MELBOURNE, Australia – International Presidents Cup captain Ernie Els is hopeful a new world order is upon us for the 2019 Presidents Cup in Melbourne after several changes have been afforded to his team. Speaking at the announcement of Geoff Ogilvy as his first captain’s assistant for the biennial match up against the U.S. team Els believes things are on track for a turnaround after a huge run of American dominance. A year ago the U.S. team were comprehensive winners in New Jersey to the tune of 19-11, taking their record to 9-1-1 over the Internationals in the competition. But with their recent defeat in the Ryder Cup to Europe Els feels the door might be opening to finally wrestle back the ascendency come December 11-14, 2019. Changes he has already overseen in meetings with U.S. captain Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan include a new one-year points selection policy, rather than the old two-year system, ensuring his top eight automatic places are taken by players in form. Of course this means he now has four captains picks instead of the previous two, once again allowing flexibility into his lineup. Els has also been given more say in the golf course setup as the home team, and also gets to choose the order of play. Even catering has been changed, with Els given more flexibility to ensure all cultures and tastes in his side are looked after. “It feels a lot more positive. I spoke with Tiger in the room with Jay Monahan, just the three of us, and we went through a lot of stuff,â€� Els said. “I can now play a guy once before Sunday, which was never the case; a guy almost had to play every session. Tiger didn’t like that much, but I got it through eventually. I feel it’s a lot fairer and I think we’ve got a good shot at it now.â€� Els was also very vocal on the need to create a cauldron like atmosphere at Royal Melbourne and implored the local Australian fans to step up much like they did in 1998 when the lone International Team victory was secured. Having seen the intimidation like thunder clap in Paris a few months ago, Els wants something similar. “We really want the crowd behind us this time,â€� Els said. “I know our play will dictate the noise of the crowd, but if we can get them from that first shot, I know how intimidating it can be. “It’s going to be a feeling of when or if we lift the trophy, it’s for the Australian people. The Australian people are pulling us over the line. “We want to respect our visiting team, but we want to, at the end of the day, win and beat them and win the Cup back.â€� Els expects huge competition for spots on his team and signaled his captains picks are open to anyone who shows form and a hunger to be part of the squad. “I’m not going to have any problem having a motivated team next year,â€� he said. “I like spending time with them. I’m still playing a bit, so I’m going to play a lot with them and we’ll have a lot of meetings, a lot of talks and I’ll keep them exactly in the loop where I’m at, so I’ll really look forward to take them out to the first tee.â€�
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