US Team member Jordan Spieth hits balls on the driving range as he practises for the Presidents Cup at the Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, yesterday.
COLUMBUS: Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and American Jordan Spieth, young stars set for Presidents Cup debuts, practiced yesterday at Muirfield Village as US and International teams arrived for the biennial golf showdown.
The Americans have a 7-1-1 edge in the rivalry and four wins in a row over the non-European side in the Ryder Cup-styled event that tees off tomorrow at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course, home of the US PGA’s Memorial tournament.
Matsuyama, youngest of the Internationals at 21, played his first practice round at the 7,354-yard, par-72 layout ahead of a team meeting. He is among seven rookies on captain Nick Price’s 12-man squad.
“What they lack in experience, they are going to make up for in zeal and enthusiasm,” Price said. “We’re excited. We want to be competitive.”
Matsuyama figures to be that and more after winning the 2010 Asian Amateur crown, claiming low amateur honours at the 2011 Masters with a share of 27th and winning twice this year in Japan.
Matsuyama shared sixth at the British Open and shared 10th at the US Open, the best modern-era finish for a first-time player at either major event. He also shared 19th at the PGA Champtionship on his way to qualifying for next year’s US PGA Tour.
His final-round 67 at the US Open matched the last day’s low score at Merion.
“When he came over and played in the US Open, I kept a very sharp eye on him to see how he would handle the pressure of playing in a major championship,” Price said.
“His first outing in as a professional in the US Open in a major, he finished 10th. That really got my attention. I knew this was a guy who was not afraid of the big moment.
“Then to watch him play at the British Open, he had another really strong finish for a rookie, and then also at the PGA. He had the cut at all three majors and he has put a lot of good rounds together. He is going to be a huge asset to our team.”
While Matsuyama is the only Asian player on the global squad, assistant captain Shigeki Maruyama will be there to help ease his transition into the pairs and team formats.
“I just want him to feel that very early on that he is going to be very much a big part of our team,” Price said. “His English is not great, but I think he understands a lot of it, so it’s going to be great to have Maruyama there to help interpret the feelings and what we talk about in the players room and the meetings.”
The Americans counter with a rising superstar of their own in 20-year-old Spieth, who won the John Deere Classic last July to secure a spot on the US PGA Tour. He was named the tour’s Rookie of the Year last week.
“It has just been a lot of confidence in myself, a lot of belief,” Spieth said. “On a stage like the Presidents Cup I’m super stoked.”
Spieth, ranked 21st in the world after starting the year 809th, is the youngest-ever member of the US Presidents Cup squad. He won the Deere title at age 19, becoming the youngest winner on the US PGA Tour since 1931.
“It’s Jordan Spieth’s time,” US captain Fred Couples said. “Jordan has a ton of talent. Everyone wants to play with him.”
Spieth is a relative newcomer to the foursomes and four-ball pairs matches, but figures to be partners with some of the world’s other top talents, some with plenty of experience at the formats.
“Getting to have a partner where you can feed off each other in the same round, I think is going to be a neat experience,” Spieth said.REUTERS
