U.S. team member Xander Schauffele (Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

Presidents Cup 2022: Early Storylines to Watch for USA and International Golf Teams

Kristopher Knox

The 2022 edition of the Presidents Cup is scheduled to kick off Thursday after a one-year delay.

Originally slated for fall of 2021, the Presidents Cup—which is typically held biennially in odd-numbered years—will pit the United States against a non-European international team in match play. The event is similar to the Ryder Cup (United States vs. Europe), though much newer.

While the Ryder Cup was established in 1927, the inaugural Presidents Cup was played in 1994.

This year's event will feature Davis Love III and his American team against captain Trevor Immelman and the international squad. For the first time, the event will take place at Quail Hollow in Charlotte.

Here's a look at everything you need to know for the 2022 Presidents Cup, including scheduling information, initial rosters and early storylines.

2022 Presidents Cup

Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte (Logan Whitton/Getty Images for the DC&P Championship)

When: September 22-25

Where: Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina

TV: Golf Channel (Round 1-3), NBC (Rounds 3 & 4)

United States Roster

Davis Love III - Captain

Zach Johnson - Assistant Captain

Fred Couples - Assistant Captain

Steve Stricker - Assistant Captain

Webb Simpson - Assistant Captain

Sam Burns

Patrick Cantlay

Tony Finau

Max Homa

Billy Horschel

Kevin Kisner

Collin Morikawa

Xander Schauffele

Scottie Scheffler

Jordan Spieth

Justin Thomas

Cameron Young

International Roster

Trevor Immelman - Captain

K. J. Choi - Assistant Captain

Geoff Ogilvy - Assistant Captain

Camilo Villegas - Assistant Captain

Mike Weir - Assistant Captain

Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Corey Conners

Cam Davis

Im Sung-jae

Tom Kim

Si Woo Kim

K.H. Lee

Hideki Matsuyama

Sebastian Munoz

Taylor Pendrith

Mito Pereira

Adam Scott

The Impact of LIV Golf Will Be Felt

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The start of the LIV Golf tour in June signaled a new era for professional golf. The upstart league, headed by former PGA star Greg Norman, quickly emerged as a rival to the PGA tour. with stars like Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau jumping ship.

With LIV competitors barred from the Presidents Cup, there will be a few notable vacancies, specifically on the international team.

Automatic qualifiers Cameron Smith—winner of the 2022 Open Championship—and Joaquín Niemann can't participate. Veterans like Abraham Ancer, Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman were unavailable to be captain's picks.

For Oosthuizen, who resigned from the PGA before joining LIV, his ineligibility is a major disappointment.

"I didn’t think I did anything wrong. I made my decision where I am playing golf," Oosthuizen said, per Bob Harig of SI.com. "But I didn’t do anything wrong while I was a PGA Tour member. I was a bit disappointed in the decision that I was on the list not being able to play."

Losing the eligibility of top players is an obvious blow to an international team that hasn't won since 1998.

"Is it disappointing? I'm not going to lie to you, absolutely it's disappointing," Immelman said, per Yahoo Sports' Jim Slater.

The U.S. team appears less impacted, though players like DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka were ineligible to be captain's picks.

Can the International Team End the U.S. Run of Dominance?

Adam Scott (David Cannon/Getty Images)

The international team is missing some key competitors and four players from the 2019 squad that came close to winning in Melbourne, Australia.

Oosthuizen, Smith, Leishman and Ancer were all on that team.

This leaves standouts like Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama and Im Sung-jae hoping to carry an international squad that hasn't fared well in recent years. The 2019 matchup had the international team leading through fourball and foursome matches before the U.S. rallied in singles competition.

The United States has won eight straight Presidents Cups, while the two sides tied in 2003. The international squad, though, will hope to keep the past in the past.

"Everybody knows we've had our butts kicked, but that doesn't mean we'll come with any less passion and compete to try and win," Immelman said, per Slater.

Will Immelman's squad do enough to pull off the upset? History suggests otherwise, but fans should still expect a heated competition beginning Thursday.

   

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