One young Aussie is celebrating his Presidents Cup debut but questions are being asked over how another was snubbed.
International captain Mike Weir announced his wildcard picks on Wednesday morning and on the list was rising golf star Min Woo Lee.
The Perth product joins fellow Aussies Jason Day and Adam Scott on the team to take on America at The Royal Montreal Golf Club from September 24.
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Lee – ranked 42nd on the Official World Golf Rankings – beat Sydney star Cam Davis – ranked 41st – to the International team.
“As one of the most popular players on the PGA Tour, Min Woo is going to be an incredible addition to the International Team and our passionate fans in Montreal,” Weir said.
“He is one of the best drivers of the golf ball, and I can’t wait to let him cook at the Presidents Cup in a few weeks.”
But while Lee was ecstatic to join the team, Davis was conspicuously absent.
Davis played the Presidents Cup in 2022 and this season won the Rocket Mortgage Classic to notch his second PGA Tour victory. Lee is yet to win an event on the tour but was runner-up twice this year.
But it is not Lee’s addition which has many golf pundits scratching their head.
Weir picked three of his fellow Canadians as wildcards for the team.
Mackenzie Hughes (65th) and Taylor Pendrith (45th) are significantly lower in the world rankings than Davis, as is South Korean player Si Woo Kim (49th).
At a press conference to announce his wildcards, Weir was forced to explain why Davis was not on the list.
“Well, if you look at Si Woo, his record in these things and the way he competes, all of his captains have seen it firsthand and up close,” the captain said.
“We just know how consistent he is all the way around.
“Not that Cam isn’t, either; Cam was very deserving, as well, and you wish you could pick 13 or 14, but there’s only 12 (spot), and it was a really tough choice.
“I believe in Cam Davis, too, but also believe in Si Woo, and that’s why we went with him there.
“Those are the tough calls as captain that you have to make.”
The wildcard selection continues an impressive and rapid rise for 26-year-old Lee, who won last year’s Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane and earned his PGA Tour card in the space of a few weeks.
“What I can bring to the International Team is flair and hopefully some good golf,” he said on Wednesday.
“I’ve been playing pretty solid this year. Being on the International team is very special and obviously being the home side, it’ll be massive to play good in front of the fans.”