Hello again everyone.
It's hard to believe it's been more than a year since we finished up the Captains' Blogs for the 2009 Presidents Cup. I'm excited to start things up again in advance of the event this November. I'm thrilled to lead the International Team for a second time and can't begin to convey what an honor it will be to Captain the team in my homeland when the matches return to Royal Melbourne Golf Club. I have very fond memories of our triumph at Royal Melbourne in 1998 and hope we can duplicate that effort come November.
It's been a busy stretch over the past few months with regard to competition. I played back-to-back weeks in early December at the Australian Open and then as host of the Shark Shootout. It was nice to get the competitive juices flowing again, though I didn't perform as well as I would have liked. It was great fun playing with Matt Kuchar at the Shark Shootout; I followed his wonderful year on the PGA TOUR in 2010 and he's sure to be a strong part of the U.S. side at The Presidents Cup.
After experiencing ongoing discomfort in my left shoulder, I underwent an arthroscopic procedure Feb. 14 at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. It's unfortunate that I have to undergo a second surgery to my left shoulder, but for more than six months now, I've known that such a procedure would be required. I'm hopeful that with aggressive rehabilitation I will be able to play towards the end of July, but obviously we will know a lot more in the coming weeks.
If the start of the season proves to be any indication of what's to come, it seems there could be several new faces on the International Team by the time the matches come around. British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen bounced back from an ankle injury to claim the Africa Open in his native South Africa in January and appears to be in great shape to make the team for the first time. Fellow South African Charl Schwartzel began the year with a top 10 in Abu Dhabi and looks to be in solid standing as well. And I'm sure you fans in the States have become familiar with young Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela after his terrific start to the year. The passion and energy with which he plays the game was evident both in his victory at the Bob Hope Classic and his near miss in San Diego. It will be fun to watch how things unfold for him as the year goes on.
As I'm sure many of you have seen on the news, Queensland, my native state in Australia, has experienced unprecedented flooding since November of last year. I remember vividly the floods of 1974, which pale in comparison to the tragedy unfolding there now. Earlier this month, in conjunction with the PGA TOUR and The Presidents Cup, we donated $150,000 (US) to the Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal, which was launched to help Queenslanders affected by the floods. I know the determination and resolve of the people of Queensland and it is my sincerest hope these funds will help during the long recovery process ahead.
I look forward to keeping you updated on all the happenings with the International Team over the coming months as The Presidents Cup draws closer. You can be sure I will keep a keen eye on developments at the Accenture Match Play Championship later this month as there are certain to be a few U.S.-versus-International matches that will give us a glimpse of things to come in November.
Until next time...
