Ogilvy may be safe, but others may not

“The people that are expecting to be on this year’s Presidents Cup team will not necessarily be on the team because there are so many good players behind them.”

Norman said he had been buoyed by the performances of some of the younger players on the world stage.

One of the players Norman has earmarked as a potential starter is Johnnie Walker Classic winner Danny Lee.

The 18-year-old New Zealander, who became the youngest player to win the US Amateur, turned professional after playing in the US Masters. And Norman is also keeping a close eye on 17-year-old Japanese player Ryo Ishikawa, who won on the Japan Tour as a 15-year-old.

“Danny Lee may not be in the 2009 Presidents Cup, but may be in Australia in 2011,” he said. “I look at this as a long-term process,” he said. “Ryo Ishikawa is 17 years old and in the top 100 (82nd) in the world already and no-one has heard of him.

“That’s a young kid to be on the radar screen very early.

“They may be younger, hungrier and more determined and show that they want to get out there and go one-on-one against America.

“So from a Presidents Cup standpoint, I’ve got a huge mine of great players bubbling up and want to be given an opportunity.

“The younger players tell me how excited they are, how keen they are. It’s neat to see that excitement coming through.

“Some of the regular guys are probably a little jaded and a little bit burnt out. “So they are going to have to elevate their games and show me that their consistency and desire is equal to the young kids,” the Shark warned.

One player who won’t be looking over his shoulder is Australian Geoff Ogilvy.

The former US Open champion has already won twice on the US PGA Tour this year and virtually picks himself.

“Geoff has proven that he is one of the world’s best players and will be one of the leaders of this year’s International Team,” Norman said.

He said he had been paying close attention to the success of some of the other International players.

“Some new faces have had good starts in 2009,” he said.

“Of course, there are some International Team mainstays like Ernie Els, Adam Scott and Vijay Singh, who are also well on their way to making the team. Kiwi Frank Nobilo has been named assistant captain of the International Team while Fred Couples will captain the Americans.

The event will be played at Harding Park GC, San Francisco from October 6-11.