, the history of the event and the clear talent discrepancy that even they cannot ignore. However, the United States cannot expect one another to pick up the pieces if a player crashes and burns; they cannot assume that Scottie Scheffler or Xander Schauffele will simply bail them out if they lose their match.
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