Larry Canning: How to inject some much needed vibe into the Presidents Cup

BY LARRY CANNING.

I know its old news now but the Ryder Cup 2023 was something to behold, wasn’t it?.

Not just for golf fans but anyone who loves watching a sport exploding with emotion, passion, excitement with more than a few ripples of antagonism and dare I say, hostility. Maybe it’s just me but when I see someone as close to the perfect professional sportsman or women as Rory McIlroy totally losing his shit in a car park over a clear lack of respect by an opposing team member, I just can’t get enough.

I know, I’ll probably receive another letter from a reader who feels Ror’s over reacted and should have left it on the golf course and moved on but it wasn’t exactly hurling vile abuse at an official or slamming his racket into a bunch of bottles was it?

The only thing missing from the Ryder Cup is an Aussie, which brings me to my next point, The Presidents Cup.

How in the name of all that is straight and pure – or a Scotty Scheffler mid iron – can we compare The Presidents Cup to what we just saw in October? Our alternative would be more like a Larry Canning low fat 6 iron bouncing into the front left hand bunker.

Trying to copy the same format as Samual Ryder came up with all those years ago was, in my opinion, a grave mistake that will forever see the obvious comparison between the two and stripping The Presidents Cup from anything more than a cheap copy totally void of tradition.

When that magnificent, giant flag of Seve was held up by thousands of spectators behind the first tee it was brutally obvious to me, The Ryder Cup is truly steeped in history with former legends of the game and equally legendary moments between the likes of Ben Hogan, Henry Cotton, Jack Nicklaus, Tony Jacklin, wow even right back to Ted Ray and Walter Hagen!! The unbridled passion and emotion I mentioned earlier is the result of all that and is the life blood of this golfing spectacle.

I watched the Solheim Cup a few weeks earlier and whilst it turned out to be a ripper of a finish by Europe to tie the tournament and retain the Cup, the fact that it had so few of the world’s best players and like the Presidents Cup the narration doesn’t have the same culture as the much older brother and it left me a little flattish.

So readers, I have an idea… Actually I’m far from the first to come up with this but, I’ll claim it anyway. Why don’t we combine men and women into The Presidents Cup? Yes I know, I’m hearing you, along with me and a mate of mine opening a 24 hour gym in Mittagong, it’s maybe the most commercially naïve Idea I’ve ever had. It’s no secret how many “Smackers” the PGA Tour make from the Cup and whether it’s a close loss for the Internationals or an absolute belting, again for the Internationals, the current format is working just fine for the American Tour’s accounting team… so why change a thing? Because, your Honour – “It’s the vibe of the thing!”

This year’s Solheim Cup had a combined 9 players from the world’s top 24 spread across the two teams which left obviously 15 of the best kicking back on their lounge watching it on TV. Those 15 would be going hammer and tong for the 12 spots available on a Women’s International team. The American Captain and her vice-Caps would have to go down to 49 in the current world rankings to field the same amount of players.

If we are going to create an event that, one day when my golf clubs will probably be the most valuable items on a deceased estate auction, might have created some history and tradition of its own, then isn’t it worth consideration?

Plus it would be fitting we have Aussies on the Internationals team given we are the world leaders in breaking down the mixed gender barriers with not only the Victorian Open which began its Men and Women playing the same course format way back in 2012. At one stage it was co-sanctioned by, not only the DP World Tour but also the biggest stage in women’s golf, the LPGA Tour. Two Aussie Tour Players turned directors of our PGA, Nick Dastey and Kim Felton took the mixed gender to another level when they created the Webex TPS Series where the boys and girls not only play the same course but against each other for the same loot!!

There will only ever be one Ryder Cup and copying that exact same formula will only lead to an event with no real identity of its own. We have an opportunity to involve the world’s best female players who are currently being overlooked and create a unique tournament which will take the game into the future.

C’mon world golf decision makers, please think outside the petty cash tin and do it for the game! OR… do we just sit back and wait for the greedy American Tour Players to destroy the fabric of this amazing tournament with their complaints about not being paid to play in this 3 day tournament every two bloody years… and just pick up the pieces??

As usual readers, I’d love to hear your opinions on this, whether they agree with my or god forbid, don’t.   

See you next month with my Santa List!

Luv yus!!