The Presidents Cup is one of the newer and more unusual golf tournaments to have been introduced in recent times.
This biennial team event features a team of top professional golfers from the United States, that play on the PGA or other sanctioned tours, taking on an International team comprised of players from all over the rest of the world, bar Europe.
The reason being that Team Europe and the United States face off in another biennial tournament, the famous Ryder Cup, with the Presidents Cup offering the United States team a chance to play one team tournament every year.
Of course, such an exciting team event will always draw in plenty of punters looking for a bet and if you are someone who has utilised their bet365 bonus code of late to claim your Welcome Bonus bet credits, or you just fancy a flutter on the tournament, then bet365 offers excellent coverage of this and all top golf tournaments throughout the year.
BONUS CODE:
BET247
Min deposit £5
Bet £10 and get £30 in free bets
Registration required. Sign up, deposit between £5 and £10 to your account and bet365 will give you five times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply.The bonus code BET247 can be used during registration, but does not change the offer amount in any way.
888 CASINO
£88 Free
£1,500 Welcome Bonus Package
£88 Free just for signing up
NO Deposit Required
New Customers Only
So, let’s go back to the start of this prestigious tournament to discover how and why it was formed, as well as a lot more about its history and its top players and teams.
Formation
The Presidents Cup was first contested back in 1994 and was the brainchild of former PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, who had the foresight to realise that the fact golf was now becoming a global game, meant that international players were now starting to get recognised in the United States due to playing on the PGA Tour.
Although a lot of people reckoned the tournament would be one-sided (more on that later) and a poor relation to the well-established Ryder Cup, contested between Team USA and Team Europe, Finchem realised there were a lot of players from outside those two regions who could form an international team.
Hence in 1994, Finchem’s brainchild came to fruition when the first Presidents Cup was contested at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia.
Format Of Presidents Cup Tournament
Like the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup is a biennial team tournament, which means it is played once every two years, in the years between Ryder Cup competitions.
It is contested by a team selected from players based in the United States and those based from the rest of the world, though not including Europe.
Each team is comprised of a team captain, with 12 golfers in each team.
Team captains have played in the tournament in the past, but now tend to be non-playing captains, with other non-playing golfers assisting them in the role and out on the course.
The tournament is a match play event and after a number of changes of format, the tournament is now played across four days, and from 2022, the format for each day is as follows:
- Day One – 5 Foursomes (5 points to be won)
- Day Two – 5 Fourballs (5 points to be won)
- Day Three – Morning – 4 foursomes; Afternoon – 4 fourballs (8 points to be won)
- Day Four – 12 Singles Games (12 points to be won)
Total Points available is 30 and the first team to score 15.5 points or more wins.
Each tournament also has an Honorary Chairman, who is usually the current or a former Prime Minister or President of the venue where the tournament is being contested.
Every American president since Gerald Ford, apart from Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, have acted as the Honorary Chairman, with Barack Obama doing so twice (in 2009 and 2013).
History Of Presidents Cup Tournaments
The full history of President’s Cup tournaments is shown in the table below.
| Year | Venue | Location | Winners | Score | US Captain | Int Captain |
| 1994 | R.T.Jones Golf Club | Charlotte, USA | USA | 20-12 | Hale Irwin | David Graham |
| 1996 | R.T.Jones Golf Club | Charlotte, USA | USA | 16.5-15.5 | Arnold Palmer | Peter Thomson |
| 1998 | Royal Melbourne | Melbourne, AUS | INT | 20.5-11.5 | Jack Nicklaus | Peter Thomson |
| 2000 | R.T.Jones Golf Club | Charlotte, USA | USA | 21.5-10.5 | Ken Venturi | Peter Thomson |
| 2003 | Fancourt Hotel | George, S.AF | TIED | 17-17 | Jack Nicklaus | Gary Player |
| 2005 | R.T.Jones Golf Club | Charlotte, USA | USA | 18.5-15.5 | Jack Nicklaus | Gary Player |
| 2007 | Royal Montreal | Montreal, CAN | USA | 19.5-14.5 | Jack Nicklaus | Gary Player |
| 2009 | Harding Park | San Francisco, USA | USA | 19.5-14.5 | Fred Couples | Greg Norman |
| 2011 | Royal Melbourne | Melbourne, AUS | USA | 19-15 | Fred Couples | Greg Norman |
| 2013 | Muirfield Village | Dublin, USA | USA | 18.5-15.5 | Fred Couples | Nick Price |
| 2015 | Jack Nicklaus GC | Incheon, S.KOR | USA | 15.5-14.5 | Jay Haas | Nick Price |
| 2017 | Liberty National | Jersey City, USA | USA | 19-11 | Steve Stricker | Nick Price |
| 2019 | Royal Melbourne | Melbourne, AUS | USA | 16-14 | Tiger Woods | Ernie Els |
| 2022 | Quail Hollow | Charlotte, USA | USA | 17.5-12.5 | Davis Love III | Trevor Immelman |
| 2024 | Royal Montreal | Montreal, CAN | ||||
| 2026 | Medinah GC | Medinah, USA | ||||
| 2028 | TBC | Melbourne, AUS | ||||
| 2030 | Bellerive CC | Bellerive, USA |
- The United States have 12 wins
- The Rest of the World or International team have 1 win
- There has been one tied tournament.
Most Successful President’s Cup Players
Phil Mickelson has won the most points for the United States team with 32.5 points from 12 appearances.
Ernie Els holds the record for the International team with 21 points from 8 appearances.
Presidents Cup – FAQs
What Is The Presidents Cup?
The Presidents Cup is a biennial match play tournament contested between teams of 12 golfers from the United States taking on a team from the Rest Of The World (minus Europe).
Each team is led by a Team Captain.
Players play for points for their team across a series of fourballs and foursomes games across the opening three days of the tournament, before all 12 players compete in singles matches on the fourth and final day.
The team to secure 15.5 points or more out of the 30 available in the tournament wins the trophy.
When Was The First Presidents Cup?
The first Presidents Cup was contested in 1994 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia.
What Format Is The Presidents Cup?
All matches are played using match play format with games played as foursomes and fourballs over the first three days and then 12 singles matches on the final day.
One point per game is available to be won with 30 points available to be won across the whole tournament meaning a team needs 15.5 points to win the Presidents Cup.
Who Has Won The Presidents Cup Most Often?
The United States has won the most President Cup tournaments with 12.
The International team has won just one, with one tie between the teams.
When And Where Will The Next Presidents Cup Be Held?
In 2022, the Presidents Cup was contested at Quail Hollow Golf Club in Charlotte, North Carolina and was won by the United States.
From then on the tournament will be contested at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada in 2024 and then Medinah Country Club in Illinois, United States in 2026.
The teams have hosted the Presidents Cup alternately since 1996.
How Can Golfers Qualify For The Presidents Cup Teams?
Golfers can qualify for their respective teams either through finishing in one of the automatic ranking positions for a place on the team, or as one of the Team Captain’s selections.
The United States team is made up of 6 players qualifying via the rankings and 6 captain’s selections.
The Rest of the World or International team is made up of 8 players qualifying via the rankings and 4 captain’s selections.
What Happens In The Event Of A Tie Between The Two Presidents Cup Teams?
If after all games, the teams are tied on points, then the Presidents Cup is shared between the teams. This is different to what happens in the Ryder Cup where in the event of a tie, the team that currently holds the trophy will retain it.
Are Any Other Tournaments Similar To The Presidents Cup?
The most obvious event similar to the Presidents Cup is the Ryder Cup, which is another match-day based team event contested between the USA and Europe in the years in between President Cup contests.
The Ryder Cup is a much longer-established tournament than the Presidents Cup.
Are Golfers Paid For Playing In The Presidents Cup?
No. All monies raised from the Presidents Cup are forwarded on to charitable organisations. Players are not paid for taking part in the event but are gifted a sum they can donate to their chosen charity.
Can LIV Tour Golfers Play In The Presidents Cup?
No. At the present moment, the United States team and Rest of the World teams will not select players that have opted to play on the LIV Golf Tour.
The same ruling will likely be in place for future Ryder Cup events at least for the foreseeable future.
Who Is The Youngest Presidents Cup Player?
Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa is the youngest player to play in the Presidents Cup aged just 18 years and 21 days in 2009.
Who Is The Oldest Presidents Cup Player?
Jay Haas of the United States was just 12 days short of his 50th birthday when competing in the 2003 Presidents Cup (49 years, 353 days).
Which Golfer Has Played Most Times In The Presidents Cup?
Phil Mickelson (United States) has made the most appearances in a Presidents Cup team, appearing in all 12 tournaments from 1994 through to 2017.
Which Golfer Has The Best Presidents Cup Record?
Phil Mickelson has won the most points for his team in Presidents Cup history amassing 32.5 points for the United States team from 1994 to 2017.
He has also secured the most foursome points (14) and fourball points (13) for his team of all players that have competed in the tournament.
He has a 26-16-13 record in the tournament.
Tiger Woods holds the record for most singles points won, winning seven of his nine singles games, losing just two.
Several players have amassed a total of five points in the contest over the years, they are Mark O’Meara (USA) in 1996, Shigeki Maruyama (Int) in 1998, Tiger Woods (USA) in 2009, Jim Furyk (USA) in 2011, Branden Grace (Int) in 2015 and Justin Spieth (USA) in 2022.
