With no Canadians automatically qualifying for the International team for the Presidents Cup, it appeared that Mike Weir was always likely to disappoint at least one of the PGA Tour players hoping to play in the event on home soil this month.
There were five Canadians genuinely in the mix to make the Presidents Cup team, with Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith, Nick Taylor, Adam Hadwin and Mackenzie Hughes all in the top 15 in the qualification standings. Quite remarkably, none of the quintet managed to make the team automatically.
With the event at Royal Montreal, Mike Weir may have even had an opportunity to pick all five, leaving just one space for Cam Davis, Min Woo Lee, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Si-woo Kim to battle over. However, Weir was not afraid to make a ruthless call.
Smylie Kaufman noted that he had heard a rumour that Taylor would miss out, something that he admitted would absolutely shock him. And it turned out to be Hadwin who joined him in being overlooked, with 15th place Hughes instead getting the call-up. Kim was also below the two Canadians in the standings.
Smylie Kaufman amazed as pair miss out on making Presidents Cup team
It is a brave move from the 2003 Masters champion. And speaking on The Smylie Show, Kaufman admitted that he would have never expected to see Taylor and Hadwin left out.
“Just to look at these picks from Mike Weir, if someone told me after the Genesis that Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor weren’t on the team, I’d have said you’re crazy because Nick Taylor won in Phoenix. I mean, this is one of the biggest events on the PGA Tour and a huge stage, so many eyeballs watching that and it’s just crazy to me. He played good a couple of weeks later too at the API, finished T12 there, so you’re doing so many good things in the spring. And let’s look at Adam Hadwin too, this is a guy who came third at The Memorial, fourth at the Genesis, fifth at Valspar and then a couple weeks before that at Phoenix, the win Nick Taylor had, he finished sixth. These are strong finishes,” he said.
“But then you go look at what they’ve done since the spring, and really just spring, summer, leading up into the play-offs, just both guys just in mid-form. None are able to crack an egg, and I think you have to just credit that to nerves of wanting to be on that team so badly that sometimes you try too hard. I’m not going to say that that’s exactly what happened. Who knows, maybe Adam and Nick Taylor are both dealing with injuries, it’s hard to really know.”
Mike Weir now waiting for vindication
Of course, Weir will be aware of the criticism which will come his way should the Internationals lose, particularly if the defeat is a heavy one. And he would have known that criticism was likely to come his way no matter who he picked.
Some felt five Canadians needed to be picked, but Weir would have unquestionably faced a backlash had he taken all five, whether it would have been fair or not.
The Internationals would have been underdogs whatever happened. Weir just needs to hope that his picks vindicate what was clearly a contentious decision.
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