Ahead of the Presidents Cup, Adam Scott, one of the veteran players on the International Team, shared his thoughts on this year's team.
The International team has only won or tied with the U.S. team once at the Presidents Cup, and while they haven't had much success at the event, Scott has confidence in his teammates.
Scott's first Presidents Cup appearance was in 2003, so he's seen a lot of international teams over the years, which makes his comments that much more interesting.
“I think we've had the strongest team we've had in quite a while,” Scott said. “Since Ernie took over as captain, I think we've been trending in a good direction.”
Photo: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
He went into further detail about how he has grown the international team through a unified shield logo.
“It's getting bigger and bigger, and there are players like Minwoo. [Lee] “It's a big change for this team who have spent their golfing lives striving for the International Shield,” he said. “You know, our team effort and dynamics have changed a lot. Our captains, the programme they have put in place for us, they've got it all lined up for us.”
The energy of the team seems to be a big part of their confidence – Scott mentioned Quail Harrow and the team being there, but a few players weren't entirely convinced – but things have changed for the International team and they're now more focused on coming together than ever before.
“We've rebuilt our team and have put together a strong team,” Scott said. “I think it's never easy playing against the U.S., whether it's an international team or a European team, but we can take inspiration from what Europe has done when they were generally underdogs on paper. We're determined to go in and try to change the narrative of this tournament.”
Scott acknowledged his performance was not up to the new standard. Australia's record in the Presidents Cup so far is 18 wins, 25 losses and six draws.
“I'm very determined. I don't know how many more chances I have or if I'll have any,” Scott said. “This is a big week for me, but I have a lot of confidence in this team. I can't remember ever feeling more comfortable going into the Presidents Cup.”
Scott and Ming Woo Lee will face off against the U.S. team of Collin Morikawa and Sahith Teegala in a four-ball session on Thursday morning, the second match of the day after Jason Day and Byung Hun Ahn play against Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau.
It will be interesting to see how the camaraderie of the international team has changed compared to past years.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Her Instagram account is @golf_girl_sl.
