By Tony Webeck

Former Presidents Cup hero Craig Parry believes Adam Scott is the man to lead the International team in 2028 following the announcement that Melbourne will host the biennial matches for a fourth time.

The return to Melbourne will mark 30 years since Parry played a critical role in the International team’s 20.5-11.5 shellacking of the star-studded American team at Royal Melbourne, Parry’s chip-in to defeat Tiger Woods and Fred Couples alongside Shigeki Maruyama one of the most iconic moments in Presidents Cup history.

Parry teamed up with a young Adam Scott at the 2002 World Cup in Spain and has seen his growth as a leader through his nine Presidents Cup appearances to date.

Invited as a member of the victorious ‘98 team by captain Ernie Els to spend time within the International camp at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 2019, Parry was sought out by Scott to talk tactics on the practice range.

But it is the 2013 Masters champion’s temperament that Parry believes makes him an obvious candidate when the Presidents Cup returns to Australia in 2028.

“Adam gets on with all the players and he’s got a really nice demeanour,” said Parry.

“I think Geoff (Ogilvy) would also be a good captain but Adam gets on with everyone.

“At the last one in Melbourne, Ernie got all the players from ‘98 to come out and Scotty asked me to come out on the range with him. He just wanted to relax and hit some balls and have a yak.

“That’s the type of person he is. He doesn’t want to get too uptight with it all and I reckon he would get the players really relaxed and in a really good frame of mind.

“He didn’t mind who he played with. He was a really good person for the other guys in the team because he had a lot of experience.”

Scott will be 48 years of age when the Presidents Cup next comes to Australian shores and likely to have featured in at least 10 Presidents Cup matches.

He is on track to play for South Africa’s Trevor Immelman at Quail Hollow Club in September and would join David Graham (1994), Peter Thomson (1996, 1998, 2000) and Greg Norman (2009, 2011) as Australians to have captained the International team should he one day be bestowed the honour.

Yet to enjoy the thrill of a win, Scott was a key person for Els within the team room in 2019, his experience and ability to partner any member of the International team almost guiding them to an upset win.

Although they ultimately fell short to a Tiger Woods-led US team, Parry sees the subsequent growth of players such as Cameron Smith, Sungjae Im and Chilean Joaquin Niemann as reason to believe a second International victory is looming on the horizon.

"Not only Cam but Sungjae Im from Korea, Jaco Niemann has been playing really well, it’s a good stepping board for the guys, no question,” said Parry, a member of the International team in 1994, 1996 and 1998. “They’ve really gone on with it which is great.

"There was just a little bit of inexperience probably. That would be a good word for the International team the last time it was there.

“Next time going around these guys have got the experience and I think it will be a lot harder for the Americans to win.”

And if it takes 30 years and a return to Melbourne to do it, Parry insists it will be a win that the players hold dear for the rest of their careers.

“It’s right up there with individual wins, there’s no question about that,” Parry says of where the 1998 triumph sits in his stellar career.

“Team wins are pretty special.”

Possible teams for 2028 Presidents Cup

International

Cameron Smith

Hideki Matsuyama

Sungjae Im

Joaquin Niemann

Abraham Ancer

Corey Conners

Lucas Herbert

Min Woo Lee

Takumi Kanaya

Garrick Higgo

Keita Nakajima

Jed Morgan

Captain: Adam Scott

United States of America

Scottie Scheffler

Collin Morikawa

Patrick Cantlay

Justin Thomas

Jordan Spieth

Brooks Koepka

Sam Burns

Xander Schauffele

Tony Finau

Will Zalatoris

Aaron Wise

Sahith Theegala

Captain: Matt Kuchar