The PGA Tour is the leading professional golf association in the world, hosting flagship tournaments such as The Players Championship and The Tour Championship. While most of its events are based in the United States, the PGA Tour is composed of the best golfers from around the world. The 2024 Players Championship, for instance, featured top-10 finishers from England (Matt Fitzpatrick), South Korea (Si-woo Kim), Japan (Hideki Matsuyama), and Sweden (Ludvig Aberg).
As part of its efforts to promote the game of golf worldwide, the PGA Tour also hosts the biennial Presidents Cup. The event pits the top players from the US against an international team composed of the best players in non-European nations. The 2024 Presidents Cup, scheduled for September 24-29 at The Royal Montreal Golf Club, will be the 15th iteration of the international competition and the second time it has been held in Canada.
Here are five of the most important things to know about the history of the Presidents Cup:
1. It’s Like the Ryder Cup for Non-European Countries
Europe is excluded from the Presidents Cup because there is already a team competition involving the best players from the US against the best from European countries. Known as the Ryder Cup, the biennial event was first held in 1927 and has featured plenty of intense matches, with the US holding a record of 27-15-2. Europe, however, has won five of the last seven events.
The Presidents Cup shares a similar format to the Ryder Cup, with 12 players on each side competing in match play competition. There are singles matches and doubles matches, the latter of which are divided into foursomes and fourballs. In two-on-two foursomes, each team member plays just one ball, whereas all four balls are in play in the four-ball format and each team uses its lowest score for the hole. The final round of the four-day competition features 12 one-on-one matches. Teams receive one point for every match they win and, with 30 points available, need 15.5 to win the Cup.
2. The United States Is Known for Its Dominance
The Presidents Cup has not been as competitive as the Ryder Cup. Since its inception in 1991, the United States has won 12 of the 14 matches. The International team’s only victory was at the 1998 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia, when Aussie captain Peter Thompson led the team to a 20.5-11.5 victory. The two sides tied 17-17 in the 2003 Presidents Cup at Fancourt Hotel and Country Club in South Africa. The US is undefeated on home soil and has won each of the last nine Presidents Cups. They beat the International team 17.5-12.5 at Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina in 2022.
American Phil Mickelson is the most accomplished player in Presidents Cup history. He holds the record for most appearances (12), points (32.5), foursomes points won (14), and fourball points won (13). Six players, including Tiger Woods (USA) and Branden Grace (Int), share the record for most points in a single event with five.
3. Amazing Courses Have Hosted It
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia has hosted a record four Presidents Cups, including the first two events in 1994 and 1996. The Royal Melbourne Golf Club has hosted the event three times. The Royal Montreal Golf Club, in September 2024, will become the third course to host the Presidents Cup more than once.
The Harding Park Golf Club in San Francisco (2009), Muirfield Village in Ohio (2013), and Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in South Korea (2015) are among the other courses that have hosted the Presidents Cup. Future hosts include the Medinah Country Club in Illinois (2026), Kingston Heath Golf Club in Australia (2028), and Bellerive Country Club in Missouri (2030).
4. The Leaders of Host Nations Serve as Honorary Chairpersons
The leader of the host nation serves as honorary chairperson of the Presidents Cup. Thus, past honorary chairpersons have included US presidents Joe Biden (2022), Donald Trump (2017), Barack Obama (2013 and 2009), and George W. Bush (2005). Scott Morrison, Australia’s 30th prime minister (2019) and Stephen Harper, Canada’s 22nd prime minister (2007), have also been honorary chairmen of the event.
The 2017 Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey marked a special occasion for the event as it was the first time three former presidents (Bush, Obama, and Bill Clinton) and the current president (Trump) were in attendance. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, in 2011, was the first woman to serve as honorary chairperson.
5. It Supports Charity
Unlike typical PGA Tour events in which prize money is awarded to players, the Presidents Cup is all about bragging rights. The PGA Tour donates net proceeds for the event to charities nominated by the players and captains. Since the first Presidents Cup in 1994, the PGA Tour has donated $56.4 million to 475 charities in 18 countries. The 2022 Presidents Cup generated $2 million in funds for nonprofits in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ahead of the 2024 Presidents Cup in Montreal, the Presidents Cup announced a $100,000 donation to the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation.