The 2017 President’s Cup is certain to be an exciting event. I am writing this a few days prior to the beginning of the tournament, and I can’t wait to watch how it all unfolds. The golf course looks spectacular. Liberty National Golf Club is located in New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from Manhattan. The Statue of Liberty sits majestically in the backdrop of many pictures you will be seeing. It is truly breathtaking. Despite the incredible competition between the top golfers from the United States versus the top International players, I believe that the President’s Cup pales in comparison to the Ryder Cup.
The President’s Cup was established in 1994, with the idea being to create a major team rivaling the Ryder Cup. The tournament is played on the opposite years of the Ryder Cup, and it involves International players competing versus the United States, rather than the European players the Ryder Cup involves. It is great golf, but it isn’t nearly as compelling.
The Ryder Cup offers gut wrenching competition between two teams that truly want to beat each other up. My memories of the Ryder Cup are of Seve Ballesteros teaming up with Jose Maria Olazabal to take on the greatest tandem the United States could produce. Every American player wanted to take on this team, and few would actually be victorious. In addition, Colin Montgomerie was a dominant European Ryder Cupper that American fans loved to hate. It was exciting, and it remains exciting to this day. European fans are passionate about this event, and it adds to the drama.
The President’s Cup, on the other hand, offers equally great competition without nearly the same amount of drama and rivalry. I once heard the President’s Cup described as a tournament that a bunch of professionals who live next to each other in Orlando travel elsewhere to compete in a team event against one another. It’s not far from the truth. For some reason, the idea of Jason Day versus Jordan Spieth isn’t nearly as interesting as Rory McIlroy versus any American player. I’m not exactly sure why this is, but it’s how I feel. Chances are, it’s how many of you feel, too.
The Ryder Cup has history, and the President’s Cup seems like it was created as a television event. It’s friendlier, and quite honestly, just not nearly as interesting.
I will tune in to watch quite a bit of the tournament, and I’m sure it will be an awesome event. I can’t wait to see the golf course. However, as the tournament winds down, I will happily begin looking forward to next year’s Ryder Cup.
