From the grounds: Sights and sounds from 2 days of Presidents Cup prep

The prep is done and the practice is over. It's time for the Presidents Cup to start.

But first, here's a random assortment of sights and sounds from the grounds at Royal Montreal ahead of Thursday's opening tee shot.

Royal Montreal

It's tough to gauge how players feel about Royal Montreal as a venue.

Sahith Theegala called it "boring in a good way," and Scottie Scheffler said, "It's a pretty simple golf course for the most part."

Those aren't exactly rave reviews.

However, there were some positives said about the course.

"I really like it," said Max Homa. "It's very interesting. The front nine is incredibly different from the back. The greens are interesting."

We'll have to wait and see how it plays throughout the week. All that really matters in a match-play setting is whether or not the course provides drama, which it should since the finishing stretch starting from No. 14 has plenty of risk-reward shots that could be match-deciders.

This is fun

One of the biggest takeaways from two days of practice is how much the players seem to be enjoying themselves.

Does Sungjae Im look concerned about which player may leave the PGA TOUR next or how the current state of men's professional golf will repair itself? Not at all.

The vibe on the American side is no different. According to several different American team members, the team room is full of non-stop laughs, and the class clowns of the team are perhaps the least suspecting players.

Xander Schauffele and Scheffler - the two best players in the world - are apparently the ones loosening the mood in the American team room, not someone like Homa, whose reputation on social media would lead you to believe he's the one with all the jokes.

In a time when tournaments are usually riddled with dialogue about money, rival tours, a divided game, etc., this week is providing a cleanse from all the outside noise.

Presidents Cup's place

The Presidents Cup is often considered a Ryder Cup rip-off created from thin air. While the first part may be true (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery), nothing about this event feels manufactured.

There's no denying the Presidents Cup's history doesn't run as deep as the Ryder Cup's, but the passion and focus that are so obvious to see in the players and captains suggest it means equally as much. The Americans don't want to be the first team since 1998 to lose, and the Internationals so badly want their losing streak to end.

As a longtime Presidents Cup critic, always looking for ways to tweak the event to make it better, attending the event has been eye-opening. Nothing about this tournament needs to change.

Palpable buzz

The Canadian crowds are already showing out despite the rainy weather and cold temperatures. There were head-turning cheers from the galleries surrounding a couple of holes, mainly when a Canadian player hit a close shot or made their way to the green.

If two days of practice-round action are indicative of what's to come, the fans in Montreal are ready to support their fellow countrymen and the International team.

The International shield

It's hard to envision the International team competing without a logo, but they did so for 12 editions of the Presidents Cup. Yes, it's just a made-up logo created in 2019, but the International team would still be searching for an identity without it.

It's been proven difficult to bring a group of players from different countries together, but now in its third event, the shield Ernie Els developed does exactly that. Watching the Internationals enter the practice area as a unit, donning the shield while wearing all black with hints of yellow, solidified the fact that the International team logo is helping to unify this group.

Is NBC calling the shots?

It was discovered while speaking to a volunteer at the 14th hole - a short par 4 at a pivotal section on the course - that NBC, the broadcaster of this year's Presidents Cup, is trying to put its thumb on the scale by requesting the hole be drivable.

There's a tee deck available that would make the hole roughly 300 yards and reachable by everyone in the event. The PGA TOUR has the final say in course setup, but if its media partner requests the hole be shortened to increase drama down the stretch, the TOUR may have no choice but to oblige.

Instilling knowledge

Mackenzie Hughes was third on the PGA TOUR in strokes gained: around the greens in 2024, yet he spent several minutes with Els in a greenside bunker on the 14th hole discussing how to play a certain shot.

On the same hole, International assistant captain Camilo Villegas shared his knowledge on how to judge a lie in the rough with Si Woo Kim. The two discussed the slight differences between a couple of lies after Kim's approach shot into the green didn't react how he intended.

This is only a tiny sample of the knowledge sharing occurring during team competition weeks. Players - especially rookies like Hughes - are soaking up everything they can learn from their teammates and captains. Witnessing knowledge get handed down to a younger generation of pros is fun to watch.

Expos love

You wouldn't know Montreal lost its MLB team 20 years ago based on the number of Expos logos on the property at Royal Montreal. Hats, jerseys, shirts - you name it. The beloved Expos are clearly missed.