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Sydney – Australian Adam Scott knows fans at the Presidents Cup will be excited to see Tiger Woods play, but he has urged them not cheer for the golf superstar — or anyone else on the US team.
Scott has played in eight editions of the biennial matchplay tournament and is the only member of the International team who appeared in 2011, which was also at Royal Melbourne where next week’s tournament is being held.
Woods, who is playing captain this time round, secured the winning point in 2011 and Scott said the Australian crowd were too nice.
“Last time it was too friendly,” he told News Corp newspapers ahead of teeing up on Thursday at the Australian Open in Sydney, where he will fine tune for the Presidents Cup. “Quite bluntly, we want the home-crowd advantage, and I’ll be disappointed if they are cheering enthusiastically for Tiger or anyone on the US team.”
The Ernie Els-led Internationals need all the help they can get, having won only once in the event’s 25-year history – in Melbourne in 1998.
They have a young and mostly inexperienced team, in contrast to the Americans who boast some of the world’s top-ranked players such as Woods, Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas.
“I’m not saying be a poor sport, but one challenge our team has always had is gaining a home-soil advantage because it’s rare that stars like Tiger and DJ (Johnson) come to Australia or Korea where we play these things,” Scott said.
“And the locals are excited to see them as much as anyone on our team.
“But while we appreciate them very much, we don’t have to cheer for them.” — AFP.
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