Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel believes future interest in the Presidents Cup will hinge on the International Team claiming victory at Muirfield Village later this week in Ohio.
Schwartzel is among six South Africans competing this week and in also will be only his second appearance since making his debut two years ago at Royal Melbourne in Australia.
It was at the famed Royal Melbourne in 1998 when the International Team claimed still their only victory in a biannual event first staged in 1994.
Charl Schwartzel says the International Team needs to win to instill life back into the Presidents Cup.
Unlike their European Ryder Cup colleagues the International Team has been unable to break a USA strange hold with the Americans winning the last four encounters since the 2003 event in South Africa ended in a tie.
Two years ago and some six months after becoming Masters Champion Schwartzel delivered 3 1/2 points to his team but with the side still going down by four points.
And while Schwartzel is relatively new to the event he knows more regular members such as Ernie Els and Adam Scott are desperate to taste success and breathe much-needed life into the event.
“I haven’t felt that much of a weight of expectation myself for the team to win as this is only my second appearance but there’s clearly more pressure on the likes of Ernie (Els) and Adam (Scott) who have played in a lot more Presidents Cups and been on more losing sides than I have,” said Schwartzel,
“They’re been under more fire to win than I have and they have more of a feeling that that something needs to change.
“Of course, it’s about time the International Team won and that’s what the Presidents Cup needs. It needs a big lift and that lift is the International Team winning.
“It needs something like what we’ve seen in the Ryder Cup. It needs a close finish come Sunday and for the International Team to come out on top to breathe new life into the event and become a real competition again.”
And helping to lift the Internationals to a hopeful first win in 15 years is the presence of Zimbabwean Nick Price as captain.
“Nick has already been involved in so much behind the scenes and made it so exciting that I am sure that all he wants us to do is to have fun,” said Schwartzel.
