Fans hold flags bearing the International team shield during opening ceremonies at the 2019 Presidents Cup. Photo: Warren Little, Getty Images
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA | It is a small thing – a gold shield set upon a black background usually – but to the International team in the Presidents Cup, it’s a badge of honor courtesy of Ernie Els.
In the Internationals’ near-empty history in the Presidents Cup, the one thing it has needed almost as much as a victory (it has one win in 13 tries) is an identity.
Something to rally around. To feel a part of. To represent.
The International shield on the bag of its creator. Photo: Scott Barbour, Getty Images
It was created by Els, who captained the 2019 International team with a piercing focus on creating a team that exists for more than one week every two years.
The American side has the benefit of being from the same country and all of the red, white and blue and stars and stripes variations imaginable.
The Internationals – this year from Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, S…
