Presidents Cup players starting season strong

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Geoff Ogilvy has impressed International Captain Greg Norman with two wins already this season.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- With the 2009 Presidents Cup, to be held Oct. 6-11, at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco, Calif., exactly six months away, International Team Captain Greg Norman and United States Team Captain Fred Couples have watched potential players from each of their teams play well over the first quarter of the PGA TOUR season.

Captain Couples has enjoyed thrilling starts to the season from the two players currently ranked highest in the U.S. Team standings, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. Mickelson has two victories in 2009 after defending his title at the Northern Trust Open and then winning his first World Golf Championships event at the CA Championship. Mickelson now has multiple victories in each of the past six seasons -- the only active player with that distinction. Woods returned from an eight-month hiatus after undergoing knee surgery following his 2008 U.S. Open victory and won the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. The win came in Woods' third start of the season.

In addition to the veteran players like Woods and Mickelson, some new 20-somethings on the PGA TOUR have emerged as candidates for the U.S. Team. Nick Watney, 27, won the Buick Invitational for his second PGA TOUR victory. Watney has moved to 10th in The Presidents Cup standings, thanks to seven top-25 finishes in eight starts on the PGA TOUR, including his victory at Torrey Pines as well as a runner-up finish to Mickelson at the CA Championship. Dustin Johnson, 24, joined Watney in this year's winner's circle when he won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Johnson and Anthony Kim are the only two players from the United States under 25 with two PGA TOUR victories. Johnson is currently No. 12 in The Presidents Cup standings.

Another young player moving up in the U.S. Team rankings is Sean O'Hair, thanks to his runner-up finish to Woods at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. While O'Hair, currently ranked seventh in the standings, hasn't won since the 2008 Transitions Championship, he has played consistent golf ever since. In 2009, he has four top-10 finishes in seven starts. O'Hair, Johnson, Watney and Kim are all hoping to make their first-ever Presidents Cup Team.

Captain Norman has also witnessed some great play from potential members of his team. Australian Geoff Ogilvy moved to No. 1 in the International Team standings with victories at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship and later at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. Ogilvy had a 2-3 record in 2007 in his first appearance at The Presidents Cup.

The International Team got a boost from a familiar face when two-time U.S. Open winner Retief Goosen of South Africa won this year's Transitions Championship. Goosen has been on the past four Presidents Cup teams; he is currently ranked seventh in points.

Like the U.S. Team, the International Team has a strong mix of veteran performers as well as up-and-coming stars within the top 10 of the standings. In addition to Ogilvy and Goosen, Vijay Singh (No. 2), Ernie Els (No. 4), Mike Weir (No. 5), K.J. Choi (No. 6), Adam Scott (No. 8) and Robert Allenby (No. 10) are all looking to make the International Team once again. They are complemented by newcomers Camilo Villegas, who is currently ranked No. 3, thanks in large part to his two victories during the 2008 PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup; and Jeev Milkha Singh (No. 10), who could be the first Indian player to compete in The Presidents Cup. Singh finished fourth at the CA Championship.

At last week's Shell Houston Open, Captains Couples and Norman competed in the field together for the first time this season. Couples had a shot at winning the event; he was tied for the lead after three rounds, posting a 74 in the final round to tie for third. While he has ruled out participating in The Presidents Cup as a "playing captain," the tie for third -- his second of the season -- has moved him to No. 59 in the U.S. Team standings.

Norman and Couples are both competing in the Masters Tournament this week, giving them another chance to see potential Presidents Cup team members in action at the season's first major championship.

Ten members of the 2009 U.S. Team will be selected based on official earnings from the 2007 Wyndham Championship through the 2009 PGA Championship (with money earned in 2009 counting as double), plus two Captain's selections, which will be announced on Sept. 8. Members of the 2009 International Team will be chosen on the basis of the Official World Golf Ranking through the 2009 PGA Championship, plus two Captain's selections, also announced Sept. 8. The International Team does not include players eligible for the European Ryder Cup Team.

This year marks the first time in The Presidents Cup history that both captains (Couples and Norman) and their captains' assistants (Jay Haas, U.S. Team; Frank Nobilo, International Team) are former participants in The Presidents Cup.

For tickets to the event, visit PresidentsCup.com or call 877-PREZ-TIX (773-9849). For corporate entertainment options, please call 415-566-7287.

The Presidents Cup, a team match play competition featuring 24 of the world's top golfers -- 12 from the United States and 12 from around the world, excluding Europe -- is held every two years, and since 1996 has alternated between United States and international venues. The Presidents Cup was developed to give the world's best non-European players an opportunity to compete in international team match-play competition. The U.S. Team has won five of the seven previous Presidents Cups, and the only outright win by the International Team came at the 1998 event in Melbourne. The 2003 Presidents Cup ended in a tie.