Making his first-ever start in the Farmers Insurance Open, Australia’s Adam Scott finished solo second at Torrey Pines and made the biggest move in the International Team Presidents Cup standings from No. 67 to No. 11. A berth in the 2019 Presidents Cup would make Scott the first player to make nine appearances on the International Team, eclipsing Vijay Singh and 2019 Team Captain Ernie Els who have eight appearances.
The Presidents Cup will return to Melbourne, Australia and The Royal Melbourne Golf Club for the third time, December 9-15, 2019, when the International Team, led by Captain Els, will take on the U.S. Team led by Captain Tiger Woods.
Making his fourth start of the 2018-19 PGA TOUR Season, Scott’s runner-up finish was his second top-10 and first since he closed with a 63 on Sunday at the CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES to finish T10 last October. The flat stick proved vital for Scott’s success in San Diego, where the 38-year-old finished 14th in Stroked Gained: Putting after making a putter switch ahead of the tournament. Scott went on to need just 28 putts in each of his four rounds.
While Scott finished two back of eventual champion Justin Rose, two other International Team veterans cracked the top 5 at Torrey Pines: Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (T3) and Australia’s Jason Day (T5).
A two-time champion at the Farmers Insurance Open, Day bookended his tournament with matching 67s for his second top-5 finish of the season and a spot inside the top 10 in the International Team Presidents Cup standings, where the four-time International Team member jumped from No. 13 to No. 9.
Matsuyama vaulted from No. 8 to No. 4 in the standings after notching his first top-5 finish of the season as he looks toward a potential fourth appearance on the International Team.
Elsewhere on the leaderboard, Cameron Smith (T9) recorded a 7-under 65 on Sunday to finish with the low round of the day and return to No. 2 in the International Team standings.
Marc Leishman remains atop the International Team standings after a T43 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open.
On the U.S. side, Xander Schauffele’s T25 in his hometown event earned him enough FedExCup points to reclaim the top spot from Bryson DeChambeau, who was victorious in Dubai on the European Tour.
The top 15 players in the International and U.S. Presidents Cup Team Standings as of Jan. 28, 2019 are listed below:
INTERNATIONAL
Rank Player Country Points
1. Marc Leishman Australia 104.20
1. Marc Leishman Australia 104.20
2. Cameron Smith Australia 82.71
3. Louis Oosthuizen South Africa 81.03
4. Hideki Matsuyama Japan 72.10
5. Abraham Ancer Mexico 71.15
6. Haotong Li China 59.57
7. Shugo Imahira Japan 54.17
8. Shaun Norris South Africa 52.96
9. Jason Day Australia 51.38
10. Emiliano Grillo Argentina 51.21
11. Adam Scott Australia 50.99
12. Jazz Janewattananond Thailand 50.81
13. Adam Hadwin Canada 44.74
14. Lucas Herbert Australia 42.43
15. Yuki Inamori Japan 41.77
UNITED STATES
Rank Player Points
1. Xander Schauffele 4,194
2. Bryson DeChambeau 4,160
3. Justin Thomas 3,934
4. Brooks Koepka 3,591
5. Dustin Johnson 3,470
6. Tony Finau 3,133
7. Gary Woodland 2,997
8. Matt Kuchar 2,979
9. Webb Simpson 2,747
10. Patrick Cantlay 2,697
11. Charles Howell III 2,536
12. Phil Mickelson 2,321
13. Patrick Reed 2,228
14. Andrew Putnam 2,164
15. Bubba Watson 2,126
International Team eligibility criteria
The top eight (8) international players (excluding those eligible for the European Ryder Cup team) from the Presidents Cup International Team Points List which shall be Official World Golf Ranking points accumulated in the time period from August 27, 2018 (Dell Technologies Championship) through August 25, 2019 (TOUR Championship).
Four Captain’s selections will be made at a to-be-determined later date.
U.S. Team eligibility criteria
The top eight (8) U.S. PGA TOUR members who have earned the most FedExCup points from September 11, 2017 (2017 BMW Championship) through 2019 TOUR Championship, weighted as follows:
(a) 2017 BMW Championship through 2018 TOUR Championship: 1 FedExCup point = 1 point
(b) First event of the 2018-2019 season through 2019 TOUR Championship: 1 FedExCup point = 2 points
Four Captain’s selections will be made at a to-be-determined later date.
The return to Melbourne, Australia, will mark the third time in the biennial event’s 25-year history it has been held at the renowned Sandbelt course, as the event was previously held in Melbourne in 1998 and 2011 at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
The 2019 Presidents Cup will bring the very best for fans interested in world-class team competition with the top 12 players from the United States taking on the top 12 from across the globe, excluding Europe. While golf fans can expect an incredible atmosphere and unmatched access to the competition, the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne will be a social, lifestyle and business gathering that will bring all backgrounds and interests together to enjoy a week-long festival atmosphere. On the course, players from across the world will be celebrated for their achievements, sportsmanship and love of the game. Off the course, fans will be able to find culinary options from around the world as well as hospitality and fan venues to match all levels of spectating and socializing, all while enjoying the very best in Australian culture.
The oldest golf club in Australia, The Royal Melbourne Golf Club was founded in 1891 and moved to its current location in 1926, becoming the anchor of what is now known as the Sandbelt. The gem of Australian golf, The Royal Melbourne Golf Club has two courses, both ranked in the World’s Top 100, which were designed by the legendary Alister MacKenzie. In 1959, in order to host the first of many international tournaments, 12 holes of the West Course and six from the East Course were combined to create what is known as the Composite Course, which also hosted the 2013 World Cup of Golf, won by Jason Day and Adam Scott.
A four-time winner of the Australian Golf Media Awards, including Best Photojournalism, Best Opinion, Best Column and Best Photographic Presentation, Inside Golf Group Editor Richard Fellner is the quintessential Golf Tragic, having played the game for over 50 years (but has never gotten any better!) He has played and reviewed courses all over the world, and has interviewed many of the great players of the game (including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Greg Norman). Richard is a member of both the Australian Golf Media Association and the Golf Society of Australia, and has been a featured guest on many Australian "sports talk" radio shows and networks, including ABC Grandstand, SEN 1116, Melbourne Talk Radio 1377, 2GB and others.
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