"Lot of our players were lost to LIV Golf"- Ernie Els opens up about the status of international golfers
Ernie Els has seen better days for the International team at the Presidents Cup. While they've never been overly successful, there was a stretch that involved a win and a tie and other good performances against the United States. That hasn't necessarily been the case for a little while.
He acknowledged that he wasn't sure why they had what he called a "golden period" for a little while, but they did have people ranked in the top 10, 15, or 20 of the OWGR in the 1990s and 2000s.
He said (via ASAP Sports):
"It could be that the way people play now it's tough to pick up World Ranking points. On the U.S. Tour, it's very competitive. Just to stay on Tour, you're doing very well."
He added that it's "so competitive on the PGA Tour", and that the money is also "very competitive." Everyone wants to play there, and it's not easy to play in Europe in Els' eyes.
He noted that things have changed thanks to LIV Golf:
"I remember going through Dubai, and you play well at Dubai, you're good to go. You're top 10 for the rest of the year, basically, and some of the other tournaments. But that's kind of gone away a little bit now. A lot of our players were lost to LIV."
Els went on to say that they're in the process of returning to a better state. Some players may not have as many OWGR ranking points, but there's loads of talent that just needs some time. Once they start winning PGA Tour events, Els believes the confidence will skyrocket for the next Presidents Cup.
Ernie Els assures better days are coming
The International Team impressed by bouncing back from a 5-0 drubbing on the first day of competition to make a real competition out of the Presidents Cup. They responded with a 5-0 day of their own and kept things interesting after a dreadful start.
They may be a long way from Ernie Els' glory days with the team, but they're moving in the right direction. The legendary golfer said after the event via ASAP Sports:
"It was a different animal back in the day, but this thing's coming, I promise you. Even the U.S. Team, how many players in the top 20 this week? A lot of the guys live here. We've just got to give it some time. I think the next year or so, these guys start winning tournaments, the whole thing will change again."
The team this year had a few young players, including 22-year-old PGA Tour star Tom Kim. Ernie Els believes the team will only get better as time goes on.