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Oosthuizen qualifies for 2019 Presidents Cup

Melbourne - The top eight qualifiers for the International and United States 2019 Presidents Cup teams have been finalised following the completion of the PGA Tour's BMW Championship.

Captain Ernie Els and Tiger Woods will choose their four wildcard selections in the week of November 4.

The 2019 Presidents Cup will take place at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club from December 9-15.

The top four players in the International standings - Marc Leishman, Louis Oosthuizen, Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama - have a combined 17 appearances in the Presidents Cup and are flanked by four newcomers to the event in Abraham Ancer, Haotong Li, Cameron Smith and C.T. Pan.

Oosthuizen is the only South African to have automatically qualified for the biennial match play event.

Scott has the most experience of any qualified player for both the International and US teams having played in the Presidents Cup on eight previous occasions.

Scott is the only player on the International team who played in the event in 2011 when it was held at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

"This is as good as I could have asked for. I've got guys who have played in the Presidents Cup many times previously and I've got guys who are rookies," said Els.

"The guys who are pillars of our team have really stepped up to take their places in this team. I'm really impressed with how they've conducted themselves and played into the team.

"For the top eight, I think the one-year qualifying cycle has worked well. The guys knew they had to play well this season and they showed it. For instance, Adam Scott played himself right into this team. He was no where near when qualifying started and he's played great since we started. Same with Louis Oosthuizen who stepped it up. They obviously had a plan of trying to make this team."

Of the eight United States players, five are in their 20s with Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Cantlay qualifying for the first time.

Making his fifth Presidents Cup appearance, Matt Kuchar is the most experienced player in the top eight. Kuchar, Webb Simpson and Dustin Johnson each played on the 2011 US team that was victorious at Royal Melbourne.

World No 1 Brooks Koepka, Johnson, Kuchar and Justin Thomas were all members of the victorious US team in 2017.

"This is the core of the team. These guys have earned it. They've proven that they belong on the team," said Woods.

"You've got some veterans, whether it's Webby, Kuch or Dustin, who have been part of the teams for a very long time, and we have some newcomers. We have a nice mix.

"It's a younger team, and that's what we want to see. We want to see a little turnover and get the younger guys playing on these teams because they're going to be a part of it for a very long time going forward. Really, I can’t wait to get some of these young guys down to Royal Melbourne to experience golf in the Sandbelt Region and get to experience how much the fans love and appreciate sports and golf in that area of the world."

The Top 8 players in the International and US Presidents Cup standings:

International

1. Marc Leishman (AUS)

2. Hideki Matsuyama (JPN)

3. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA)

4. Adam Scott (AUS)

5. Abraham Ancer (MEX)

6. Haotong Li (CHN)

7. CT Pan (TWN)

8. Cameron Smith (AUS)

United States

1. Brooks Koepka

2. Justin Thomas

3. Dustin Johnson

4. Patrick Cantlay

5. Xander Schauffele

6. Webb Simpson

7. Matt Kuchar

8. Bryson DeChambeau

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