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Day out to restore Presidents Cup glory

With the Internationals beating USA just once since the inaugural Presidents Cup contest in 1994, the underdogs are on a mission to turn the event around.

Jason Day says the International team are inspired by the chance to "go down in history" as the players who revived the Presidents Cup.

While the Ryder Cup always captures the sporting world's attention with its traditional and fierce rivalry between the US and Europe, golf's other biennial teams event has failed to grab the imagination largely because the Internationals usually fail to match powerful American sides.

The Internationals - rest of the world minus Europe - have managed only one victory since its inception in 1994.

After Greg Norman led a nine-point thrashing of the Americans at Royal Melbourne in 1998, a tie in 2003 is the closest the Internationals have come.

They've have lost six consecutive cup contests since and five of those by three or more points.

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But former world No.1 Day, making his fourth appearance, says that means the Internationals have the chance to do something special at the Liberty National course in New Jersey this week.

"That's the biggest thing for us; we want to go down in history as that (team) because we've only won it once," Day told AAP.

"If we can pull together and play well, we have a shot at beating these guys.

"We could be remembered as that Internationals team that turned it all around. It would mean everything."

Fellow Australian Adam Scott has become the team's spiritual leader, and he says defeating the American juggernaut "is very important in the big picture."

Scott's eight caps are equal-most for the Internationals alongside former team members Vijay Singh and Ernie Els.

The 37-year-old said the reduction from 34 total matches to 30 for the 2015 Cup was a turning point, when the Internationals' one-point defeat came down to the last few matches of the final day in South Korea.

"I think Korea has gone a long way to rekindling some excitement. It definitely took a step in the right direction," said Scott.

"It had been (12 years) since there was a close Cup, and I think people enjoyed watching that."

Marc Leishman, contesting his third Cup, says the time has come for the Internationals to go out and get it.

"No one likes losing. It's time, as players, we stood up and played well and took it to the Americans," said Leishman, who won two US PGA Tour titles this year.

Internationals assistant captain Geoff Ogilvy pointed to the fact the Ryder Cup was a lopsided affair until Europe started to win regularly from 1985.

"Now, it might be one of the most intense rivalries in world sport. It's a behemoth of an event," said Ogilvy.

"Clearly, (the Internationals) winning one or two to would really elevate the event and its status.

"It would begin to create the tension on both sides because it doesn't have that (Ryder Cup) intensity just yet."


3 min read

Published

Source: AAP



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