KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Alison Lee shot a 6-under 65 on Thursday for a share of the first-round lead with China’s Xi Yu Lin in the LPGA Malaysia, the 20-year-old American’s first event since her emotional Solheim Cup debut.

Lee birdied five of the first eight holes at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, and added birdies on Nos. 12 and 14. The UCLA student bogeyed the par-3 17th and – after rain and lightning delayed play more than three hours – got up-and-down for par on the par-4 18th.

In the Solheim Cup last month in Germany, Lee was in tears after Suzann Pettersen called for the American to be penalized for picking up her ball when she mistakenly thought a short putt had been conceded in the completion of a fourballs match. Infuriated, the U.S. rallied to beat Europe in the biggest comeback in event history, with Lee winning her singles match.

“Not only did we win, but just to be able to be there and participate and be a part of something so great like that and to go into history with the biggest comeback ever,” Lee said. “Definitely learned a lot from it.”

She has been busy off the course.

“Right after Solheim I took one day off and started school right away and did my apartment and bought books and went to class, did rush,” Lee said. “I don’t know how I’m sitting here right now. I don’t know how I survived, but I did it somehow. I feel like it’s all a great experience. I love still being in school.”

Lin three-putted the 18th for her only bogey.

“I guess I was a little too aggressive trying to make another birdie,” Lin said.

Michelle Wie was a stroke back along with defending champion Shanshan Feng, Yani Tseng and Chella Choi. Finally over hip and ankle injuries, Wie had eight birdies and three bogeys.

“Just feels so good to be out here and not thinking, ‘Oh, this swing is going to hurt my hip and my ankle,'” Wie said. “Just going out there and being actually able to hit balls and hit golf shots and play the way that I know I can.”

Feng dropped out of a tie for the lead when she three-putted the final hole for her lone bogey.

Top-ranked Inbee Park, the 2012 winner, was tied for 10th at 68. She won two majors this year and is tied with second-ranked Lydia Ko for the tour victory lead with four.

Ko had a 71. The 18-year-old New Zealander is coming off consecutive victories in the Canadian Women’s Open and Evian Championship, where she became the youngest major champion.

Pettersen opened with a 77. The Norwegian star had a double bogey and four bogeys.

The event is first of five straight in Asia. The LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship is next week in South Korea, followed by stops in Taiwan, China and Japan.

UXBRIDGE, Ont. — The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) has announced the seven boys and five girls who will comprise Team Ontario for 2016. The team met in full for the first time, Oct. 2-4 in Foot’s Bay, for their kickoff camp held at OviinByrd Golf Club.

The team is set for a full winter of training, which will include two camps in Florida, along with a camp/the Can-AM Matches during March Break in South Carolina. The camps will all be leading up to the start of the 2016 season, which will begin with the Team Ontario Cup in late April.

“The coaching staff and I are very excited to begin training with this very talented group of young athletes,” said GAO Manager of Sport Performance Mary Ann Hayward. “Several of the players already hold national and age category provincial titles and we are looking forward to raising their games to the next level and hopefully putting more Ontario players onto the National Development Team.”

This year’s team again highlights the quality of the GAO’s high performance programs as eleven members of the team are either returning to Team Ontario or are products of the GAO’s Regional (U17) Team Program.

With each new installment of the team, there are departures. Three 2015 members have graduated from the program and are furthering their career in the ranks of the NCAA. Unionville’s Max Sear is attending the University of West Virginia; Ruthven’s Alyssa Getty is at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Ridgeway’s Madeline Marck-Sherk is at Florida Gulf Coast University.

The 2016 version of team Ontario will feature five returning players:

• Jason Chung, 16, from Thornhill and Thornhill Golf & Country Club, coached by Charlie Woo.
• Monet Chun, 14, from Richmond Hill and The Summit Golf & Country Club, coached by Don Lee.
• Jackson Bowery, 17, from London and Greenhills Golf Club.
• Jake Bryson, 16, from Dunrobin and Eagle Creek Golf Club, coached by Kevin Haime.
• Isabella Portokalis, 14, from London and West Haven Golf & Country Club

Joining the returnees, are the following graduates of the GAO Regional Team Program:

• Lachlan O’Hara (Team York), 15, from Mississauga and Credit Valley Golf & Country Club, coached by Jeff Overholt and Jon Roy.
• Ty Celone (Team Ottawa), 16, from Long Sault and the Upper Canada Golf Course.
• Peyton Callens (Team Waterloo), 15, from Langton and Delhi Golf & Country Club, coached by Ralph Bauer.
• Sam Meek, (Team York – 2014), 17, from Peterborough and Kawartha Golf & Country Club, coached by Henry Brunton.
• Hailey McLaughlin, 14, from Markham and Cedar Brae Golf & Country Club, coached by Gord Burns.
• Alexandra Naumovski, (Team York – 2014), 18, from Halton Hills and Brampton Golf Club.

Rounding out the team is: Alyssa DiMarcantonio, 12, from Maple and Station Creek Golf Club, coached by Thomas Youn.

GAO Head Provincial Coach Reggie Millage, a Class ‘A’ PGA of Canada professional from Milton, leads the Team Ontario coaching staff. Millage enters his third season with the team. Also returning this year are Athletic Therapist Andrew Hoermann, Strength and Conditioning Coach Nick Martichenko and Mental Skills Coach Judy Goss.

The team is already an accomplished group and they will look for even more success in 2016. Some highlights from the 2015 season included: Chung – CN Future Links Quebec Champion and silver in the Ontario Juvenile Boys’ Championship; Callens – AJGA Junior All-Stars at Ravenwood Champion; Celone – CJGA Mizuno National Champion; McLaughlin – Ontario Bantam Girls and Women’s Four-Ball Champion; DiMarcantonio – Ontario Peewee Girls’ Champion, Bantam Tour Hidden Lake Champion and silver at the Ontario Bantam Girls’ Championship; Chun – Ontario Junior Girls’ Match Play Champion, silver at the Ontario Juvenile Girls’ Championship and bronze at the Spring Classic; Naumovski – silver at the Ontario Junior Girls’ Championship; Meek – Bronze at the Ontario Junior Boys’ Championship; Bowery – Bronze at the Spring Classic; and Portokalis – bronze at the Ontario Bantam Girls’ Championship.

Looking ahead Team Ontario will train indoors during the winter months at Peak Performance Golf in Vaughan. ClubLink’s TPC Eagle Trace in Coral Springs, Florida will host Team Ontario training camps in January and February.  During March-break, the team will head to the Wachesaw Plantation Club in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina for a training camp as well as to take part in the Can-Am Matches, an annual team-match event between the top junior golfers from Ontario and South Carolina.

INCHEON, South Korea – Comparing the Presidents Cup to the Ryder Cup is like listening to a conversation between a Scot and an American.

The words might be similar, but they sound nothing alike.

The biggest difference with the Presidents Cup is an American team that is filled with smiles, not stress. And there’s a reason for that. The Americans haven’t lost in these matches since 1998, and the last four have not been particularly close.

They walk taller. They worry less.

Jordan Spieth has played in one of each in his short but already stellar career, and it was hard not to notice the contrast between the two cups.

“It seems there is a bit of a difference in the two teams rooms in the Presidents Cup experience I’ve had and the Ryder Cup last year,” Spieth said Wednesday. “Almost like we put too much emphasis on the Ryder Cup instead of just freeing up to play our own game.”

Ryder Cup practice rounds felt like dress rehearsals. Presidents Cup practice rounds feel like a Tuesday money game on tour.

“We feel like the favorites,” Spieth said. “We’re walking around with cockiness in our step, and often that can bite you if you’re not careful, but we’re aware of that. But the point is, we’re out there smiling because we believe whatever matchup we want to put together, we believe we can beat the other team.”

The Americans, who have won the Ryder Cup only one time in the last 16 years, go after their sixth straight victory in the Presidents Cup when the matches get started Thursday at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea.

Adam Scott, who has yet to play on a winning Presidents Cup team in six previous tries, and Hideki Matsuyama lead off the foursomes session against J.B. Holmes and Bubba Watson, two of the longest hitters in golf.

Spieth and Dustin Johnson are in the anchor match against Marc Leishman and Danny Lee.

A lively opening ceremony Wednesday night, which featured South Korean President Park Geun-hye and former President George W. Bush, began with great suspense when a secret box was carried onto the stage. It was carefully opened to reveal the shiny gold Presidents Cup trophy.

But there really hasn’t been much suspense at all.

The last time it was close was in 2003 at South Africa when it ended in a tie after Ernie Els and Tiger Woods matched pars in three sudden-death playoff holes before it was too dark to continue. Jack Nicklaus was the captain that year, and he mentioned that Presidents Cup in a speech Wednesday night. Nicklaus referred to it as the greatest sporting event in which he had ever taken part.

“We have that opportunity again this week,” Nicklaus said.

The Presidents Cup has lacked the rancor of the Ryder Cup, which is inevitable when it’s a competition between two tours (PGA and Europe) instead of the Americans against an International team in which all but one player – Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand – is or will be a PGA Tour member.

“They’re all Americans, they were just born in a different country,” U.S. assistant captain Fred Couples said.

This is the first Presidents Cup without Woods since 1996 when he was a 20-year-old playing on sponsor exemptions to avoid going to Q-school. Els didn’t qualify and didn’t feel worthy of a pick, so he is out for the first time since 2005.

Price has an International team that is the youngest ever despite the 45-year-old Thongchai. The captain is worried that if the Presidents Cup is another blowout, even some of the players might start losing interest.

What might give these matches a little edge is a debate over the number of matches, which were reduced from 34 to 30 this year in a decision that left neither team happy. The International team wanted it lowered to 28, like the Ryder Cup. The Americans wanted it to stay at 34.

Price believes the fewer the matches, the more likely it is to come down to the last day.

Whether that makes a difference depends largely on the one aspect that doesn’t change no matter what kind of cup is involved. It’s about making putts, winning holes and piling up points.

“We don’t have a crystal ball, and anything can happen in this game,” Scott said. “But I believe we’re moving closer to a great competition.”

MISSISSAUGA — The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) announced the recipients of the 2015 Volunteer Awards on October 5, as par of the annual Volunteer Appreciation Day held this year at Mississaugua Golf & Country Club.

The GAO volunteer recognition program has been designed to recognize outstanding performances and contributions by volunteers who have played an instrumental role in promoting the growth and development of amateur golf throughout the province of Ontario, while preserving the integrity and traditions of the game.

“Our volunteer team in Ontario is second to none and their dedication to the growth of the sport is inspiring,” said GAO Interim Executive Director Mike Kelly. “From course rating to championships to committee work, volunteers move our association forward with passion and for that we are grateful.”

This year, the GAO presented two Honourary Life Director Awards, two Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Awards, the Volunteer of the Year Award and the District Volunteer of the Year Award.

Honourary Life Director Awards — Bill Muzak & Jim Bristow
Honourary Life Directors are recognized for their outstanding achievements through their involvement as a Committee and Board Member. This year the GAO chose to recognize a pair of individuals who have made tremendous contributions to the association and golf in the province.

Bill Muzak, a resident of Baden, can often be seen and heard at many GAO events as a starter welcoming players and guests to the tee at tournaments. He has been volunteering as a Tournament Official since 2001. He also served on the Board of Directors from 2008 to 2014 during which time he sat on numerous board and operating committees.

Jim Bristow, from London, is a past Ontario Golf Association President (1996) and has been a volunteer with the GAO since 2002. He is a level 4 Rules Official, but also works as a Site Coordinator, Senior Rules Official and currently serves on the GAO’s Finance/Risk Committee.

Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award — Randy Millage & Kathy Hill
The Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award is considered the highest honour recognizing individual service to the game of golf in Ontario. The award is named after Richard H. Grimm, who was affectionately known as “Mr. Canadian Open” for his service to the event from 1965 to 1993. The GAO’s Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual’s meritorious service as a volunteer. Recipients of this award embody the principles of integrity, dignity and commitment, which are central to the volunteer experience and to Mr. Grimm’s persona.

Kathy Hill, a Mississauga resident, has been a course rater for more than 20 years. She has been a Team Leader and Chair of the Handicap & Course Rating Committee and is designated as a Master Course Rater. Throughout her time volunteering with the GAO, Hill has shown strong leadership and interpersonal skills. She has taken on additional responsibilities in the form of recruiting and training new course raters and has always been willing to help out when called upon.

Randy Millage, from Ennismore, has been involved in golf in the province since 1980. His work has concentrated on junior programs that began out of his home club: the Peterborough Golf & Country Club. He has also served as club president and on numerous club committees. Millage teamed up with the GAO in order to organize junior events. The events helped to open doors for junior golfers by making connections with NCAA schools. Millage is also a Certified Rules Official and has been a Site Coordinator at GAO qualifiers and championships for many years.

Volunteer of the Year — Pat Newman
The GAO Volunteer of the Year Award has been designed to recognize and honour a GAO volunteer who has demonstrated outstanding performance and contributions while preserving the integrity and traditions of the game.

Pat Newman, a native of Collingwood, has been a GAO volunteer since 2007. As a dedicated Rules Official, Newman has demonstrated his leadership skills in that role along with the positions of Senior Rules Official and Site Coordinator. One of Newman’s greatest accomplishments happened in 2014 when he took on the task of writing and introducing the GAO qualifying manual. It became evident that the manual is a valuable resource for new and returning volunteers and has provided consistency at qualifiers that are operated by volunteers.

District Volunteer of the Year — Shirley Egerton
The District Volunteer of the Year Award has been designed to recognize those volunteers who embody the spirit of volunteerism and have shown dedication by making a significant contribution in promoting, supporting and expanding amateur golf within their district.

Shirley Egerton, who lives in Bath, has been volunteering with the GAO since 2009 as a Tournament Official and has been the Kingston District Coordinator since 2013. Egerton has fully embraced her district community and has taken a special interest in promoting and supporting junior golf in the district. She is always available to help and takes time to mentor new volunteers at qualifiers and championships.

The GAO congratulates all of the 2015 award winners and thanks all of the volunteers who put in countless hours to make GAO events successful.

INCHEON, South Korea – Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson battled at Chambers Bay in the U.S. Open. They will be partners in South Korea at the Presidents Cup.

Spieth and Johnson will be in the anchor match of foursomes Thursday against Danny Lee of New Zealand and Marc Leishman of Australia when the Presidents Cup begins at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea.

Spieth had a successful partnership with Patrick Reed at the Ryder Cup last year, and Johnson and Matt Kuchar won both their team matches at the 2012 Ryder Cup. Now they’ve swapped. Kuchar will be with Reed in the second of five matches against Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace of South Africa.

U.S. captain Jay Haas says Spieth and Johnson wanted to play together. He says whatever Spieth wants, Spieth gets.

INCHEON, South Korea – Phil Mickelson studied the line of the putt from both sides, and then he stood over an imaginary golf ball about halfway to the hole and gently swung his putter to make sure he had the right read.

And it wasn’t even his shot.

“The first part is going to slide to the right,” he told Presidents Cup rookie Chris Kirk, “and then it’s going to try to move back to the left.”

Kirk narrowly missed the putt, and Mickelson winced.

This was more than just one of his money games on a Tuesday at a big event. Mickelson had yet another rookie under his wing, relishing in his role as the guy who has played the Presidents Cup as many times as the U.S. captain (Jay Haas) and two of his assistants (Fred Couples and Steve Stricker).

“His experience is huge,” Jimmy Walker said. “He’s playing with Chris Kirk and he’s telling him things throughout – the history of his play, little tidbits here, something that might help Chris down the road in the next couple days. So I think that’s what really helps.”

The history of Mickelson in the Presidents Cup is extensive.

He has never missed one since it began in 1994, and this might be the most special of all. He was 30th in the U.S. standings and needed a captain’s pick to join the Americans at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea. Haas sought the opinion of the players who qualified, and it became an easy choice.

“Across the board, the players were all in when we were texting and talking to them,” Haas said. “The captains, certainly, were all about Phil. … You could say, ‘Well, his play didn’t warrant being a consideration’ and all that. But I don’t know that you can put a value on what he means to the players and the demeanor he brings into the team room.”

He showed that much at the first team dinner Monday night.

Mickelson dressed for the occasion in flag pants, which look like pajama bottoms with a Stars & Stripes pattern.

“I asked him if he was cooking because it looked like something a chef would wear,” Walker said. “American flag pants. It was great.”

For all the incessant trash talking, side bets and laughs, there is a serious side to this Presidents Cup for Mickelson. He is proud of his streak – his 21st consecutive time playing in the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup – he was as much a player’s pick as a captain’s pick.

“That meant more to me than anything, and I’m appreciative of the chance to have felt how that feels to be wanted by the other players,” Mickelson said. “And it was very emotional for me when I found out. It makes me just want to play hard and so anything I can to help us succeed.”

That hasn’t been a problem for the Americans in the Presidents Cup. They haven’t lost this match against the International team (players from everywhere outside the United States except for Europe) since 1998 at Royal Melbourne, and they have won every time since a tie in South Africa.

Mickelson became the first American to go 0-5 in South Africa in 2003, a forgettable year in which his wife nearly died giving birth to their third child and Mickelson failed to win a PGA Tour event for only the second time in his career. Jack Nicklaus was the captain of that U.S. team, and he marveled later about how Mickelson remained upbeat all week despite not winning a match.

“He is the Alpha dog,” Zach Johnson said. “He does have kind of that mentality of, ‘You know what? I’ve done it and I know what it’s about.’ But there’s also a significant selflessness there. In other words, he knows he’s just 1-12th of the team. When you have a leader that gets that, that’s pretty awesome.”

Mickelson doesn’t see it that way. He just wants to win points.

He has a 20-16-11 record, tied with Tiger Woods for the most points contributed at the Presidents Cup. He doesn’t see his role much differently now, even though he is being looked upon as much as an inspiration and as a Hall-of-Famer with 45 victories worldwide.

“If he wins all his points, he’s a real good leader,” Bubba Watson joked. “No, it’s like having another assistant. He understands what it takes. He’s had the experience. He’s had the bad and the good. When he speaks, everybody listens.”

Even when he’s trying to bring some humor?

“He brings it all,” Watson said. “And if it’s not that funny, you just laugh because you feel bad for him.”

INCHEON, South Korea – The battle at the Presidents Cup began Tuesday even before the first match.

U.S. captain Jay Haas still doesn’t understand why the number of matches was reduced from 34 to 30 for this year’s event, meaning he has to sit eight players over three days of team matches.

“You look at our lineup, and it’s hard to sit guys,” Haas said.

He has another powerful squad at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea with his son, Bill, having the worst world ranking at No. 29. That’s still higher than seven players on the International team.

International captain Nick Price remains disappointed that PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem only reduced the number of matches to 30. He said his players lobbied strongly this summer to make it 28 matches, just as it is at the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup.

“The Presidents Cup should be on an apples-to-apples basis,” Price said. “We seem to think looking at the past that the most excitement there is in an event is when you have a 28-point format. I think the Solheim Cup showed that two weeks ago. So that’s something that I think the guys who are going to play … will continue to push for that.”

Americans have believed for years that fewer matches allow a weaker team to hide players. They used to say that about the Ryder Cup, which for years was close even when it appeared the Americans had the stronger team.

Price said fewer matches allowed for more strategy in team play, and it kept the competition from getting out of hand.

He could easily have been speaking of his own experience in the Presidents Cup, because it hasn’t been close for a decade. Ever since a tie in South Africa in 2003, the Americans not only have won the last five times, they have won by an average score of 19-15.

Going back to the inaugural event in 1994, only once has the International team won. That was in Australia in 1998, which was played two weeks before Christmas.

“I think we’ve seen in the past that the Presidents Cup needs more excitement,” Price said. “It needs to be more closely contested. Certainly most of us on the International team feel that hasn’t been the case the last five or six Presidents Cups.”

It could use some tension in the final hour Sunday, so maybe this argument will spark even a smidgen of acrimony.

The Presidents Cup begins Thursday with five matches of foursomes (alternate shot), meaning two players from each team won’t compete on the opening day. Five matches of fourballs (better ball) follow on Friday, with two more players having to sit.

On Saturday, there will be four matches of foursomes in the morning and four matches of fourballs in the afternoon, leading to the 12 singles matches.

Previously, everyone played on Thursday and Friday, and only two players sat out the morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday.

“There’s a lot more strategy involved when you have to sit guys out,” Price said. “And some people think that you’re hiding the weakest players, but in actual fact, what you’re doing is putting your strongest team forward. It’s a glass half-full or glass half-empty, depends which way you look at it.”

All Haas sees are 12 players who flew halfway around the world and will have to sit out a match or two. The new rule requires everyone play at least three times by the end of the week.

“I didn’t look at it as playing your strong players more,” Haas said. “I guess the U.S. team over the years at the Ryder Cup it was, ‘Oh, they’re hiding players.’ That’s maybe sour grapes. It will be harder because all 12 used to play Thursday and Friday, and now we sit two. If teams lose, who do you sit? Before, you just go out there and do it.

“We’ll see,” Haas added. “We’re having … not issues or anything like that, but more thought involved to do it the right way. We’re trying not to screw it up.”

The Americans only have one player – Chris Kirk – who has never competed in a Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup. The International side has five rookies, which might not be the worst thing for Price. A year ago, the U.S. sailed to an 18 1/2-15 1/2 victory at Muirfield Village.

“Some of the veterans who have played in numerous Presidents Cups, they have had a tough time in the past I think, certainly at Muirfield, getting them motivated, because it’s been a bit one-sided,” Price said. “So I think with the points changed now, I think the guys are looking forward to this a lot more than any of the previous two or three.”

INCHEON, Korea – Dustin Johnson hasn’t lost a match while playing for the United States in nearly four years.

Part of that is because he’s very good.

Any discussion about American talent in golf would have to include the 31-year-old Johnson, who has won in every PGA Tour season since he was a rookie in 2008 fresh out of Coastal Carolina. He has chased majors, falling short either by bad luck (Chambers Bay), a bad shot (Royal St. George’s), bad golf (Pebble Beach) or a bad setup (bunkers at Whistling Straits).

But there’s another reason that Johnson hasn’t lost a match in so long. He hasn’t played a team event since the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah.

Johnson was left off the Presidents Cup team two years ago when he finished 12th in the U.S. standings, and captain Fred Couples passed over Johnson and Jim Furyk in favour of 20-year-old rookie Jordan Spieth.

“I was pretty (upset) I didn’t get picked,” Johnson said with a laugh. “Why you got to bring that up?”

And then last year involved extenuating, if not mysterious, circumstances. He easily would have qualified for the team except for taking an indefinite leave from golf to seek professional help from what he described only as “personal challenges.”

Even so, the record shows that Charl Schwartzel is the last player to beat him, in Sunday singles at Royal Melbourne in 2011. Johnson went 3-0 at Medinah the following year, one of only three Americans to win a singles match in Europe’s record-tying comeback.

“Even though it’s been a little bit, it didn’t feel like it’s been that long,” Johnson said. “It’s the same guys, kind of the same team.”

Not really.

Only six American players are at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea who were on the last team that included Johnson. Even last year, three players who had been considered regulars for the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup didn’t make the team.

Zach Johnson was stunned to hear that Dustin Johnson hasn’t played in these team events in three years, until he gave it some more thought.

“It’s surprising to a degree,” he said. “It’s just an illustration of how deep and how good the PGA Tour is.”

Hunter Mahan was in seven of the last eight team competitions _ he only missed Medinah in 2012 _ and wasn’t even part of the conversation this year. Mahan struggled with a growing family and his game and missed the Tour Championship for the first time since the FedEx Cup began in 2007. He ended last year at No. 22 in the world, and now is struggling to stay in the top 50.

Keegan Bradley made an auspicious Ryder Cup debut in 2012 with Phil Mickelson, played on the next two teams and is fading from view. Bradley hasn’t won a tournament since the Bridgestone Invitational three years ago.

Webb Simpson missed his first team this year since 2010.

Tiger Woods has been dealing with his own set of circumstances, mostly injuries that have kept him out of the game or kept him from playing the game like he once did. He was last seen in team uniform at Muirfield Village two years ago with Sammy the squirrel on his shoulder. Woods missed a big chunk of 2014 recovering from back surgery, and he made the cut (with only one top 10) in the 11 tournaments he played this year.

It was no less gratifying for the big-hitting Johnson when he checked in at the team hotel Sunday night after his long flight from Los Angeles, stuck his head in the team room to catch up with the rest of the Americans and then dress in uniform for a practice round that included Jimmy Walker, Chris Kirk and Patrick Reed. Those are three guys with whom Johnson has never played in a team competition.

The turnover isn’t that great from the U.S. team that lost at Gleneagles in the Ryder Cup with only three new faces _ Kirk, Bill Haas and J.B. Holmes, who replaced Furyk.

Perhaps more changes are coming.

“It’s hard to make these teams,” Zach Johnson said. “Saying that makes it that much more impressive what Phil has done.”

Mickelson has played in every Presidents Cup since it began in 1994, and he has qualified for them all except for being a captain’s pick the first year and this year. He has qualified for every Ryder Cup team since 1995. The last time Mickelson was not in U.S. uniform, Deane Beman was the PGA Tour commissioner.

Furyk is not far behind. This is only the second team event he has missed since 1997.

With more young faces in the pipeline, that kind of longevity will be hard to repeat.

INCHEON, South Korea – Adam Scott only has three months left before the method used for his long putter is banned.

He saw no need to wait.

Scott used a conventional putter for a practice round Monday at the Presidents Cup, and the 35-year-old Australian said this time he won’t be going back. Scott spent the last five weeks practicing with the new putter and a cross-handed grip that feels as comfortable as the long putter he had used the last four years.

“I think it was a good time to make a change and spend some time working on it,” Scott said. “It’s a similar amount of time, actually, when I switched to the long putter, that gap of five weeks between events. It took shape quickly, and I feel the same will happen with this. It’s kind of refreshing to have to make a forced change because my putting stats are not that impressive this year.”

Scott’s putting has never been a strength, though this season his No. 158 ranking in the key putting statistic was his worst since he last used a conventional putter in 2010.

Golf’s ruling bodies adopted a new rule effective Jan. 1 that bans the anchored stroke used for longer putters. Scott switched to a long putter in 2011 and won the Masters two years later.

He showed up at Doral at the start of this year using a conventional putter and tied for fourth. But he missed the cut the following week at the Valspar Championship, finished 13 shots out of the lead at Bay Hill and went back to the long putter.

“I didn’t take any time going into that,” he said. “I just did it with no thought and open mind to see how it went. It went well, really, but maybe I got a little jumpy as I neared the Masters without a little practice and went back. But this is a more permanent move. I think I’ve got to stick with it now and get good at it.”

Other players who won majors with an anchored putting stroke – Webb Simpson, Keegan Bradley and Ernie Els – already made the switch. Scott got more attention than the others because his performance in the majors improved shortly after going to a long putter, even though he was ranked out of the top 100 in putting all but one year.

“There was a bit of a letdown and some frustration,” Scott said. “I didn’t putt well knowing I had to make the change in the back of my mind, and now there’s a clear path going forward.”

Scott has gone 14 consecutive years winning somewhere in the world, a streak that now is in jeopardy going into his final six tournaments of the year. He has had only two top 10s since March – a tie for fourth in the U.S. Open and a tie for 10th in the British Open – and didn’t make it beyond the opening event of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Turns out that extra month off proved useful.

Scott said he always felt as though a cross-handed grip would be the best style. He worked with his coach and the Scotty Cameron putting studio to find the right putter, and he showed up at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea feeling good about the rest of the year.

“I’m more confident putting it into play this week,” he said. “Playing with it early in the year I didn’t know what to expect. This week … there has to be a week where I start, and it might as well be here. I’m confident I can make myself one of the best putters on tour with a short putter.”

Along with a conventional putter, the other difference with Scott was the tape on his right middle finger. He said he damaged it earlier in the year – he’s not sure when or even how – and it began to aggravate him around the PGA Championship. He discovered a torn ligament from the repetitive stress of hitting golf balls, but the time off helped and Scott said it has healed enough for him to play.