Presidents Cup format: number of games, points and scoring explained
It’s easy to compare the Presidents Cup to the Ryder Cup. After all, both are match play competitions with two teams of 12 players each, and both are held every two years.
The Ryder Cup consists of just three days of action with a total of five sessions – a series of foursomes and fourball sessions on the first two days and a final singles session on Sunday.
However, the Presidents Cup format, which pits Team USA against the international team representing the rest of the world minus Europe, is played over four days and has several other important differences.
Scoring and format of the Presidents Cup
The international team will compete against Team USA for four days
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The points system for the Presidents Cup is match play. A total of 30 games are played over four match days and 30 points are awarded. The winner of each game receives one point; if the game is split in half, each player is awarded half a point.
The first three days feature a combination of foursome or fourball matches, with the last day comprising 12 singles matches.
In fourball, teams of two play with their own golf ball, with the better score of the pair on each hole counting. In foursomes, teams of two take turns hitting the same ball. In singles, players compete in head-to-head match play, with the player with the lowest score winning each hole until the match is either won or tied.
The first two days will feature five four-ball or foursome doubles matches each, played in morning and afternoon sessions. The format not used on the opening day will be used on Friday (so if there are foursomes on Thursday, there will be five four-ball matches on Friday).
The third day will feature eight matches of four-ball and four-a-side, spread over the morning and afternoon sessions. The format that was not played on the second day will be played in the morning session, the other format will be played in the afternoon.
Finally, the remaining 12 points will be up for grabs on Sunday when all 24 players take part in the 12 individual matches.
How many points do you need to win the Presidents Cup?
The last edition in 2022 was won by Team USA.
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To win the Presidents Cup, teams must score 15.5 points (as opposed to 14.5 points for an outright win in the Ryder Cup).
The requirement to achieve 15.5 of the 30 points offered has been in place since 2015 (previously, when the Presidents Cup was introduced in 1994, 34 points were still available after the initial 32 points).
What happens if there is a tie in the Presidents Cup?
In case of a draw, the trophy will be shared
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Another important difference between the Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup is what happens in the event of a tie.
In the Ryder Cup, if the teams cannot be separated after the 12 singles matches, the previous titleholder keeps the trophy. However, the Presidents Cup is different and the current rule dates back to the 2003 edition.
At the time, the score was tied 17-17 between the two teams after singles matches, which led to Jack Nicklaus, captain of the US team, and Gary Player, head of the international team, selecting Tiger Woods and Ernie Els for a sudden death match to determine the outcome. After three holes and as darkness fell, the two teams could no longer be separated and the captains agreed that the trophy should be shared, and that is how it has remained to this day.
In any case, the competitions have traditionally not been so close, and March 2003 is the only tie, as the USA have triumphed in 12 editions and the international team only once, in 1998.
