Davis Love III has two helping hands.
Love named Fred Couples and Zach Johnson as two of his vice captains Wednesday for the upcoming Presidents Cup. The matches pitting the U.S. against The Internationals will be played Sept. 20-25 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. Love, who was a captain for the U.S. in the Ryder Cup in 2012 and 2016, can name two more vice captains to the squad.
“To add someone with (Couples’) experience as both a captain and captain’s assistant to our 2022 team will be a wonderful benefit to our players, not to mention the relaxed, calming demeanor he brings to what can be a tense setting,” Love said in a release. “Zach is an incredible competitor and someone who garners great respect from his fellow players. His value inside the team room will be immense as a major champion who has competed in Presidents Cups, was an assistant captain in 2019, and knows what it takes to deliver a successful week.”
Serving as a captain or an assistant captain has become old hat for Couples, who won 15 times on the PGA Tour, including the 1992 Masters, and has won 13 times on the PGA Tour Champions. This will mark the eighth time Couples has been a part of the Presidents Cup as a player, captain or assistant captain.
Couples was a player when the U.S. lost its only match in the lopsided series – in 1998 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. He captained the Americans to three consecutive victories starting in 2009.
This will be the fourth time Couples will serve as an assistant,
“Charlotte is an incredible sports city, and I’m confident the atmosphere at Quail Hollow will make for an amazing week of golf,” said Couples, who was a teammate with Love in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2005. The two also represented the U.S. in the World Cup of Golf, winning in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995.
Johnson, a winner of 12 PGA Tour titles including the 2007 Masters and 2015 Open Championship at St. Andrews, was named the 2023 Ryder Cup captain in February. He’s played in the Presidents Cup four times and was an assistant to Tiger Woods in 2019.
“Having played for Davis in past international events, I know how passionate he is about creating a tremendous atmosphere for U.S. team players to have success, while also ensuring we are prepared to compete each day,” Johnson said. “I’m looking forward to doing all I can to help the team succeed in September.”
The U.S. leads the series 11-1-1; its only loss a 20½-11½ drubbing in 1998. In 2003 the two teams tied 17-17.
In the most recent edition, Woods, as a playing captain, led the Americans to a come-from-behind, 16-14 victory at Royal Melbourne in 2019.
