A year before the prestigious Presidents Cup tournament, Royal Montreal got dressed up yesterday. Jackets, dresses and polished shoes roamed the magnificent dining room of North America’s oldest golf club, which is 150 years old. Captains Mike Weir and especially Jim Furyk were busy entertaining members and guests from the business community with their stories to spice up the tournament.
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Because the management of the PGA Tour tournament, which takes place every two years, is in full swing. Sales of company boxes are going very well, and a first wave of “privilege tickets” is scheduled to start by the end of September.
It is also known through the branches that general admission tickets for participation in what the organizers say is the “largest edition of the tournament” should be put on the market before the end of the year. Nothing to do with the 2007 edition, which was a success. General Manager Ryan Hart estimates the event will be 10 times larger.
In short, 12 months before the event, Furyk and Weir shook hands and shared memories of their many experiences in this competition, which pits the American team against the international team.
Jim Furyk and Mike Weir each have a long history of success in Presidents Cup competition. Photo François-David Rouleau / Le Journal de Montréal / Agence QMI
Tough mission
At home, Weir will have the difficult task of bringing the trophy back to the international dressing room, a place where it has not been on display since 1998, by combining his philosophy with the team.
“I have to stay authentic. I’m an intense and competitive guy, that’s what I’m going to demand from my players,” explained the 53-year-old Canadian, who will also implement some advice from Gary Player and Nick Price.
“These are guys who set an example by fighting hard on the track. We have to keep their message alive,” added the captain, who will increase his presence on the PGA Tour next season to get to know the 20 to 25 players on his roster better.
Mistakes to forget
Jim Furyk, on the other hand, needs no introduction. But he must atone for the mistakes of a not-so-distant past, namely Paris’s 2018 Ryder Cup. His team had a bad week at Golf National with questionable decisions and were humiliated by the Europeans.
Without saying that he will change completely, the likeable captain wants to do better while maintaining his authenticity. He knows he has a strong core and a strong machine. The Star-Spangled Banner stars are plentiful and roster depth can be abysmal.
Of the 12 players who will compete in the Ryder Cup in Rome in two weeks, 10 could be in Montreal next year.
It’s up to Furyk to put the pieces together to get the American machine’s engine roaring.
Still early
Although the Royal Montreal course has been lengthened and undergone several modifications to accommodate golf’s world elite, it is still too early to delve into technical analysis and assumptions.
The qualification process for the two courses has not yet begun. But the captains each have six free choices.
There is still a lot of water to flow under the bridge when it comes to the agreement between the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and senior management of the PGA Tour.
If Brooks Koepka is on the American Ryder Cup team this year, it’s because the practice is organized by the PGA of America, an organization separate from the PGA’s professional golf circuit.
The Presidents Cup is intended to be a PGA Tour event. The players must therefore be full members of the circle, which is why those who compete on the LIV Golf site will not be taken into account.
However, a possible ratification of the agreement in June could open the discussion.
There will be many challenges next year. They will reinforce the challenges of Furyk and Weir, who will be tasked with organizing one of the largest editions of the Presidents Cup in Montreal.