Collin Morikawa in Action on First Day of Presidents Cup

Cal grad Morikawa paired with Theegala, while former Golden Bear Max Homa sits out the first day

Collin Morikawa / Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

One Cal graduate will be action and another will be on the sidelines when the Presidents Cup golf event get underway Thursday at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada.

Former Golden Bear Collin Morikawa will be paired with Sahith Theegala for the United States team against the International team’s duo of Adam Scott and Min Woo Lin in a four-ball match Thursday.

Morikawa is ranked No. 4 in the world this week, and he is coming off a second-place finish in the Tour Championship.

That is one of five foursomes that will play four-ball matches in the first round of this competition that the U.S. has dominated.  The American are 12-1-1 in this event that matches American golfers against a squad of international players that does not include European golfers.

Not participating in the first round Thursday is another former Cal golfer, Max Homa.  He has not been playing his best golf in recent weeks, but he was outstanding in the previous Presidents Cup.

Homa has slipped to 25th in the world rankings and missed the cut in his most recent event, the Procore Championship.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach labels Homa as the U.S. team’s “Risky Pick” wih this commentary:

Almost everybody loves Max Homa. He's one of the more friendly golfers on tour and is by far the funniest on social media. Homa's track record in his past two international team events would make him a no-brainer choice for a captain's pick.

At Quail Hollow, Homa went 4-0 in his Presidents Cup debut. Then he was the top U.S. points earner at the Ryder Cup in Rome, securing 3½ points with a 3-1-1 record.

Homa struggled mightily on tour since mid-May, however, and didn't have a top-10 finish since tying for eighth at the Wells Fargo Championship. After missing the cut in the U.S. Open, Homa's next six finishes went like this: T61, T70, T43, 70, T33, missed cut. Ouch

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It takes 15.5 points to win the Presidents Cup, and the Americans are favored to win it again.

Click here for Thursday's pairings and schedule for the Presidents Cup

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