Captain Mike Weir picked three Canadians for his International Presidents Cup, but not national hero Nick Taylor nor Adam Hadwin.
Weir selected Canada’s Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith and Mackenzie Hughes along with South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Korea’s Si Woo Kim and Australia’s Min Woo Lee.
Of the six captain’s picks, Hughes and Lee are first-time participants, with Kim making his Presidents Cup debut in 2017, and Bezuidenhout, Conners and Pendrith doing so in 2022. In total, five countries are represented on the International Team: Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa and the South Korea.
Leaving off Taylor, who won the 2023 RBC Canadian Open in dramatic fashion in a playoff and the 2024 WM Phoenix Open with another riveting playoff putting performance, is the biggest surprise, but Taylor’s game has cooled off since that February win, which was his top-10 finish. He was 12th in the point standings. Australian Cam Davis, ranked No. 8, was the highest-ranked player that wasn’t chosen.
“I knew when it came to this point in the process, there’s gonna be some tough calls and it’s unlikely that all the guys in the mix are gonna make the team,” Weir said in the lead up to making his picks. “You know that as Captain, there’s gonna be some tough calls.”
The Presidents Cup returns to The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal the week of Sept. 24-29, 2024. Here’s a closer look at the six players Weir picked.
Corey Conners
Corey Conners is one of three Canadians chosen by Weir. Conners is a two-time Tour winner and making his second appearance in the Presidents Cup. He putted poorly in 2022 and finished a dreadful 0-4 in his matches so he still has something to prove. One of the game’s top ball strikers, Conners finished seventh in the point standings after a season in which he recorded three top-10 finishes including a season-best, solo-sixth-place effort at the RBC Canadian Open.
Captain Weir on Conners: “Corey is one of the best ball-strikers on the PGA Tour and his ability to consistently put himself and his playing partner in a position to attack is invaluable in team competition. He has looked towards the 2024 Presidents Cup for two years now, and I know he’s eager to compete in front of his fellow Canadians.”
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
C Bez is back for his second team. He went 1-0-1 in 2022 at Quail Hollow. The 30-year-old South African is still seeking his first PGA Tour title but recorded a season-best runner-up finish at the American Express, where he lost to Nick Dunlap by one shot, and notched a career-best 12 top-25 finishes on the Tour this season, including three top-10s.
Captain Weir on Bezuidenhout: “Christiaan is having the best year of his PGA Tour career and it’s exciting to watch him cement his name alongside all of the great South Africans who have competed in multiple Presidents Cups. He is incredibly steady on and off the golf course and is a player whose game will mesh well with any partner on the International Team.”
Mackenzie Hughes
Mackenzie Hughes enjoyed a solid, if unspectacular season, in 2024 on the PGA Tour. He notched three top-10 finishes including a season-best T-3 at the Valspar Championship. He only missed four cuts in 22 starts, marking a career best, but wound up just outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings. He’s a gritty competitor and one of the best putters on Tour and wanted so badly to represent Canada on native soil this time at the Presidents Cup after narrowly missing the team in 2022. His game is built for team competition, and he should thrive playing in the home environment.
Captain Weir on Hughes: “Canadian golf fans have followed Mackenzie’s career for nearly two decades and it’s incredible to know he’s going to make his Presidents Cup debut in his home country. He is steady and calm under pressure and is without doubt one of the best putters on the PGA Tour, which is a great combination for our team.”
Si Woo Kim
Korea’s Si Woo Kim will be making his third appearance in the Presidents Cup. He previously represented Team International in 2017 and 2022 and has a lifetime record of 4-3. He didn’t have a particularly great season for him — two top-10 finishes including a T-6 at the Players Championship and a T-5 at the BMW Championship and finished 32nd in the FedEx Cup. After the way he took down Justin Thomas in Sunday singles in 2022, he’s proven he’s a big-game hunter in match play.
Captain Weir on Kim: “Si Woo brings a wealth of experience to our team room, as well as a great record in the Presidents Cup. He has been a stalwart on PGA Tour leaderboards since 2016 and has demonstrated an ability to perform his best when the pressure is at its highest, which will be a great asset for us in Montreal.”
Min Woo Lee
Min Woo Lee, 26, is making his debut at the Presidents Cup. The Aussie native and brother to LPGA star Minjee Lee, could be this year’s Tom Kim for the International Team, the player who gives his team a jolt with his youthful exuberance. Lee, a four-time winner on the DP World Tour, didn’t win in his first full season on the PGA Tour but he came close a few times (T-2 at both the Cognizant Classic and Rocket Mortgage Classic ) and when he’s cooking, he feeds off the energy of the crowd and is a threat to go low.
Captain Weir on Lee: “As one of the most popular players on the PGA Tour, Min Woo is going to be an incredible addition to the International Team and our passionate fans in Montreal. He is one of the best drivers of the golf ball on the PGA Tour, and I can’t wait to let him cook at the Presidents Cup in a few weeks.”
Taylor Pendrith
Canadian Taylor Pendrith has played some terrific golf the last few months. The 33-year-old won the CJ Cup in May for his maiden victory on the PGA Tour and showed how committed he was to making the team by playing the Barracuda Championship and finishing T-5. He also finished fifth at the 3M Open in July. He made the Tour Championship for the first time, closing in 66 to finish T-14.
Pendrith played on the International Team in 2022 at Quail Hollow and actually played much better than his 0-4 record indicates. Injuries have held him back from blossoming into a top player but he seemed to turn a corner this year. His length should be an asset at Royal Montreal and he’s developed into a more complete player in recent years.
Captain Weir on Pendrith: “Taylor is in the midst of his best year on the PGA Tour, and it was great to see him breakthrough for his first win in Dallas and advancing to the Tour Championship. He has built a reputation as one of the longest hitters in our game, and that length should be advantageous in match play competition at Royal Montreal.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Meet the six International Team captain’s picks for the 2024 Presidents Cup
