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‘Extreme’: Aussie gun’s bold Cup move

2024 Presidents Cup - Previews
Min Woo Lee can’t wait to take on the US. Picture: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images North America / Getty Images via AFP

Adam Scott and Presidents Cup first-timer Min Woo Lee will team up on the first day of the showdown with the USA in Canada with the veteran declaring the next generation is his “inspiration” to win for the first time in 11 attempts.

Lee has gone all out to show his enthusiasm for his debut on the International Team, getting the letters “INT” shaved into his head by a local barber.

“I went to (a barber) downtown right near the hotel. He was my age, and he was very cool about it,” Lee said.

“I haven’t done anything extreme like that (before)”.

International Team captain Mike Weir said the all-Australian combination was a “great fit” and their relationship as mentor and mentee could work in helping calm the younger player in a debut he’s longed for.

“Min’s obviously a powerful player and so is Adam. The guys just get along really well,” Weir said.

“They’ve known each other, Adam’s mentored him a little bit as well, and they’re just a great fit. They just really like each other as well.”

Lee conceded he had to continually bring himself back from being too amped up about his opportunity, reminded by the words and actions of Cup veterans like Scott that it’s the normal “processes” needed to focus on to succeed.

“I’m so excited about playing, but no, you have to ... there’s going to be obviously short putts that you have to do,” he said.

“When I look at them, they’re doing the routine the same as how they do it on the practice round.

“I just want to go to the next hole and play, but they’re doing their thing on the putting green, chipping green and doing that. So it kind of brings me back, and I’m like, OK, I’ll go do my processes right and just treat it as a golf tournament.

“Scotty’s played 20 years of this, so he obviously knows how this stuff goes. I mean, it’s massive, I think, just having that experience under the belt, not to stress out about the small things. It’s a big deal.”

Returning to the International Team for the first-time since 2017, Jason Day said it was Scott who was driving home the most important messages, desperate to record a win after suffering nine losses and a tie in his previous 10 Cups.

2024 Presidents Cup - Previews
Adam Scott is rallying the International Team. Picture: Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images North America

Ahead of his opening match with Lee, against Collin Morikawa/Sahith Theegala at Royal Montreal, Scott he’d never felt so comfortable about the chances of his team, inspired and motivated by the drive of the next generation of players like Lee who are desperate to take down team USA.

“They are my inspiration for the Presidents Cup now. They are my motivation to do well.,” he said.

“They have an opportunity, along with me this week to win this event, and they might have the opportunity to win many of them.

“We are determined to go out there this year and change the script of this event. Certainly, I want to improve my record in this event, and I’m very determined. I don’t know how many more opportunities I’ll get, if any. So this is a big week for me, but I have a lot of belief in this team.

“I can’t remember feeling so comfortable coming into a Presidents Cup.”

PRESIDENTS CUP DAY 1 FOURBALL MATCHES

Match 1: Jason Day/Byeong Hun An (International) v Xander Schauffele/Tony Finau (US)

Match 2: Collin Morikawa/Sahith Theegala (US) v Adam Scott/Min Woo Lee (International)

Match 3: Sungjae Im/Tom Kim (International) v Scottie Scheffler/Russell Henley (US)

Match 4: Wyndham Clark/Keegan Bradley (US) v Taylor Pendrith/Christiaan Bezuidenhout (International)

Match 5: Hideki Matsuyama/Corey Conners (International) v Patrick Cantlay/Sam Burns (US)