After a long process of selecting the captains and rosters for both the United States and International teams, the Presidents Cup will finally begin on Thursday at Liberty National Golf Club. The International Team will be looking to win for only the second time in the short history of this competition, but they'll have to find a way to defeat what is potentially the best and deepest American team to date. Before things get underway though, let's make a few predictions. Surely, these will not come back to haunt me in any way.
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Winner
Though the Americans have five rookies to team play on their roster, their overall talent level and form are too strong for me to be tempted by an upset pick. Initially, I thought that experience on both rosters would cancel each other out and yield a closer finish. However, I think the Americans will benefit from this being a home game and the that enough of the inexperienced players will be able to settle in quick enough for the team to be successful. It will be competitive, but the United States will be too strong and they'll win comfortably. I say the final score is 17 to 13.
U.S. MVP
Spieth has had an incredible year, but it's too difficult to not pick Patrick Reed here. His affection for match play and representing his country is well documented, and I genuinely think he's crazy enough to draw even more pride form playing within view of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan skyline. After what he did at Hazeltine last year, it seems silly to not have confidence in Reed balling out at Liberty National.
International MVP
Louis Oosthuizen went 4-0-1 at the 2015 Presidents Cup and has an overall match play record of 22-13-2. He's arguably the most steady selection you can make on the International side and I have no reason to believe he won't have a successful showing at Liberty National.
U.S. Breakout Player
It's a toss-up between Kevin Kisner and Daniel Berger for me. Both give off the hyper-competitive bulldog vibe, but I'll lean towards Berger being more of a breakout candidate because of the potential of him becoming a star after this competition. He's an aggressive player that averages just under four birdies a round, and I think that style is beneficial in team match play. This isn't to say Kisner isn't a great player, but Berger has the potential to become a a fixture on these national teams and a star on the tour, and I think that really kicks into motion this weekend.
International Breakout Player
His form is just okay at the moment, but Adam Hadwin has the stats to be a sneaky breakout player here. He's 14th in total birdies on tour and 18th in strokes gained: putting. He also shot one of the 59s on tour this season and, though that was at the very beginning of the year, still means that there's the potential to get hot and drain putts all over Liberty National. I don't think Hadwin necessarily has star potential like Berger does, but he can definitely be a mainstay on the International team and a feisty competitor for years to come.
