Royal Montreal Golf Club hosts the 2024 Presidents Cup this weekend. The US team has won the last 9 Presidents Cups in a row. Can the International team challenge the Americans this year?
Strong International Team Ready For Presidents Cup
International Team captain Mike Weir knows the odds are stacked against his squad. With a record of 12-1-1, the US team has dominated this event. The US also has a nine-match winning streak dating back to 2003. Weir acknowledged the daunting challenge facing the International team: “I think it’s just a fact, just dealing with reality.” Yet the International team is not conceding. As perhaps Canada’s best professional golfer ever, Weir is leading the International Team on his home turf. On a golf course that he knows well.
Having won the 2003 Masters, Weir is the only Canadian golfer to have won a major championship. Weir also played some amazing golf at the 2007 Presidents Cup – also hosted by Royal Montreal Golf Club.
International Team Captain Defeated #1 Tiger Woods
While the US team won easily (19.5 to 14.5), Weir went 4-1. Perhaps most impressively, he beat world #1 Tiger Woods in their singles match. Weir’s International team features four of the world’s top 25 golfers: Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, Australia’s Adam Scott, and South Korea’s dynamic duo of Sungjae Im and Tom Kim. Add in major champion Jason Day from Australia (ranked #33 in the world) and the International Team’s top 5 looks like it has a fighting chance.
Adam Scott Makes 11th Presidents Cup Appearance
Adam Scott will make his 11th Presidents Cup appearance – second all-time. Trailing only Phil Mickelson, who played in 12 of these events. Yet in his 10 previous attempts, Scott has yet to win the Presidents Cup. The best he’s done is tie in his first-ever Presidents Cup in 2003.
Since then, he’s been a member of 9 straight losing teams. Scott is highly motivated to add a Presidents Cup to his distinguished golf resume before his playing days end. “You can hear how much he wants to win one,” says fellow Australian teammate Jason Day (the winner of the 2015 PGA Championship).
Day believes the International team can make this biennial event more competitive if they can just get over the hump. “I think it’ll only take one. If we can get one, I think that’ll change the tide a little bit.” Yet that may be easier said than done,” Coach Weir said. “We’ve got a tall challenge, but the guys are up for it, they’re ready for it and they’re embracing that.”
Team USA Looks Stronger Than The International Team
As for the USA, captain Jim Furyk’s team has a clear advantage on paper. The average official world golf ranking (OWGR) of the US team is 12.4. Far better than the International team’s average 34.4 OWGR. All 12 members of the US team are ranked in the top 25 in the world. Including four of the world’s top six golfers: Scottie Scheffler (#1), Xander Schauffele (#2), Collin Morikawa (#4), and Wyndham Clark (#6).
While Europe has dominated the USA in Ryder Cup competition, the opposite is true in the Presidents Cup as noted previously. Furyk says that could have something to do with expectations. Given its domination, the US team expects to win the Presidents Cup. And for that reason, it’s possible the Americans put less pressure on themselves.
Paths To Victory
One bright spot for the International Team is that they have fared better as the home team. Playing the event in Canada gives the International side hope. The US team is a strong favorite to win its 10th straight Presidents Cup, but don’t count the International Team out. One can sense their hunger. If the International squad can get off to a fast start, build some momentum, and get the Canadian crowd behind them, then anything can happen.
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