The International team is bonded by its shield ahead of this Presidents Cup showdown. 

 Should anyone ponder the notion of momentum in the biennial Presidents Cup, there are indicators. Nine years ago in Incheon, South Korea, the International team finished one agonising point shy, losing 15½-14½ to the powerhouse US team.

Four years later, in Melbourne, a 10-8 lead built through the team sessions vanished as a Tiger Woods-led American fightback in the singles on the final day left the International team two points shy.

Yes, the International team is continuing to grow and strengthen and is matching up as well as ever against a formidable foe. And, yes, the closest contests in recent years have been on non-American soil. So if critics are wondering how much stock to put into this team’s rallying cry – “The shield unites us” – the answer is, a lot.

That’s because the “rest of the world” talent pool is deeper than it has ever been and it’s also because what awaits this month is another “home” game for the International team.

Correction, it’s not just another home game; it’s a home game in a country that arguably knows how to plug in the electricity to support its own more than any other. If Laurence Applebaum thought Nick Taylor’s 72-foot eagle putt to win the RBC Canadian Open in June 2023 was “unbelievable for Canadian golf”, the Golf Canada chief executive might be offering a reassessment should the International team upset the top-heavy US team at Royal Montreal Golf Club from September 26-29.

That’s because Canadian golf fans can support and roar, and get behind you so ferociously loud that you cannot hear yourself. Taylor discovered that on every tee as he chased down Tommy Fleetwood last year. “The most unbelievable thing I will probably ever experience in my life,” he said.

And Mike Weir felt similarly when he salvaged a big slice of joy out of a team loss in the 2007 edition at Royal Montreal by beating world No.1 Tiger Woods, 1 up, in a Sunday singles showcase. “For me being from Canada, to have this kind of support, it’s overwhelming, really, and I’m having a tough time putting it into words what it really means to me because it’s so shortly after,” Weir said moments after he beat Woods in front of a raucous crowd.

“But I need when I look back on my career, this may be something, maybe even more special than the Masters, the support I’ve gotten here.”

Here’s a wild guess, but should Weir, as captain, leads his International team to a rare win, his singles victory over Woods 17 years ago will be a distant memory. As the 15th playing of the Presidents Cup approaches, there’s no denying the might of the Americans, who have won this competition nine straight times. Top-10 players and major winners dot the line-up – Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark – but there is an indelible spirit that galvanises the International team.

“It’s this shield, this shield that we have,” said Weir [above], who as a Canadian icon was the logical and most compelling pick to be captain of the 2024 International team. As a captain’s assistant in 2019, Weir was there when captain Ernie Els revealed the team’s new logo, the shield, and the impact is real.

“We are a culmination of guys coming from all over the world trying to come together for one week,” added the 2003 Masters champion. “We feel like we’re all part of the same team. [The shield] has brought us closer.”

Whether it can close the gap between the two sides and perhaps give the Internationals their first win since 1998 remains to be seen. But not to brush a little disrespect on the shield, which is a valuable motivating tool, the determining factor in the International team’s pursuit of victory will revolve around the players. They are the ones who must hit the shots and make the putts, and that is Golf 101, be it a strokeplay tournament or a team format such as the Presidents Cup. In many past editions of the biennial competition, there was a wide gap in talent. But no more, and look no further than Canada.

For years, Weir carried the flag on his back for an entire nation. He was the only Canadian on the 2007 team, courtesy of a captain’s pick from Gary Player. But a quick scan of the pro golf landscape paints a bright picture for Canada – Taylor (four), Corey Conners (two), Mackenzie Hughes (two), Adam Hadwin (one) and Taylor Pendrith (one) combine for 10 PGA Tour wins in recent years. Pendrith and Taylor own victories this season and as the PGA Tour schedule sprints towards the 2024 finish line, all five of those Canadians are inside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings.

Throw all that into the recipe and what you get is this: there’s a very strong likelihood that this year’s International team will feature at least three Canadians and the chances of four being on Captain Weir’s roster is very plausible.

But positive signs are elsewhere, starting with the fact that the team’s best player, Hideki Matsuyama, won earlier this year and has finished top-10 in the US Open and Players Championship. Aussies Jason Day and Adam Scott, a team fixture since 2003, have played consistently well in 2024 and not to be overlooked is another Aussie, Cam Davis, who recently won on the PGA Tour and gained valuable Presidents Cup experience in 2022. There’s also the strong possibility that Min Woo Lee, a swashbuckling golfer nicknamed ‘The Chef’, could make his debut.

The eclectic mix of nationalities is not only the flavour of the International team, but also its strength and it has changed dramatically for the better. In 2007 at Royal Montreal, for instance, the team was dominated by South Africans and Australians. Those nations will still be represented, of course, but with an influx of quality global players from Japan and Korea (Matsuyama, Tom Kim, Sungjae Im, Byeong Hun An) and along with these wildly popular and talented Canadians, this gathering at Royal Montreal will probably look markedly different than the one 17 years ago.

Indeed, the shield is united.