Presidents Cup 2007

[Newman]

Will Weir and/or Ames miss the "home game"?

So far, through the Masters, the 2007 President's Cup International team standings show the Top 10 being made up of 4 Australians, 4 South Africans, and 1 Fijian. Ames and Weir are ranked 13th and 18th respectively.

With 2 Captain's picks available to Gary Player it could be interesting at crunch time to see who those picks will be. If Ames hangs around the 11-12-13 spot, not much would be made of Player using one of his picks to select him. But, if Weir hangs out around the 18 spot all season, should Player use his other pick to round-out the Canadian representation due to the "home game " factor, and possibly alienate and piss off other more desrving players, and even damage the reputation of the event? Does he pick both, or just one? A lot has been said of the mutual admiration between Player and Weir. What if Ames finishes higher in the standings? Is Weir still the sentimental favorite if only one is to get picked? Or, should he pick based on building a team that is best equipped to win? Remember, at this point there are a number of more-than-qualified players between Weir and the 10 spot. Notably, KJ Choi, Rory Sabatini, Michael Campbell, Aaron Baddeley, and Tim Clarke.

I know that Player commented on this at Augusta, and that he won't let "home field" influence his decision, but it's bound to get tougher as the date draws nearer, especially if they don't make up ground in the standings.


Do Weir and Ames deserve "home field" spots regardless of where they end up in the ranking, or do they need to "play their way in" to respectability if they end up outside the Top 10?

[SteveWillHicks]

If you really want to get into this...there's one fine example already of how Gary Player uses 'home game' advantage

Case in Point:

 

Trevor Immelman at 2004 prez cup in South Africa

 

I know he's a good player, but at the time he was ranked 26th in the world (maybe even the team rankings) and had NEVER won on US soil. So, explain how the event isn't already tainted from that particular experience.

 

I would like to think that a major champion (weir) and a Players Champion (ames) should be on this team over any rookie with little to no experience... such as Baddeley, Sabbatini, etc.