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SA tie worst Presidents Cup participation in 21 years

Cape Town - International captain Ernie Els made his four wildcard picks for December's Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club on Thursday.

Els selected Jason Day of Australia, Canadian Adam Hadwin, Sungjae Im of Korea and Joaquin Niemann of Chile to round out his team of 12.

Louis Oosthuizen will be the only representative from South Africa. This will be the first time since 1998 that South Africa will have one player competing in the biennial match play event and will be the 2010 Open Championship winner's fourth Presidents Cup tournament.

At previous Presidents Cup tournaments, Oosthuizen has established a formidable partnership with compatriot Branden Grace and in 2015 they won all four of their matches together.

Grace was overlooked by Els as the 31-year-old has only made two Top 10 finishes in 26 tournaments this year and dropped to a ranking of 119th in the world. 

2011 Masters champion and four-time Presidents Cup player Charl Schwartzel ruled himself out of the season to rehabilitate a wrist injury.

Other South Africans who could've been considered by the 50-year-old captain included Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Justin Harding and Erik van Rooyen - all who won their debut title on the European Tour this season.

The United States have won 10 of the 12 prior editions of the Presidents Cup, with one tie (famously at The Links in South Africa in 2003) and one International victory - in 1998 in Melbourne.

South Africans in the Presidents Cup - plus total number:

*captain's pick

1994 - David Frost, *Fulton Allem - 2

1996 - David Frost, Ernie Els - 2

1998 - Ernie Els - 1

2000 - Ernie Els, Retief Goosen - 2

2003 - Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, *Tim Clark - 3

2005 - Retief Goosen, Tim Clark, *Trevor Immelman - 3

2007 - Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Rory Sabbatini, Trevor Immelman - 4

2009 - Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Tim Clark - 3

2011 - Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Charl Schwartzel - 3

2013 - Ernie Els, Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Richard Sterne - 5

2015 - Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen - 3

2017 - Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen -3

2019 - Louis Oosthuizen - 1

- Compiled by Lynn Butler

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