The 16th edition of the Presidents Cup comes from Medinah, where Brandt Snedeker’s Team USA defends its title against Geoff Ogilvy’s Team International.
Two years ago at Royal Montreal, the visitors swept to an 18.5-11.5 victory, continuing a familiar trend of US superiority that has only been bucked twice in the 15 editions so far.
Of those, the Internationals won just once, claiming a 20.5-11.5 victory over the US in Australia in 1998, and tying the 2003 match 17-17 in South Africa.
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There have been numerous attempts to level the playing field through the years. For example, in 2015, International captain Nick Price succeeded in having the total available points reduced from 34 to 30, arguing that “a points change would really make it more exciting and more competitive.”
Nick Price succeeded in getting the number of points reduced in 2015, but the Internationals still lost
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It certainly worked out that way at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, but despite fighting hard, the hosts still went down to a 15.5-14.5 defeat.
Ernie Els was at the helm for the 2019 match, and he focused on identity, introducing a black-and-gold shield logo as an identifying symbol for the home team at Royal Melbourne.
Leaving no stone unturned, Els also turned to data and analytics in his preparations for the 2019 match, hoping to emulate the success of the European Ryder Cup team against the Americans.
Ernie Els introduced a shield in 2019
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Again, there were encouraging signs, but defeat still followed, on that occasion by 16-14.
With the International team once again expected to be beaten at Medinah, what do the historical Presidents Cup records tell us about where the team has struggled most?
Since the inaugural Presidents Cup in 1994, the match has always featured sessions of foursomes, fourball and singles.
The number of matches played has changed at various points, but currently, the 30 points are divided between nine foursomes matches, nine fourball matches and 12 singles matches. It is clear where the International team needs the most improvement.
Despite suffering a relatively heavy defeat two years ago, there was one day when the Internationals not only had the upper hand against the US but dominated.
That came on day two, when the hosts inflicted a 5-0 whitewash on the Americans to tie the match after the visitors had meted out a similar drubbing to the Internationals in the day one fourball session.
The Internationals picked up a rare foursomes session win in 2024
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As it turned out, though, it wasn’t just the performance that was remarkable from an International standpoint – it was that it came in a format where it has generally struggled.
In fact, it was the first time the team had won a foursomes session since 2005.
In Presidents Cup history, the Internationals have won just six of the 30 foursomes sessions, with five ties and 19 defeats.
Overall, the Internationals have won 58.5 points in foursomes, 34 fewer than the US’s 92.5 points.
The Internationals also trail in the other two formats, but not by nearly as much.
In fourball, the US has five more points than the Internationals, with a 78-75 lead.
In singles, the US has 97.5 points against the Internationals’ tally of 82.5, a lead of 15.
While the Internationals will no doubt take some confidence from that memorable Friday in Montreal two years ago, there was a warning further on in the match, when the US won the second session of foursomes 3-1.
With all that in mind, one of the main things the visitors will need to address at Medinah is how they can ensure that the 5-0 win in 2024 doesn’t become an anomaly on the way to another US triumph.
Presidents Cup All-Time Points Records
|
Format |
US |
Internationals |
Difference |
|
Foursomes |
92.5 |
58.5 |
US +34 |
|
Fourball |
78 |
73 |
US +5 |
|
Singles |
97.5 |
82.5 |
US +15 |