Conners and Pendrith make record 2 Canadians named to Presidents Cup international team

Canada’s Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners have been named to the international team at the upcoming Presidents Cup.

It’s the first time that more than one Canadian will take part in the tournament of the best against the best which will see a team from the United States face an international team.

Conners, of Listowel, Ont., was an automatic selection after finishing the PGA Tour season fourth in the team’s international rankings.

Pendrith, of Richmond Hill, Ont., was the captain’s selection, officially chosen by Trevor Immelman on Tuesday.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, BC, and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., were also considered for the event.

The Quail Hollow Club outside of Charlotte, North Carolina will host the Presidents Cup with games starting September 22.

Captain Trevor Immelman has been forced to fill out an international squad decimated by defections at Saudi-funded LIV Golf.

British Open champion Cameron Smith and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann signed with the rival league after qualifying ended. They played their first LIV Golf event last week, making them ineligible for the Presidents Cup.

“These are the 12 players who wanted to be eligible. These are the 12 players who wanted to make the team. These are the 12 that I want at the end of the day,” Immelman said on Tuesday. “If we’re going to come into a really tough competition here in a couple of weeks, I want guys to commit, and it’s those guys.”

The only choice of captain with experience is Si Woo Kim from South Korea. He played on the 2017 team at Liberty National that was beaten so badly the match was almost decided before the singles.

The only top 50 pick in the world is KH Lee from South Korea – only one other was available, Ryan Fox from New Zealand, who plays on the European tour and was overlooked by Immelman.

Short of experience

The other picks were Cameron Davis from Australia, Sebastian Munoz from Colombia, Christiaan Bezuidenhout from South Africa and Pendrith.

The six qualifiers were Hideki Matsuyama from Japan, Adam Scott from Australia, Sungjae Im and Tom Kim from South Korea, Mito Pereira from Chile and Conners.

The outlook is no better this time. The Americans lost three potential players in the Saudi league, none of which would have qualified for an American team with great depth.

The United States have lost just one Presidents Cup since play began in 1994. There was also a draw in South Africa in 2003. The Americans have won eight in a row.

A formidable American team

USA captain Davis Love III announces his six selections on Wednesday.

“I know now that we have 12 players who are hungry, and we have 12 players who wanted to be there, so we’re going from here,” Immelman said. “We understand exactly the mountain we have in front of us – possibly the best American team ever if you look at them on paper.”

The six qualifiers are Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, world No. 1 player Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Sam Burns, PGA champion Justin Thomas and Tony Finau. All are among the top 15 in the world.

Matsuyama at No. 16 in the International Team’s Highest Ranked Player.

“Yeah, I don’t really think I have to play the underdog role,” Immelman said. “I think everyone knows that. Everyone sees it clearly. Our team has been through a lot of adversity over the past year.”