A record-equalling five Australians will head up the International side for the Presidents Cup to be played at Royal Melbourne in November.
International team captain Greg Norman today announced Melbourne-bred players Aaron Baddeley and Robert Allenby as his two additional picks and join fellow Aussies Adam Scott, Jason Day and Geoff Ogilvy in the 12-man team for the matches against the Americans.
With five previous Presidents Cup appearances, Allenby brings a wealth of Cup experience to the International Team, as well as a vast knowledge of the Royal Melbourne course.
Geoff Ogilvy's knowledge of the Royal Melbourne course is a huge advantage for the International team
Allenby’s five previous Presidents Cup appearances match Retief Goosen for second-most on the current International Team (Els leads the team, with six). He holds an 8-13-3 record and scored 2.5 out of a possible five points for the International Team in San Francisco in 2009. This is the third time Allenby has been a captain’s pick for the International Team.
Baddeley will be making his first Presidents Cup appearance and is one of four rookies in Norman’s team. Baddeley has had a wonderful return to form in 2011 and finished No. 14 in the International Team standings.
With Allenby and Baddeley as captain’s picks, the International Team will have five Australians for the fifth time in the history of the Cup (1994, 1996, 2003, 2005), while four countries represented (Australia, Japan, South Africa, South Korea) by the team is the fewest in history. The previous low was six (1994, 1996, 2003, 2005, 2007).
Meanwhile, United States captain Fred Couples, having earlier named Tiger Woods as his first captain’s pick, rounded out his squad with the selection of last weeks Tour Championship and FedEx Cup winner, Bill Haas.
Captain Fred Couples has shown faith in Tiger Woods returning to form at the Presidents Cup
Haas’ play-off victory over fellow Presidents Cup team member, Hunter Mahan, gave Couples every reason to pick him, creating a first for the Cup – the first father and son combination as Haas’ father, Jay, is a captain’s assistant. Haas is one of six Presidents Cup rookies on the American team along with Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, Nick Watney and Bubba Watson. The Internationals have four debutantes in Jason Day, Charl Schwartzel, Kyung-tae Kim and Baddeley.
With these picks, the Americans have a combined 28 previous Presidents Cup appearances between them, including three players – Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Woods – who were on the losing team in 1998 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
The Presidents Cup returns to Royal Melbourne from November 15.