Around The Links: Golf News for October 1, 2013

With only two days left until action gets underway at the 2013 President’s Cup, it is the only thing happening in men’s golf this weekend, but the LPGA gets back to work as well in China. The President’s Cup tees off at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, and the ladies are playing the Reignwood LPGA Classic in Bejing. The only ones getting some time off during the first week of October are the European players. They will have to wait until the Ryder Cup starts next September at Gleneagles.

The President’s Cup is an enigma where Team USA has dominated the competition for nine of the eleven meetings in history. As a made-for-TV event to fill the gap left by the absence of the Ryder Cup every other year, it suffers from lack of tradition. I hate to say it, but winning at Muirfield Village is a double-edged sword. The more that Team USA dominates this match, the less interest it generates. To be the marquee event that is the Ryder Cup, Team Interational needs more victories.

Presidents Cup: Change of pace on links

This is a great synopsis of the mind-set change needed by a professional golfer to play in a team format, by Rob Oller at the Columbus Dispatch!

"Asking a professional golfer to concentrate on anything but his own game is like handing a paint brush to a plumber and expecting him to fix a leak. The feeling is more foreign than an Australian accent."

Golf-Penpix of United States Presidents Cup team

Bookmark this article from Reuters for all the facts for Team USA. World Rankings, wins/losses, and a brief synopsis of their current success during the 2013 season.

Couples for Ryder Cup captain? Why not?

"The U.S. golfers love Couples as a captain, and maybe that’s half the battle of being a good captain. And even though the Americans always seem to win the Presidents Cup, Couples seems to have done the job as well as he could.But does that make him a Ryder Cup captain?"

John Daly hits golf ball out of some random guy’s mouth in a parking lot

In case you haven’t seen “Big John” hit the golf ball out of a guy’s mouth yet, here’s the link.

"It has been a pretty injury-plagued season for John Daly, a man that seems to be counting the days down until he’s eligible for the Champions Tour (he turns 48 in April), but having fun hasn’t stopped for the two-time major winner."

You can follow Les on Twitter @Spin_47 and in the Golf Community at Google +