Cink climbs to No. 7, five events left to qualify

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- With the month of July rapidly coming to a close, and three major championships already in the books, only five events remain before the top 10 players in both the U.S. and International Presidents Cup standings automatically qualify for their respective teams. Those 20 players, plus two captains selections for each team (announced Sept. 8), will meet at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco, Calif., Oct. 6-11, to decide The Presidents Cup 2009.

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Stewart Cink's British Open win sealed his position on the 2009 U.S. Presidents Cup Team.

TEAM STANDINGS

Americans
Internationals

Stewart Cink, a player with plenty of match play experience both in The Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, greatly enhanced his chances of making the U.S. Team after claiming his first major championship over the weekend at the British Open. The six-time PGA TOUR winner outlasted 59-year-old Tom Watson in a four-hole playoff to earn the victory, improving from No. 13 to No. 7 in the U.S. Presidents Cup Team standings. A member of the last two U.S. Teams and a three-time participant over all (2000, 2005 and 2007), Cink owns an impressive record of 8-4-1 in Presidents Cup competition.

Joining Cink in the top 10 at Turnberry was 1997 British Open champion and fellow Presidents Cup veteran Justin Leonard, who fired a final round 2-under-par 68 and finished the week tied for eighth. Though still looking for his first victory of the 2009 season, Leonard continues to produce solid results with five top-10 finishes on the year. He also remains squarely in the hunt to make Fred Couples' U.S. Presidents Cup Team, with his finish in Scotland helping him remain in the top 10 at No. 9. Leonard is aiming for his fifth appearance in The Presidents Cup (1996, 1998, 2003 and 2005) and owns an overall record of 6-10-2.

The top five in the U.S. Presidents Cup Team standings remained unchanged following the third major championship of the season, with Tiger Woods still in the top spot despite a rare missed cut. He is followed by Phil Mickelson, Kenny Perry, Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson. Sean O'Hair remains No. 6 in the rankings, followed by Cink, Jim Furyk (No. 8) and Leonard. Brian Gay, a two-time winner on the PGA TOUR in 2009, rounds out the top 10.

The final leaderboard from the British Open must also have been encouraging for International Captain Greg Norman, as several potential members of his squad performed well. South Africans Retief Goosen and Ernie Els, who have a combined nine appearances in The Presidents Cup, tied for fifth and eighth, respectively. Australian Mathew Goggin found himself in the last pairing Sunday alongside Watson, and despite a 3-over-par 73 in the final round, he tied for fifth, improving from No. 19 to No. 14 in the standings.

Fellow Australian Geoff Ogilvy remains on top of the International Team standings, followed by Vijay Singh and Camilo Villegas. Villegas tied for 13th at Turnberry. Goosen (No. 4) and Els (No. 5) round out the top five. Mike Weir (No. 6), Masters champion Angel Cabrera (No. 7), Tim Clark (No. 8), Rory Sabbatini (No. 9) and Robert Allenby (No. 10) would all earn automatic spots on the International Team if the rosters were set today.

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 the 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.