The U.S., Europe and International squads announced their rosters for the second playing of the Skechers World Champions Cup.
Jim Furyk, Mike Weir and Darren Clarke can agree on at least one thing: they thought their chance to represent their country or continent or portion of the world had come and gone. But these former stars and captains of Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup are getting another bite at the apple thanks to the Skechers World Champions Cup.
“To represent our country and be a part of a team again is something most of us haven’t done for a while,” Furyk said. “For most of us, it’s been 20-plus years and some of us are getting to do it for the first time.”
Furyk, captain of Team USA, Weir, captain of Team International, and Clarke, captain of Team Europe, announced their rosters Wednesday for the second playing of the Skechers World Champions Cup supporting Shriners Children's, set to be contested Dec. 4-7 at Feather Sound Country Club in Clearwater, Florida.
This Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup-inspired global team competition will feature Team USA, Team International and Team Europe going head-to-head as they battle for international pride and global bragging rights. Each of the three teams competing in the event is made up of six players, including a playing captain and a vice captain serving in a non-playing role.
Team USA will include Stewart Cink, Jerry Kelly, Justin Leonard and Steve Stricker, along with Furyk.
“I think we have the type of team that can repeat as champions of this event,” Furyk said. “Stewart has been playing lights out this season, and we all saw how Jerry rose to the occasion and was such a key player for our team in winning two years ago. Strick is a guy who has plenty of experience playing under pressure in Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups, and his leadership as a winning captain twice is invaluable. And I’ll take Jutin Leonard and his knack for performing in the biggest situations every day of the week. The more I talk about these guys, the more fired up I get for us to go out there and compete.”
Team International will include Steven Alker, Angel Cabrera, K.J. Choi and Y.E. Yang, along with Weir.
“Steven’s season speaks for itself, and the way he’s playing, there’s nobody else that I’d want as one of the leaders of this squad in my first time as captain,” Weir said. “K.J. has played some terrific golf since joining the PGA Tour Champions, and how could you not be thrilled about having Ángel and his three victories this season on our side? He’s got two major championships under his belt, so I know how hard he’ll compete to help this team win. Y.E. has played really well this year and brings a major champion pedigree to our team. After my experience captaining the International Presidents Cup team last year, I’m excited to be in that role again this December, and will also look forward to being able to earn some points for my team as a player.”
Team Europe will include Thomas Bjorn, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie, along with Clarke.
“With the current leader in this season’s Charles Schwab Cup standings in Miguel and the greatest player in the history of the PGA Tour Champions in Bernhard on our roster, I think we have a very strong team heading into this year’s tournament,” Clarke said. “I know that Monty’s competitive juices were flowing in 2023 and he wants to come back and win. Thomas has two wins already this year and has been part of five winning European Ryder Cup teams, so we know he’ll be an integral part of our success this December.”
The final member of each team will be decided based on points in the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs standings on Sunday at the conclusion of the SAS Championship, the final regular-season event on the PGA Tour Champions.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Skechers World Champions Cup rosters for U.S., Europe, International teams
Category: General Sports
