Presidents Cuppers young and old the center of attention
· Yahoo Sports
MEDINAH, Ill. – The last time Medinah hosted an international team competition, the event was defined by a historic European comeback and a panicky ride in a police cruiser for Rory McIlroy to make his singles tee time.
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It remains to be seen if any players make the same time-zone mistake as McIlroy did at the 2012 Ryder Cup, but for American rookie Jacob Bridgeman, the week has already involved a police escort.
Bridgeman won last week’s Biltmore Championship in Asheville, North Carolina, a timely confidence boost but also a liability for a player scrambling to catch a private flight to Chicago for this week’s matches.
His flight – which was also carrying fellow rookie Jackson Koivun and vice captain Webb Simpson – was waiting for Bridgeman, but there was an issue with the pilot, who was required by aviation rules to take off by a certain time or the flight would be delayed until Monday morning.
Thanks to a police escort, Bridgeman made it to the airport with two minutes to spare, and he arrived in Chicago on Sunday night in time for a standing ovation from his American teammates.
• Medinah was also the site of one of the most spirited final-round duels in PGA Championship history in 1999, when Tiger Woods and a then-19-year-old Sergio Garcia went head-to-head during the final round.
The Spaniard had closed the gap on Woods before pushing his drive at the par-4 16th hole under a towering oak tree. Garcia’s eyes-closed recovery shot, sprint down the fairway and scissor kick are part of the club’s lore – but don’t go looking for that famous tree.
The tree was removed more than 10 years ago, and a recent redesign of the course altered the routing, leaving that iconic spot now on the 15th hole. The plaque that had been placed at the site has also been removed.
For the Presidents Cup (which required more rerouting), the spot of Garcia’s heroics will be down the right side of the 11th hole, about 25 yards short of the hill he bounded down in 1999.
• At 46 years old, Adam Scott is the undisputed elder statesman of the International team, but don’t let his advanced age fool you.
“He's definitely the veteran of the group. He's still got that kid in him, which is great, and I think me and the younger boys kind of bring it out of him. And we want to bring it out of him,” said Min Woo Lee, who seems destined to be paired with Scott this week.
Pressed for an example of how Scott’s “kid” has been unleashed, Lee said, “You would think he's normally the mature one, which he is, but when we joke or when we make some funny videos, like he's right in there and he wants to be amongst it.”