Bowditch gets Presidents Cup pick

Australia's Steve Bowditch and South Korean Sang-moon Bae have been named in the International team for next month's Presidents Cup.

Steve Bowditch of Australia

Australia's Steve Bowditch has been named in the International team for the Presidents Cup. (AAP)

An excited Steven Bowditch says he cannot wait to team up with compatriot Jason Day as the International team battles to break America's stranglehold on the Presidents Cup.

The Novocastrian has been selected by Nick Price as a captain's pick and will join fellow Australians Day, Adam Scott and Marc Leishman in the 12-man team for the biennial competition in South Korea in October.

Team International has won the event only once, back in 1998, in 10 tries.

"I'm very humbled and honoured to be chosen by captain Nick, and it's just been a dream of mine for a long time, and now to be led by Jason Day and all his accomplishments of late, I'm just over the moon and so excited to get there," Bowditch said.

"I grew up playing a lot of match play, as we do in Australia, a lot of state and interstate match play, and I always thought that short game was an integral part of being a really good match player. I sort of feel like I have that."

Captain Price also selected Korean Sang-Moon Bae to join the four Australians, South Africans Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel, Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, India's Anirban Lahiri, Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee and New Zealand's Danny Lee.

Bowditch, who with Day, Grace, Lahiri and Lee are the only players on the team to have won events in 2015, is a firm believer the Internationals can finally turn the tide and get in the winner's circle.

"We haven't been able to hold the Cup up since 1998, but based on form and the other 11 guys that have been picked, there's plenty of talent," he said.

"I've definitely got high hopes of being able to be alongside all the guys and captain Nick holding up that trophy for the first time in October."

Fellow Australians Matt Jones and John Senden can count themselves unlucky, having been overlooked despite being much higher on the qualifying list than Bae.

Price admitted the last pick came down to the Australian Jones or the Korean before he ultimately went for home knowledge.

Bowditch first impressed Price back in May when he won the Byron Nelson Championship in Texas.

"I think he has played solid golf the whole summer," Price said of Bowditch.

"I think he is at the stage of his career where he is just starting to hit his stride.

"I think this is going to be a great stepping stone for Steven. He is versatile, I think he can play with anyone on the team and there is now a balance with four Australians on the team."

The US rounded out their team when captain Jay Haas selected veteran Phil Mickelson and his son Bill Haas in his side.

They join Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Jimmy Walker, Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar and Chris Kirk in a star-studded line-up.


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Source: AAP


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