Penton: Royal Montreal in golf world’s spotlight
By Bruce Penton
Canadian flags will be flapping all over Montreal this week as 24 of the world’s best golfers descend on Royal Montreal Golf Club for the President’s Cup.
Not only is our country represented by its hosting site, but the President’s Cup captain is Canadian Mike Weir, who has good memories of this event when it was held at this same location back in 2007. In Sunday singles that year, Weir defeated Tiger Woods, eliciting nationwide euphoria, but Weir’s International squad still lost the competition.
In fact, winning the competition has been almost impossible for the Internationals. In 14 biennial competitions, the U.S. has won 12 times, losing only once and tying once. An International victory in Montreal this week would be one of the biggest upsets — and stories — of the year on our soil.
Taking up three of the International team’s 12-golfer roster spots are Canadians Taylor Pendrith, Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes. Conners is ranked 28th in the Official World Golf ranking while Pendrith is 34th. Two other Canadians — Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor — are ahead of Hughes in the world rankings, but captain Weir selected Hughes instead. His short-game prowess can be a powerful tool in match play, and the International squad will need every bit of around-the-green magic to keep pace with the powerful Americans.
Prior to 1994, the only major international golf event was the esteemed Ryder Cup, a competition between the United States and Europe that had been held every two years since 1927. The explosion of golf around the world — Australia, Asia, South Africa, Canada, South America — created an opportunity for another similar event. Thus was born the President’s Cup in 1994. U.S. presidents, current or former, generally serve as honorary chairs for the event when it is played in the U.S., and host country government leaders carry similar duties when the event is outside the U.S. In Canada in 2007, then Prime Minster Stephen Harper was honorary chair. This year, it will be Justin Trudeau.
The International team is laden with talent. Besides the three Canadians, others on the squad are Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, Australia’s Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee and Jason Day, South Koreans Sungjae Im, Byeong-Hun An, Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim, and South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
The Americans will be overwhelming favourites, led by captain Jim Furyk and the world’s No. 1 golfer, Scottie Scheffler. He’ll be backed by two-time major championship winner in 2024, Xander Schauffele, Colin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay, Sahith Theegala, Keegan Bradley, Sam Burns, Tony Finau, Brian Harman, Max Homa and Russell Henley.
The crowds at Royal Montreal will be heavily pro-International and that fan support could make the difference down the stretch in a couple of close matches. Nothing will match Weir’s thrill of winning the 2003 Masters at Augusta, but captaining the International team to only its second victory in 15 matches in his home country would come close.
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, on the Blue Jays’ president and CEO, Mark Shapiro. “He knows the World Series the way we do — from watching on television.”
Comedy guy Alex Kaseberg, after someone on X asked whether the NFL would survive a Colin Kaepernick boycott: “Apparently Colin Kaepernick is under the mistaken impression people still care about him.”
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: “(University of Central Florida) Knights had wanted to honour the Lake Mary Little League World Series champions at the season opener last week, but were told that it might violate NCAA rules because the Little Leaguers could be considered prospective student athletes. And you wonder why the NCAA has jumped the shark?”
Comedy writer Eric Stangel, on X during the Trump-Harris debate: “Wow, Trump just claimed if he were President the new NFL kickoff rules would never have happened.”
Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg: “Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa suffers concussion. It is bad. Tua said he wants to play for the Carolina Panthers.”
Another one from Kaseberg, after news that Angel Reese is out for the season with an injury: “It will be interesting to see how this low-class back-stabber blames Caitlin Clark for this.”
Jack Finarelli in his sportscurmudgeon.com site, on Northern Illinois upsetting Notre Dame in “what was supposed to be a cupcake game for the Irish. For the record, Northern Illinois was paid $1.4M to come to South Bend to take their shellacking.”
Headline at theonion.com: “Bengals Coaching Staff Holding Breath After Joe Burrow Endures Rough High-Five”
Steve Simmons again: “George Springer is the sixth highest paid outfielder in the AL behind Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Altuve and Juan Soto. Statistically he ranks somewhere between the 43rd and 53rd best hitter in the league. That’s not exactly value purchasing.”
One more from Simmons: "First thing I thought about after Jamal Murray signed his four-year $208 million contact with the Denver Nuggets. Were the Nuggets watching the Olympics?”
Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca