Steve Stricker and Nick Price Round out President’s Cup Teams

As the FedExCup is coming to an end, attention will start to shift towards the Presidents Cup. While it is typically not as competitive as the Ryder Cup, this year’s Presidents Cup will feature some young stars.

While the top ten players in the U.S. and on a worldwide scale, excluding the United Kingdom, are guaranteed spots on their respective teams, captains get to choose the final two players that will make the squad. This year’s captains, Steve Stricker for the U.S. and Nick Price for the International team, made interesting decisions with their two picks.

For the United States team, Stricker’s first pick was an easy one, adding Charley Hoffman to the team. Hoffman finished just behind Kevin Chappel in the standings to be an automatic qualifier, so he looks to be a strong choice. With his second choice, Stricker picked Phil Mickelson, drawing a little criticism. Mickelson is a controversial pick because he hasn’t won on Tour since 2013 but he does bring experience having played in all Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups since 1993.

Phil Mickelson greets fans as he walks to the 10th hole tee box…

Phil Mickelson greets fans as he walks to the 10th hole tee box during the final round of the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston on September 4, 2017 in Norton, Massachusetts. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

On the international side, Nick Price made very similar decisions. His first pick was Emiliano Grillo. The Argentinian finished 11th in the International standings, much like Hoffman did for the U.S. team. Price’s second pick, however, drew criticism too, as he took Anirban Lahiri for his team over some younger options. Price cited his choice had to deal with Lahiri’s experience on a team with four new comers.

Lahiri thinks his captain made the right choice and he believes that his experience will prove valuable going up against a strong U.S. team. “That experience is really going to help me,” Lahiri said. “Obviously, I feel there’s some unfinished business. I’m motivated to go out there and make a positive contribution to the team.”

Despite the controversial moves on both sides, the U.S. is still strongly favored to take home the Presidents Cup again. But with a lot of young players looking to make a name for themselves on the International team, an upset could be in the future.

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