With the end of the FedEx Championship, the PGA Tour is enjoying a brief hiatus before it starts up again in a few weeks and for now the immediate focus is on team competition. The best ladies in the game will compete for Solheim Cup glory, but the best men from the PGA Tour and their international counterparts will also lock horns when they compete for the Presidents Cup.
Set to be played in Montreal between the 24th and 29th September, captain’s Jim Furyk and Mike Weir have made their selections and the lineups are now in place.
With just a few weeks to go before the action kicks off, here is everything you need to know about the 2024 President’s Cup.
What is the Presidents Cup?
The President’s Cup is a bi-annual team tournament that pits twelve American players from the PGA Tour against 12 international players. The International team discounts players from Europe as these players are reserved for the Ryder Cup. Usually the International Team features players from the PGA Tour.
Although many believe that the Ryder Cup between Europe and America is the greatest team event in golf, the Presidents Cup holds a special place in the golfing calendar and is getting bigger with each iteration. Just like the Ryder Cup, selections for the team consist of two forms, six players qualify automatically through accruing the most points, each captain then chooses six players to make up the full quota of 12.
Much like in the Ryder Cup, the venue for the Presidents Cup alternates between courses in America and courses from around the world. The 2024 event is the turn of the International team to host and the action will take place at the Royal Montreal Golf Club.
What is the format of the Presidents Cup?
Just like other team events, the Presidents Cup takes place over multiple days but unlike the Ryder and Solheim Cups rather than three days, the Presidents Cup will take place over four.
In total 30 points will be up for grabs and in order to be claimed the winner of the competition, a team needs to reach 15.5 points. If the match ends 15-15, the defending champions will retain the trophy.
Over the course of the four days the following formats will be played;
Fourballs
Fourballs is where each of the four players competing in a match will play their own ball. In order to win a hole, the best score from each of the two teams will be counted, with the lowest score from the two best being enough to win the hole.
If scores are matched, the hole will be halved.
Foursomes
Foursomes is where the two players in a team will alternate their shots and only one ball is in play. Considered the hardest of the formats, the lowest score will win the hole. Due to its alternate nature, players will choose whether they tee off on the even numbered or odd numbered holes.
Singles
Each and every member of the twelve strong teams will play the final day singles. With twelve points up for grabs, it is the biggest point scoring session that is available. Each captain will nominate their players from 1-12 and each of the corresponding numbers will square off against one another until the match is won or drawn.
Who is playing for each team?
Upon both Jim Furyk and Mike Weir selecting their captain’s picks, the twenty four players have been selected and chosen.
Team USA
Automatic Selections
Scottie Scheffler
Xander Schauffele
Collin Morikawa
Wyndham Clark
Sahith Theegala
Patrick Cantlay
Captain’s Picks
Sam Burns
Keegan Bradley
Tony Finau
Russell Henley
Max Homa
Brian Harman
Team International
Automatic Selections
Hideki Matsuyama
Adam Scott
Sungjae Im
Tom Kim
Jason Day
Byeong Hun An
Captain’s Picks
Corey Connors
Min Woo Lee
Taylor Pendrith
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Si Woo Kim
Mackenzie Hughes
Which big names missed out?
As is always the case with events like the Presidents Cup there are big names that miss out and won’t be playing in Montreal.
On the American side there were high hopes that both Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth would be cornerstone pieces of both Ryder and Presidents Cup teams for years to come. Despite winning five majors between them, both Spieth and Thomas are currently facing a confidence crisis.
Neither player was able to win this year on Tour and both were regular absentees from the top of the leaderboards throughout the year. Both have been left out of Jim Furyk’s team and although they have a fine record together, neither can have any complaints about being left out this time around.
For the Internationals there were hopes that the 2023 Canadian Open winner Nick Taylor would be selected but since winning the Phoenix Open earlier in the year, Taylor has struggled for consistency and Captain Weir has taken the decision to omit him from his team. Another player who can consider himself unlucky not to be featuring is Cam Davis. The Aussie was one of the stars of the 2022 tournament and with a win in the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic he can count himself unlucky not to have made the final twelve.
Who are the defending Presidents Cup champions?
The American team will head into this year’s Presidents Cup as the defending champions and they will travel to Montreal high in the hopes of defending their crown.
Ever since the Presidents Cup was first formed back in 1994, the International team have only recorded one victory which came all the way back in 1998, since then it has been an American onslaught.
Although the Internationals will have brilliant home support to call upon, the Americans will once again start the week as the team to beat. Boasting four of the top five players in the world, they are the overwhelming bookies favourites to win the Presidents Cup for the tenth time in succession.
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
