Ross KinnairdOLD WESTBURY, N.Y. — Will Phil Mickelson make the U.S. Presidents Cup team? As we approach next month's event, it sounds more and more like that question will be answered by Phil Mickelson.
Of course, it's always up to a player to earn a spot on the team or prove himself worthy of a captain's pick, but this year, Steve Stricker seems ready to let the veteran lefty make the actual decision on whether he'll tee it up for the Americans at Liberty National.
RELATED: Who else is on the bubble to make the U.S. Presidents Cup team?
“I will probably leave it up to Phil at some point telling me if he thinks he can be ready to play, if he’s capable of helping out and then I’ll ask the rest of the team,” Stricker told PGATour.com ahead of this week's Northern Trust.
So after an opening two-over-par 72 at Glen Oaks Club, Mickelson was asked whether he would pick himself right now.
“Like I said, I'm going to see how these next two weeks go,” said Mickelso..

Stan BadzU.S. Presidents Cup captain Steve Stricker, Jordan Spieth, Charley Hoffman and assistant Jim Furyk take in a practice round during course previews at Liberty National Golf Club on Aug. 21.OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. — The Presidents Cup has the unfortunate reputation of being the “little brother” to the Ryder Cup, and with good reason. History, and results, are clearly on the Ryder Cup’s side. With the U.S. lop-sided 9-1-1 edge over the International side, it’s difficult to discern what happened in any single Presidents Cup since the competition began in 1994.
But representing your country still means something, especially to a few guys who haven’t in either competition. Two potential first-timers include Charley Hoffman and Kevin Chappell, sitting at 10th and 11th in the U.S. team standings, respectively, with two weeks left in the qualifying process and the top 10 making the squad. Playing for American captain Steve Stricker at Liberty National in late September is certainly on their..

J.D. CubanBilly Payne during the Green Jacket ceremony at the 2011 Masters.Comfortable and at peace. That was how Masters chairman Billy Payne appeared to Golf World Editor-in-Chief Jaime Diaz on Tuesday when the two met in Payne’s office for a sit-down interview at Augusta National Golf Club, a day prior to Payne’s announcement that he was retiring as club chairman, effective in October.
“I had never spoken to the chairman one-on-one like that,” Diaz said. “You know, I was a little trepidatious about how formal it might be, or if in any way it was going to be stiff, and it wasn’t. It was just the opposite. For whatever reason, I felt very comfortable immediately. And I think that’s one of his gifts.”
On this week’s Golf Digest Podcast, Diaz discusses his conversation and the story he subsequently wrote for the website in which he assesses Payne’s time at Augusta. Given the number of things achieved in Payne’s 11-plus years, Diaz comes to the conclusion that his was the most influentia..