Was Fowler the right choice for the Presidents Cup?
When World No. 1 Brooks Koepka announced that he wouldn’t recover from his knee injury in time to play in the Presidents Cup, it was only a matter of minutes before Rickie Fowler was revealed as his replacement in Tiger Woods’ side that will travel to Melbourne in December. But is it the right decision? Here’s what we had to say…
Alex: I wonder if Woods knew all along that Koepka wasn’t going to make it? It still doesn’t explain why he went for Patrick Reed over Fowler…
Anyway, regular readers will be shocked to read I’d have gone with Jordan Spieth. He’s not had the best year, sure, but we’re talking about the most one-sided competition in the sport’s history, and Spieth is hardly a 14-handicapper.
At 25, Spieth is integral to the future of Team USA and has played every one since 2013 – in which time he’s sat out of just TWO sessions. Out of 30! This could have been just the boost he needed to reignite his career, especially going into a Ryder Cup year.
Mark: I’m disappointed not to see Kevin Na get the nod. First up you couldn’t knock his credentials and you couldn’t knock the way that he putts so, given that it’s matchplay, that would probably be enough. And he’s Tiger’s mate and if Tiger’s happy then we’re all happy and the crowds would love him.
We all like happy endings and Na has been through his fair share of setbacks and he’s vastly underrated as a player. Plus after a couple of days everyone would be walking their putts in…
Joe: A Kevin for me too but I prefer Kisner. His matchplay record is unrivalled and the strongest of those left out.
He won the WGC-Match Play earlier this year and beat Matt Kuchar, who sealed an automatic spot on the side, in the final.
Kisner is one of the most consistent ball strikers in the game and that fairway-hitting quality is alway good for matchplay.
His game is suited to playing alongside somebody, I can see him slotting in well next to players like DJ, Finau or even Tiger who play a slightly different game.
Chris: What is going on? Of course Fowler is the right choice. I live in there meritocratic world where Fowler finished 11th in the Presidents Cup race and is the only one of the top 13 players during the qualification period who didn’t make the team.
The next two men in the standings? Woods and Reed.
Fowler’s pedigree and experience in team formats is without question. The 30-year-old went undefeated in the 2017 Presidents Cup and has taken four points from six singles matches for Team USA over the years.
Would you have taken Fowler as Koepka’s replacement? Let us know in the comments below or you can tweet us.
Alex Perry
Alex has been the editor of National Club Golfer since 2017. A Devonian who enjoys wittering on about his south west roots, Alex moved north to join NCG after more than a decade in London, the last five of which were with ESPN. Away from golf, Alex follows Torquay United and spends too much time playing his PlayStation or his guitar and not enough time practising his short game.
