In an exclusive column for Golf Australia magazine, new Internationals captain Geoff Ogilvy says momentum, local knowledge (his architecture company just redesigned the host course) and Chicago’s cultural ties with Melbourne will be just some of the factors that can snap his team's 25-year-long losing streak to the USA in Presidents Cup.
It is a job I will be giving 100 percent to over the coming 16 months or so.
When next year I captain the International side (drawn from everywhere except Europe) against the United States in the Presidents Cup at Medinah, it will represent one of the biggest honours of my professional career - a moment which has been “part of the plan” for the last six years.
When the International squad left the 2019 matches at Royal Melbourne, it was agreed we would adopt the sort of system – a “leadership group” – which has clearly served the European side so well in the Ryder Cup.
Within that would be International players who had been part of Presidents Cup teams and those involved behind the scenes at Presidents Cups who were interested in that sort of on-going role. Having played in three matches and been an assistant under four captains – Nick Price, Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman and Mike Weir – I tick those boxes.
Having said that, I left the matches in Montreal last year not knowing if I was going to be next in line. However, with Medinah – a course my architecture firm OCM has just re-designed – as the venue, there was always a good chance I would be seen as a “good fit”. And so it has proved.
It goes without saying I am very excited for a number of reasons. I’m not a “legacy person”; I don’t really care about that sort of stuff, but I have loved playing in the Presidents Cup. And I have loved being an assistant to the captains.
In a way, being a second-in-command is almost the best role anyone can have at the event. You get the thrill of being involved on the inside of every decision. You are part of everything, really, but there is less stress than that felt by the captain. For one thing, I’ve never had to justify any decisions to the press.
One of the best aspects of the Presidents Cup is it seems to be friendlier stage than a Ryder Cup; at least the difference between winning and losing a PC versus an RC doesn’t seem to be quite so dire. The images and careers of captains in the USA vs Europe encounters can be really tarnished or really enhanced, depending on how the matches play out. I’ve always found that to be unfair.
Still, my role next time around is going to be more stressful. I’m going to be very busy. I won’t be able to just drive a cart around and help with decisions from a distance. In contrast to that very pleasant scenario, the captain is dragged in many different directions over the course of the week.
In fact, that is true for months beforehand and not just when we all arrive in Chicago next year. All of which I’m looking forward to.
I feel ready for the role, to be honest. I’ve learned so much from my four assistant captaincies. When I first had that job in 2017, I thought I knew what was going on. I’d played multiple times and experienced the contest from that angle. But really I had no idea.
By the end of that week I had a new appreciation of all that goes into putting on an event of that size. Organising 12 players, 12 caddies, 12 wives and all the support staff is like herding cats. As I’ve seen many times, it’s so difficult to get everyone heading in the same direction.
I’ve been lucky to have served under such great captains. Nick was inspirational. Ernie was great. Trevor was amazing. Weirsie in Canada was really cool. I’ve learned from them all. My captaincy will contain parts of all four. Incrementally, we have improved in so many areas along the way. We have got better every time. But alongside that fact, I know there are things I will do a little differently.
A few times I’ve thought myself, “Hmmm, I think I would have done X instead of Y.” So I’ll put my own flavour on the job; but there won’t be huge changes. I’ll really just be putting my own personality to a formula which is already pretty sound.
It’s true though, that the little mistakes I have witnessed are where I have learned the most. Suffice to say, they are things we won’t be doing again.
Of course, I have yet to play or be involved in a winning side at the Presidents Cup. But that will help me be better at this thing. You learn more from losing. If you win, the danger is thinking you are doing everything right. You stop improving.
Besides, if we look at the last matches in Montreal, we ran into an American side which just happened to be at or close to its top form. They had maybe the top four players in the world last year; guys who were playing great almost every week. When that is the case, winning is always going to be difficult for the other team.
Then there is the momentum factor; something every winning team harnesses successfully in match-play golf. And it can take just one player to make it happen. Look at the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah. The Europeans were having their butts kicked until late on the second day when Ian Poulter put on his famous five-birdies-in-a-row show to turn things round.
Sometimes, that’s all it takes.
Indeed, there might be a little less pressure on me and the players because it has been so long since we have won. But that won’t stop me going to Medinah with high hopes we will be victorious. I will have high expectations of myself and the guys. In the time between now and the matches, a lot can happen on the world rankings, which is where the first six members of my 12-man squad will be drawn.
I have plenty of time to think about things. Clearly I know the course, even if it is an away game. And the crowd factor might actually work a little in our favour. While I’m sure the majority of the spectators will be cheering for the Americans, the same majority will be knowledgeable golfers. So they will appreciate good play wherever it comes from. Chicago is a bit like Melbourne in that it’s a sport-loving place and a multi-cultural city.
Having said that, I will be a very interested observer at this year’s Ryder Cup, when the Europeans go to what many think will be a tough environment at Bethpage Black on Long Island. We Internationals can learn from that.
As for the make-up of my team, it is obviously way too soon to speculate on that. But yes, the golf course will play into my six choices in a big way. There is so much information and statistics and data available in pro golf these days, I won’t be short of information on who will or won’t be suited to the challenges presented by Medinah.
But all of that is for the future. For now, I’m just going to enjoy the start of what I hope will be a successful process.
Wish me luck.
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