The Presidents Cup 2024 Tips: Back the US to win a close event

The top players from the US and the non-European parts of the world head to Canada this week for the Presidents Cup, with the US the heavy favourites to lift the trophy.

Our golf tipster Jamie Worsley previews the event along with giving his analysis on all the players. He's picked out four bets worth considering, so check out his predictions and his Presidents Cup 2024 Tips below...

*You can check out all the latest Presidents Cup 2024 Odds on our market page over at betfred.com

Team golf takes centre stage again this week, as teams USA and International head to Canada for the 15th edition of the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club. 

TOURNAMENT HISTORY 

The Presidents Cup was first staged in 1994 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club – host of this year’s Solheim Cup – and has usually taken place every two years since. 

Team USA have dominated the event since its inception, winning 12 of the previous 14 editions. That solo win for the Internationals came in 1998 at Royal Melbourne and was one of the most comprehensive – only behind the USA’s 21 ½ - 10 ½ success in 2000 - as they came out on top with a winning score of 20 ½ - 11 ½. They also tied the 2003 edition at Fancourt in South Africa. 

Last five results: 

• 2022 (Quail Hollow) 

USA 17 ½ - 12 ½ International 

• 2019 (Royal Melbourne) 

USA 16 - 14 International 

• 2017 (Liberty National) 

USA 19 - 11 International 

• 2015 (Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea) 

USA 15 ½ - 14 ½ International 

• 2013 (Muirfield Village) 

USA 18 ½ - 15 ½ International 

Our most recent edition took us to Quail Hollow in 2022 and saw the USA take a commanding early lead of 8-2 after the first two sessions. Despite a decent fightback from the International team over the last two days, it wasn’t enough, with the home side eventually running out resounding winners by 17 ½ - 12 ½. 

Team USA goes for 10 in a row this week and will do so with a debuting Jim Furyk – himself part of five winning Presidents Cup teams as a player – as captain.  

His counterpart, Mike Weir will also be making his debut in the captain’s seat in his home country and with some positive experience on-side from that tie in 2003, he’ll be desperate to take the Internationals to only their second win in the event.  

FORMAT & SCHEDULE 

The Presidents Cup is contested over four days, as opposed to the three days of the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup, with 30 matches played in total.  

The scoring rewards 1 point for a win and half a point for a tie, meaning 15 ½ points is the magic score needed to be crowned Presidents Cup champions. 

There are three match types used: foursomes (alternate shot), fourballs (better ball) and singles. 

The schedule is as follows: 

• Thursday: Fourballs (5x matches)
  

• Friday: Foursomes (5x matches)
  

• Saturday Morning: Fourballs (4x matches) 

• Saturday Afternoon: Foursomes (4x matches)
  

• Sunday: Singles (12x matches)
  

THE COURSE 

The Royal Montreal Golf Club dates back to 1873 and is often credited with being the oldest golf club in North America. However, it has moved home several times in the intervening years and this Dick Wilson-designed Blue Course was only opened in 1959. 

The club has hosted 10 Canadian Opens in its long history, most recently in 2014, when Tim Clark saw off USA captain, Jim Furyk.  

It will be hosting the Presidents Cup for the second time this week, having previously hosted in 2007, when we saw the USA run out convincing 19 ½ - 14 ½ winners.  

Rees Jones performed an extensive renovation of the course prior to that event, including redesigning almost all of the greens and rebuilding the bunkers. There have been further changes prior to this year’s renewal, with bunkers again renovated, some fairways tightened, and extra yardage added to eight holes. 

Royal Montreal’s Blue Course measures 7279 yards and plays to a par of 70. It possesses 12x par 4s (385-501 yards), 4x par 3s (153-227 yards) and 2x par 5s (560-567 yards). 

This tree-lined parkland features average-width fairways on holes which almost always dogleg, mostly right-to-left. Abundant and strategic fairway bunkering tightens many landing areas, whilst thick Kentucky bluegrass rough will punish the most wayward. 

The small, often raised bentgrass/poa mixed greens are difficult to hit, with many narrow in shape and angled to the fairway. Deep greenside bunkers and some steep drop-offs around the greens, along with the contoured multi-tiered putting surfaces, make for a demanding short-game challenge. 

The course really ramps up on the back nine as water comes into play in six holes, which includes each of the final five.  

This watery stretch of holes concludes with the diminutive but dangerous 157-yard par 3 17th, which requires an approach into a small green that is protected by water to the right. We then finish with the 466-yard 18th, a par 4 that doglegs from right-to-left, with water protecting the fairway to the left and the narrow, angled green guarded by sand on either side. 

It's a collection of holes that will guarantee plenty of matches end with their share of drama over the course of the event. 

THE WEATHER 

The current forecast is predicting a mixed bag in terms of this week’s weather. Rain looks likely to fall in the days leading up to the event and continues into Thursday. The players will be pleased to play a couple of days in dry conditions, before the rain is schedule to return for the Sunday singles. 

Gusty winds of up to 22mph are also expected over the four days and may make things interesting over those important closing holes. 

KEY STATS 

• SG: Approach 

• Greens-in-Regulation 

• SG: Around-the-Greens 

• Scrambling 

• SG: Putting (bentgrass/poa) 

• Par 4 Scoring 

Mastering iron play into these small, elevated surfaces will be key this week, with approach play especially important if any rain makes then extra-receptive. 

Their size and shape means that many will be missed and looking a demanding short-game challenge, those who excel around-the-greens should have an advantage, whilst players with a proven ability on bentgrass/poa will be best-equipped to help their team on the greens. 

Finally, the 12 par 4s look a real challenge and competitors who score best on these holes will go a long way towards winning their matches. 

THE TEAMS 

INTERNATIONAL (Captain: MIKE WEIR) 

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 7 – 10 – 5 

• Singles: 2 – 1 – 2 / Foursomes: 2 – 5 – 1 / Fourballs: 3 – 4 – 2  

• World Ranking: 7th  

Hideki Matsuyama is the top-ranked player in the International team and will be making his sixth Presidents Cup appearance this week, having debuted in 2013. 

He’s been in excellent form this year, recording victories in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera and won the St Jude Championship three starts ago. His form has been engineered by his superb tee-to-green game, for which he ranks 3rd on tour. 

Matsuyama’s pairs record is a touch underwhelming; however, he’s only lost one of his five singles matches and it goes without saying that the home team will need the Japanese star to have a good week if wanting to secure a long-awaited second win in the event. 

SUNGJAE IM 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 5 – 3 – 2 

• Singles: 2 – 0 – 0 / Foursomes: 0 – 3 – 1 / Fourballs: 3 – 0 – 1  

• World Ranking: 21st   

Sungjae Im has looked good in his two Presidents Cup starts after debuting in 2019. He arrives in super-consistent form and will be hoping to impress again in Canada. 

He had a tough start to the year but found form in May and hasn’t looked back. He’s recorded nine top-15s in his last 13 starts and has looked strong in all areas, ranking 23rd in strokes-gained total on the PGA Tour. 

Im was the joint-top points scorer on his debut in 2019, taking 3 ½ from a possible 5 and ranked 2nd for the International team in 2022, scoring a further 2 ½ points.  He’s undefeated in both singles and fourballs and due to his all-round quality, he should make a reliable partner for anyone at Royal Montreal. 

ADAM SCOTT 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 18 – 25 – 6 

• Singles: 5 – 5 – 0 / Foursomes: 8 – 10 – 2 / Fourballs: 5 – 10 – 4 

• World Ranking: 18th  

With 10 previous appearances to his name since debuting in 2003, in which he’s played 49 matches, Adam Scott is the second-most experienced player in the history of the Presidents Cup behind Phil Mickelson. Hitting a rich vein of form in recent weeks, he’ll be hoping to use that experience to help his team break the American dominance. 

The Aussie has finished no worse than 18th across his last six starts, including finishing 2nd in both the Scottish Open and BMW Championship. Every area of his game has impressed over this time but it’s that ranking of 26th in putting that stands out. Always an important asset in match play. 

Fourballs has statistically been Scott’s least successful element, though he did strike up a good relationship with Ben An in 2019, winning one and tying the other in their two fourballs matches together.  

TOM KIM 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 2 – 3 – 0  

• Singles: 0 – 1 – 0 / Foursomes: 1 – 1 – 0 / Fourballs: 1 – 1 – 0  

• World Ranking: 24th   

Tom Kim’s infectious enthusiasm made him one of the breakout stars of the 2022 Presidents Cup and with his recently elite-level approach play, he should be key for the Internationals at Royal Montreal.  

He ranks 2nd of the 24 players this week in approach over the previous three months, only trailing world #1 Scottie Scheffler. This has allowed him to play some of his best golf of the year, recording finishes of 2nd in the Travelers Championship, 4th in the Canadian Open and 8th in the Olympics across his last 10 starts. 

Kim played each of his foursomes matches with K.H. Lee in 2022, who doesn’t play here this week. However, he did win alongside Si Woo Kim in the Saturday fourballs and with both of those players looking a good fit for this course, that could be a star partnership if we see it in action again.  

JASON DAY 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 5 – 11 – 4 

• Singles: 2 – 2 – 0 / Foursomes: 0 – 5 – 3 / Fourballs: 3 – 4 – 1  

• World Ranking: 33rd  

Jason Day debuted in 2011 and returns to make his fifth Presidents Cup appearance this week, having been absent in 2019 and 2022. 

He arrives in solid form, making each of his last six cuts and recording four top-25s over this time, including finishes of 9th in the Olympics and 13th in The Open. It’s his short game that has done most of the heavy lifting, ranking 11th in putting and 32nd in scrambling this season. 

With seven points from a possible 20, Day’s points percentage stands at a disappointing 35%. Although, Adam Scott has previously iterated his wish to play more matches in the contest alongside his compatriot and this could be a formidable pairing if these two major champions found their stride. 

BYEONG HUN AN 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 1 – 2 – 2  

• Singles: 0 – 1 – 0 / Foursomes: 0 – 1 – 1 / Fourballs: 1 – 0 – 1  

• World Ranking: 34th  

Byeong Hun An is the last of the six automatic selections for the International side. He will compete in his second Presidents Cup after making a promising debut in 2019. 

He has had a really solid campaign in 2024, with just four missed cuts across his 23 starts. He’s recorded four top-25s and made the cut in 3/4 majors, going best when 13th at Royal Troon in The Open. Elite ball-striking is his game and he’s been especially strong with driver, ranking 18th this season in the U.S 

An played all five matches in 2019 and came away with a commendable two points. As mentioned, he went undefeated alongside Adam Scott in fourballs and only narrowly lost to the team of Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas in the Friday foursomes when teamed with Hideki Matsuyama.  

Further expectation of his comfort in this type of event is found from two starts in the Eurasia Cup (a similar event between Europe and Asia) in 2016 and 2018, whilst he’s also represented Korea in two World Cups, finishing an eye-catching 6th alongside Si Woo Kim in 2018. 

CHRISTIAAN BEZUIDENHOUT 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 1 – 0 – 1  

• Singles: 1 – 0 – 0 / Foursomes: 0 – 0 – 0 / Fourballs: 0 – 0 – 1  

• World Ranking: 45th  

Christiaan Bezuidenhout was used rather sparingly on his Presidents Cup debut in 2022, playing just two matches. That being said, he came through each of those undefeated and will be hoping that record will earn him a more central role this time around, at a course that should suit his eye. 

The South African has enjoyed his best year on the PGA Tour in 2024, missing just four cuts in 23 starts and recorded 13 top-25s. His best effort came when 2nd in The AmEx on his first start of the year and he hit the top-5 for the second time at Muirfield Village, finishing 4th. 

Though a solid 57th in approach, his key areas have been scrambling, ranking 13th and putting, ranking 20th. Whilst a further ranking of 14th in par 4 scoring should serve him well here. 

In 2022, Bezuidenhout halved a match in the Friday fourballs and then took down Kevin Kisner in the final match out in the singles. As a generally steady and reliable ball-striker who can catch fire with the short game as much as anyone, he should make for a trusty partner around this suitable setup. 

COREY CONNERS 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 0 – 4 – 0  

• Singles: 0 – 1 – 0 / Foursomes: 0 – 2 – 0 / Fourballs: 0 – 1 – 0  

• World Ranking: 37th  

Corey Conners had a Presidents Cup debut to forget in 2022, losing each of his four matches at Quail Hollow. He’ll be in search of redemption at Royal Montreal, a course that looks a good fit for this precision-based ball-striker. 

The home star arrives back in Canada after an exceptionally consistent year on the PGA Tour. He hasn’t missed a single cut in 23 starts and has recorded 14 top-25 finishes, coming into this after finishing 7th in the Procore Championship on his latest start.  

His elite ball-striking, for which he ranks 3rd in approach, 11th in greens-in-regulation and 26th off-the-tee, has been key to all of this and it’s that, particularly his approach play, which makes him such a strong fit for this course. 

Though failing to record a win in 2022, he lost two of his four matches by just the one hole, including against Xander Schauffele in singles. His foursomes pairing with Sungjae Im failed to ignite but there’s little reason I can find as to why that should necessarily be the case, and with local fans cheering him on, Conners and his superb long game will have a big part to play.  

SI WOO KIM 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 4 – 3 – 0  

• Singles: 1 – 1 – 0 / Foursomes: 1 – 2 – 0 / Fourballs: 2 – 0 – 0  

• World Ranking: 49th  

Si Woo Kim made his Presidents Cup debut in 2017 and returned for a second time in 2022. He’s shown quality across each component of the competition in both of those attempts and as another player for who this course looks a good fit, this high-class tee-to-green player can shine in Quebec.  

He’d hit the top-25 on nine occasions during his first 13 starts this year but hit a flat spot in form at the end of June. He did appear to turn this around at the BMW Championship, recording his best finish of the year when 5th and also impressed on his Wentworth debut last week, finishing 18th in the BMW PGA Championship – a fine example of the type of course he usually performs well on, which should tie in nicely with Royal Montreal. 

The Korean ranks 12th on the PGA Tour tee-to-green this year and has notably performed well in approach, ranking 16th. 

Kim was thinly-used on his 2017 debut, playing three times and winning just the single point. 2022 was much more like it, as he played four and won three, and with Ben An looking a more than able deputy to Cam Davis – with whom Kim played alongside in both foursomes matches in 2022, winning one and losing one – that potential pairing may be a tough one to crack.   

TAYLOR PENDRITH 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 0 – 4 – 0  

• Singles: 0 – 1 – 0 / Foursomes: 0 – 1 – 0 / Fourballs: 0 – 2 – 0  

• World Ranking: 44th  

Taylor Pendrith earned his spot on the team off the back of his best ever year on tour. He will be aiming to use his heightened level of confidence to banish the memories of a disastrous debut in 2022.  

He picked up his first PGA Tour victory back in May at the CJ CUP Bryson Nelson and has barely put a foot wrong since, missing just one cut in his last 12 starts and hitting the top-25 on nine occasions. 

His ball-striking has always been solid, especially his driving but the level of form he has shown this year has been engineered by major improvements on the greens, for which he ranks 7th this year, as opposed to 102nd in 2023.  

This newly-discovered ability with the putter will be a huge asset this week and coming into this having replicated Conners’ 0/4 record in 2022, Pendrith will be eager to put on a show in front of his home crowd.  

MIN WOO LEE 

• Overall Presidents Cup record: Rookie 

• World Ranking: 40th  

Min Woo Lee is the first of two rookies for the International team and the massively talented Aussie is expected to cement his place on the side for many years to come. 

He earned a captain’s callup due to a promising first full year stateside, as he twice finished runner-up, in the Cognizant Classic and Rocket Mortgage Classic, along with finishing 26th-or-better in each of the U.S-based majors. 

We haven’t quite seen the best of his short-game skills on this tour, but he showed time and time again on the DP World Tour that he’s top-class in this area. The driver is another big weapon for him and with some encouraging recent approach displays, he has many of the necessary areas of his game clicking to be a foremost feature on his Presidents Cup debut. 

The Presidents Cup experience may be a new one for Min Woo, but he does have plenty of team golf experience from his amateur days. He was part of the winning team in the 2018 Bonallack Trophy – a comparable event that pits a team from Asia/Pacific against Europe – where he won three of his five matches, one each in foursomes, fourballs and singles. All which should stand him in good stead this week. 

MACKENZIE HUGHES 

• Overall Presidents Cup record: Rookie 

• World Ranking: 61st   

Mackenzie Hughes is the third Canadian on the International team and the second rookie. He’s been in good form this season and whilst the ball-striking is still unpredictable, the standard of his short game could make him a frustrating opponent this week. 

He recorded his fourth top-10 of the season on his most recent start, following finishes of 3rd in the Valspar Championship, 6th in the Wells Fargo Championship and 7th in the Canadian Open, with a 4th-place finish in the Procore Championship. 

That was a result achieved due to his best approach display of the season, ranking 2nd.  Though it’s with the short game that he has excelled more this season, ranking 3rd around-the-greens and 5th in putting. 

These short-game qualities mean that Hughes fits the bill of many a match-play specialist and could make him a sneakily valuable member of the home team at Royal Montreal. 

USA (Captain: JIM FURYK) 

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 0 – 3 – 1 

• Singles: 0 – 1 – 0 / Foursomes: 0 – 2 – 0 / Fourballs: 0 – 0 – 1  

• World Ranking: 1st  

Scottie Scheffler may be the best golfer in the world but he’s yet to contribute in an especially meaningful fashion in his three professional team golf experiences to date. Something that he’ll be expecting to rectify in Canada. 

There is little to say about the world #1’s year that has not already been said many times. In 20 start in 2024 he’s won eight times, including a second Masters title and claiming a gold medal in the Olympics; he’s missed no cuts and only finished outside of the top-10 on three occasions. 

He ranks 1st in strokes-gained total, tee-to-green, approach, greens-in-regulation and par 4 scoring; 3rd off-the-tee; 6th in scrambling and when the rest is that good, 69th in putting is perfectly reasonable. 

Scheffler was on the winning side on debut in 2022 but picking up just half a point from his four matches, he was the least productive player for the USA. Though performing well on his Ryder Cup debut in 2021, where he went undefeated across three matches, he struggled in last year’s edition, failing to win any of his four matches and losing an embarrassing 9 & 7 alongside Brooks Koepka in fourballs. Whilst a partnership with friend, Sam Burns has failed to fire.  

That being said, it’s surely only a matter of time before he plays a starring role for his country in one of these events and there won’t be a pairing/player on the opposing team who will truly want to go up against him this week.  

XANDER SCHAUFFELE 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 6 – 3 – 0  

• Singles: 2 – 0 – 0 / Foursomes: 3 – 0 – 0 / Fourballs: 1 – 3 – 0  

• World Ranking: 2nd  

If it wasn’t for Scottie Scheffler, we’d be talking a lot more about the brilliance of Xander Schauffele’s 2024 campaign, as he went from zero-time major winner to two-time in the space of two months. His strong bond with Patrick Cantlay has been pivotal to Team USA since he made his debut in this event in 2019. 

He hasn’t missed a cut across his 22 starts this season and has recorded a remarkable 16 top-10 finishes. Just the two victories have come from those strong performances, but he’s chosen two of the biggest events in which to do so, claiming his first major title at Valhalla in the PGA Championship and he then took home the Claret Jug at Royal Troon. 

His game has little in the shape of weaknesses, ranking 2nd in strokes-gained total, tee-to-green and in par 4 scoring. He compliments his brilliant ball-striking with a super short game, ranking 1st in scrambling and 10th on the greens. 

Schauffele possesses a 100% record in this event alongside Cantlay in foursomes and has won each of his two singles matches. That duo also took maximum foursomes points in the 2021 Ryder Cup, though they’ll have to bounce back from a disappointing showing in France last year. 

COLLIN MORIKAWA 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 2 – 1 – 0  

• Singles: 1 – 0 – 0 / Foursomes: 1 – 1 – 0 / Fourballs: 0 – 0 – 0  

• World Ranking: 4th  

Collin Morikawa makes his second Presidents Cup appearances this week having debuted in 2022. He performed well if somewhat underused there and at a course that looks an ideal fit, he’s bound to play a shining role this week. 

He has had a largely strong year on tour and has finished inside the top-10 on eight occasions, with a 3rd-place finish at Augusta no doubt the highlight. He has regressed with his iron play this year but looks to have found some big improvements with his short game, ranking 6th around-the-greens and 9th in scrambling, and as the third-best par 4 scorer, he should be comfortable on those highly-prevalent holes at Royal Montreal. 

Morikawa played just three matches in 2022, losing one and winning one foursomes match alongside Cameron Young and won his singles contest. He was one of the stars of the show on his 2021 Ryder Cup debut – largely aided by his pairing with Dustin Johnson - scoring 3.5 from 4 possible points but like many of the Americans, he found the going tough in 2023. Although, he did find a good victory when teamed with Sam Burns in the Saturday fourballs there and with previous partners, Johnson and Young both absent, that might be something that is revisited this week. 

WYNDHAM CLARK 

• Overall Presidents Cup record: Rookie 

• World Ranking: 6th  

Wyndham Clark is the first of four rookies for Team USA. However, he did wet his beak at the Ryder Cup last year and despite his misplaced bullishness, he was one of few Americans who came out of that event with some credit. 

He won at Pebble Beach right at the start of the year and ignoring the occasional fleeting loss of form, he’s maintained a high level since. Back-to-back runner-up finishes to Scottie Scheffler in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and PLAYERS Championship highlighted him as the clear second-best player around in that earlier part of the year and he’s been rock-sold lately, finishing inside the top-15 in six of his last eight starts. 

He’s been driving the ball better than ever and is producing his best putting numbers since 2020. Though the approach play and short game is slightly down on last year, he’s still gaining strokes in both areas. 

Clark took a win and a half from his two fourballs matches in Italy at last year’s Ryder Cup and narrowly went down to Robert MacIntyre in the singles. Both of those points were gained alongside different partners, and he’ll want to form a more stable connection with someone this year to become a central feature of these events. 

PATRICK CANTLAY 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 6 – 3 – 0  

• Singles: 2 – 0 – 0 / Foursomes: 3 – 0 – 0 / Fourballs: 1 – 3 – 0  

• World Ranking: 9th  

The other half of the Schauffele/Cantlay double act, Patrick Cantlay possesses an identical record in this event to that of his regular comrade and returns for his third Presidents Cup. 

He’s still had a perfectly solid year on the PGA Tour but there’s no doubt his level has slipped in 2024 compared to previous seasons. He does come into this event after his strongest period of form this year, finishing top-25 in each of his last six starts. A run that began with a 3rd-place finish in the US Open. 

His ball-striking has seen the biggest slip, ranking 56th off-the-tee and 97th in approach. Though his short game has stayed around the same level, ranking 20th in scrambling and 31st around-the-greens. 

Cantlay has won every singles match across both the Presidents and Ryder Cup and away from that lynchpin pairing with Schauffele, he did take a point alongside Wyndham Clark in the fourballs at last year’s Ryder Cup.  

SAHITH THEEGALA  

• Overall Presidents Cup record: Rookie 

• World Ranking: 11th  

Sahith Theegala is the final of the automatic qualifiers and he makes his first foray into the world of team golf this week. There’s something about his positive personality that suggests he’ll thrive in this atmosphere. 

Though not picking up another victory this year, he has improved as a golfer and has had a string of top performances. He’s recorded nine top-10 finishes, including finishing runner-up in the RBC Heritage and The Sentry, and he comes into this week after recording the second-lowest score of the week in the Tour Championship and finishing 7th in the Procore Championship on his two latest starts. 

Although he hasn’t been quite as sharp on and around the greens this year, he’s still gained strokes in both short-game areas. However, he’s made major improvements with his ball-striking, ranking 22nd off-the-tee and 43rd in approach. 

Theegala has no experience of this type of format as a pro but did feature in the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup as an amateur, which pits mixed-gender sides from the US and International against one another. Collin Morikawa was on the same winning team there and it might be that the Californian pair strike up a partnership this year. 

KEEGAN BRADLEY 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 2 – 2 – 1  

• Singles: 0 – 1 – 0 / Foursomes: 1 – 0 – 1 / Fourballs: 1 – 1 – 0  

• World Ranking: 13th  

Keegan Bradley was appointed as the surprise captain of next year’s USA Ryder Cup team and will be looking to learn plenty this week, as he returns to the Presidents Cup fold (as a captain’s pick) for the first time since making his debut 11 years ago. 

He can thank his victory in the BMW Championship two starts ago for his inclusion this week, as Jim Furyk’s captain’s picks merely came from the next six guys on the points list. He’d had a reasonable enough year prior to that win, recording runner-up finishes in the Sony Open and Charles Schwab Challenge. 

As has been the case throughout much of his career, he’s a player who excels with his ball-striking, ranking 39th in approach and 55th off-the-tee this season. 

He played every match in the event in 2013 and was paired with Phil Mickelson in each pairs session, taking 2 ½ points from 4. That was a pairing that also shone in his Ryder Cup appearances in 2012 and 2014.  

Phil is obviously no longer part of these events and with a singles record that reads “played three; lost three” across each of those team events, it’s tough to know what to expect from Bradley, a decade on from his latest exposure to this format. 

SAM BURNS 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 0 – 3 – 2  

• Singles: 0 – 0 – 1 / Foursomes: 0 – 2 – 0 / Fourballs: 0 – 1 – 1 

• World Ranking: 19th  

Despite the US team’s success, Sam Burns’ Presidents Cup debut in 2022 was one to forget personally and struggling to really make his mark in last year’s Ryder Cup, he’ll be extra-keen to come away from this year’s event with a little more pride. 

Ignoring a disappointing run in March/April, he’s had a good year on the PGA Tour. A runner-up finish in the BMW Championship two starts ago was his eighth top-10 of the year and he’s performed competently throughout his bag, ranking 13th in strokes-gained total for the season. 

Burns picked up just two halves from five matches in 2022 – one in the fourballs and one in the singles against Hideki Matsuyama – as his friendly pairing with Scottie Scheffler fell flat. This was again the case in the opening foursomes session in last year’s Ryder Cup, though he did pick up his first full point alongside Collin Morikawa in the fourballs on the Saturday, as they comfortably saw off the elite pairing of Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland 4 & 3. That might be a team worth returning to this week. 

TONY FINAU 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 3 – 2 – 3 

• Singles: 1 – 0 – 1 / Foursomes: 2 – 0 – 1 / Fourballs: 0 – 2 – 1  

• World Ranking: 23rd  

Tony Finau returns for his third Presidents Cup and as a player who possesses a likeable record in this format, he’ll be an important player for Team USA. 

This tee-to-green specialist has been excellent in approach this year, ranking 2nd on the PGA Tour. This has enabled him to produce a consistent set of results in 2024, missing just two cuts in 22 starts and recording 15 top-25s, with his finest effort coming when 3rd in the US Open at Pinehurst. 

Finau debuted in the event in 2019 and after losing in the Thursday fourballs, he went undefeated for the rest of the competition, halving his next three matches. He turned those halves into victories in 2022, forming an unbeaten partnership with Max Homa in foursomes and then beat Taylor Pendrith in the Singles to pick up his third point of the week. Also acquiring a solid 50% win-rate in the Ryder Cup, he’s a player well suited to these events.   

BRIAN HARMAN 

• Overall Presidents Cup record: Rookie 

• World Ranking: 22nd  

Brian Harman is the third rookie on the away team and based on his Ryder Cup debut last year, he has plenty to offer Team USA in Canada. 

He’s had a steady year after his Open Championship success in 2023. Just the two missed cuts in 23 starts shows a good level of consistency and despite failing to threaten all too often, he did finish 2nd in THE PLAYERS Championship.  

His short game has again looked strong but it’s the gains he’s made in approach that caught the eye, producing his best ever strokes-gained numbers and ranking 38th on tour. 

Harman was a vital member of two winning Walker Cup sides in his amateur days, helping the US to victory in 2005 and 2009, taking five points from a possible seven across the two events. He had to wait 14 years to put that experience to good use in the pro game in last year’s Ryder Cup, when he burst into life on the Saturday alongside Max Homa. They won both the foursomes and fourballs matches that day and he now gets the opportunity to make his mark on the Presidents Cup. 

RUSSELL HENLEY 

• Overall Presidents Cup record: Rookie  

• World Ranking: 14th  

The final of four USA rookies comes in the shape of Russell Henley, who has been duly rewarded for playing some of the best golf of his career in 2024, with a maiden team golf experience at Royal Montreal. 

He’s missed only one cut across his 19 starts this year and recorded seven top-10 finishes, which includes a 5th in The Open and a 7th in the US Open.  

Having transformed himself from an elite putter into an elite iron player in recent years, he’s found a fine balance between the two in 2024, ranking 33rd in approach and 38th on the greens, which represents his best form with the putter since 2017. As a strong 12th in scrambling and 20th around-the-greens, he has an appealing skillset for this test. 

Henley has no experience of this type of atmosphere as a pro and very limited experience from his amateur days. That being said, he’s got a dependable game that should blend well with most and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him take to this format right away. 

MAX HOMA 

• Overall Presidents Cup record (Win-Loss-Half): 4 – 0 – 0  

• Singles: 1 – 0 – 0 / Foursomes: 2 – 0 – 0 / Fourballs: 1 – 0 – 0  

• World Ranking: 25th  

Max Homa was somewhat of a surprise selection due to his lack of form this year. However, his record in these events speaks for itself and it would be no shock to see this environment bring the best out of him once again. 

He was playing well at the start of the year and recorded his highest ever major finish when 3rd in The Masters. His form has suffered since, and he enters this week with just two top-50s in seven starts and a best of 33rd.  

Having said that, there have been some promising signs over his last couple of starts, especially in the BMW Championship, where he ranked 3rd in approach – his best performance in this area in 2024. 

Homa debuted in the Presidents Cup in 2022 and finished with a 100% record, winning both of those foursomes matches with Tony Finau and then taking down Tom Kim in the singles. He then made his Ryder Cup debut last year and again impressed, taking 3.5 points from 5 to finish as the top-scoring US player, winning two from three matches alongside Brian Harman. Those pairings with Finau and Harman are two fairly concrete options for the away team, and I’d expect him to feature heavily despite his recent form. 

SELECTIONS 

USA to win 16 – 14 

USA to win 16 ½ - 13 ½   

The last two editions of the Presidents Cup on International soil have been very closely fought, with the USA winning 16 - 14 at Royal Melbourne in 2019 and 15 ½ - 14 ½ in Korea in 2015.  

Though they have the clear advantage in terms of personnel, with each of their team ranked inside the top-25 in the world and five of the top-10 - as opposed to just four top-25 players for the Internationals and one from the top-10 – I expect a similar contest this time around. 

There’s plenty of talent in this International side and more to the point, there’s a lot of players for whom this winding, tree-lined course and it’s small greens look a very good fit. 

That being said, as much as I would love to see an International win, I just can’t go against the Americans. They are completely stacked with talent as always, with five of the most recent majors on their side and if a player like Max Homa, who has as good a recent record in this type of event as anyone, is being described as one of the weak points in the side, it’s very difficult to see a way through for the home team. 

With that I’m going to dutch the 16 – 14/16 ½ - 13 ½ winning scores, much in the same way that brought us success in the Solheim Cup.