Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Former Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) participants Kim Si-woo and Min Woo Lee have been named as Captain’s Picks for the International Team which will face the US Team in this month’s Presidents Cup.
Korean Kim and Australian Lee were among six players picked by captain Mike Weir to round out the 12-man International Team for the contest at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in the last week of September. Weir also selected South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Canadians Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith and Mackenzie Hughes.
Of the six captain’s picks, Hughes and Lee are first-time participants, with Kim making his Presidents Cup debut in 2017, and Bezuidenhout, Conners and Pendrith doing so in 2022. In total, five countries are represented on the International Team: Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa and Korea.
Kim was the International Team’s leading points scorer with three points at Quail Hollow two years ago which included a Sunday singles victory over Justin Thomas. The 29-year-old, who holds a 4-3-0 (W-L-T) record, finished 14th on the International Team rankings when qualifying ended two weeks ago but got the call from Weir to join fellow Koreans Tom Kim, Im Sung-jae and An Byeong-hun, who all qualified automatically, for his third appearance in the Presidents Cup.
Weir said: “Si-woo brings a wealth of experience to our team room, as well as a great record in the Presidents Cup. He has been a stalwart on PGA Tour leaderboards since 2016 and has demonstrated an ability to perform his best when the pressure is at its highest, which will be a great asset for us in Montreal.
“If you look at Si-woo, his record in these things and the way he competes, all of his captains have seen it first-hand and up close. We just know how consistent he is all the way around.”
Kim, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, finished 32nd on the 2024 FedEx Cup points list to narrowly miss qualifying for the Tour Championship for the third time in his career.
He enjoyed two top-10 finishes including a tied sixth at The Players Championship and tied fifth at the BMW Championship two weeks ago. He only missed two cuts all season from 23 starts. In his two previous starts at the Presidents Cup, the Korean showed his fiery side by ‘shushing’ the home fans during his matches in big moments.
Kim is excited to head to Royal Montreal. “When I was younger, I always watched the Presidents Cup, which made me want to compete with the best golfers in the world. Hopefully I can help the team and we can win this year,” he said.
Australian Lee, who enjoyed two runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour this season and is a three-time winner on the DP World Tour, will make his Presidents Cup debut, joining compatriots Adam Scott and Jason Day on the International Team. Day and Scott were among the top-six automatic qualifiers.
Weir said: “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. 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.”
Lee, who finished ninth on the International Team rankings, is fired up for Royal Montreal. “What I can bring to the International Team is flair and hopefully some good golf. I’ve been playing pretty solid this year. Being on the International Team is very special and being the home side, it’ll be massive to play good in front of the fans. The Presidents Cup is massive. It was on my mind from a young age because that’s a team event that I can play in.”