Presidents Cup: Internationals bring excitement but are changes needed to stop Team USA’s dominance?

Team USA continued their Presidents Cup dominance with a record-extending 10th victory over the Internationals, reigniting debate about whether change is needed to ‘save’ the event.

The United States won seven-and-a-half points in the final-day singles to complete a convincing 18.5-11.5 victory at Royal Montreal Golf Club, their biggest away win in Presidents Cup history and the 13th time in 15 editions of the biennial contest they’ve claimed the trophy.

The International team fought back from losing the opening session to a clean sweep to win all five of their matches on Friday and level the contest going into the weekend, raising hopes of ending their 26-year wait for victory, only for Team USA to pull ahead over the final two days.

“The Presidents Cup needs an injection,” Sky Sports‘ Wayne ‘Radar’ Riley said after Sunday’s play. “We thought we had it after the 5-5 after two days. We haven’t got it and now it’s going to come under the microscope, it’s going to under criticism.”

International team captain Mike Weir insisted the “margin was so close” despite the score, given the volume of matches that were decided by one hole of less during the four-day event, although the latest defeat means they’ve now lost every edition since the tied contest in 2003.

Former major champion Rich Beem told Sky Sports: “I can promise you that the Internationals are tired of losing. Until the Internationals do get that next win, it’s going to be tougher and tougher for them to pull it off.

“They’ve got to figure out whether it’s the venue, whether it’s the point system, or something else that’s got to change a little bit, because the Americans are just going to continue to churn out young, great players.”

Was the event a success despite the result?

Four of the world’s top six are American players and all of Jim Furyk’s line-up were inside the world’s top 25, although their star-studded line-up was regularly tested as 20 of the matches weren’t decided until the 17th hole or later.

The contest still produced record-breaking drama, with the first back-to-back swept sessions in history, a rare foursomes success for the Internationals and accusations of ‘bad sportsmanship’ as tempers boiled over between the two sides at times.

“The International side has got all kinds of game, but when you have as much depth as the United States side, it’s a massive difference,” Beem admitted. “Anybody can beat anybody on one given day, but if you stretch it out to four different days, that’s a different thing.”

On his team’s performance, Weir said: “They [Internationals] battled right to the end. That’s all you can ask from the captain is what I asked them to do, and they responded and did that. There was a super high level of play, I think on both teams.

“It was really high-level golf, lots of birdies, lots of big momentum swings. Really exciting golf, as a golf fan, to watch, which I’m a golf fan. It was really great golf to watch.”

Could a mixed event help the Internationals?

Seven of the world’s top nine players in the women’s game are from countries represented by the Internationals, including AIG Women’s Open champion Lydia Ko, with each of the last four women’s major champions coming from nations outside of the United States and Europe.

The possibility of adding female players into the Presidents Cup has long been suggested as a potential way to make the contest closer, although the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour already has a co-sanctioned mixed team event with the Grant Thornton Invitational.

“That [a mixed Presidents Cup] would be a fascinating watch, especially when you think of Team USA against the International team in the ladies’ game,” former world No 1 Justin Rose told Sky Sports. “The International team would be incredibly strong.

“There’s obviously a lot of Korean players dominating in the world rankings and Lydia Ko – from New Zealand – has had the most amazing summer. That could really shore up the International team and potentially even give them the edge.”

Is a change in format needed?

There were 32 points up for grabs in the early editions before increasing to 34 points in 2003, with the number of matches then reduced to 30 in 2015 and remaining unchanged ever since.

The Presidents Cup is played over four days rather than the three used in the Ryder Cup, where there are only a total of 28 points on offer and more players sit out of the first four sessions.

“Why not switch it back to three days, to mimic the Ryder Cup?” Beem suggested. “That way, if you have guys that aren’t playing that great, you can hide them a little bit.

“You also then have one extra day of rest if those players want to play the week before, like Adam Scott, Byeong Hun An and Si Woo Kim did at the BMW PGA Championship.”

Weir said in the post-tournament press conference that he “hadn’t been pushing for change,” while vice-captain Ernie Els added: “Our first prize was 28, so we had to settle somewhere. I think 30 is fine. I don’t know how the guys feel. We’ve just got to play a little better, get a little sharper.”

Would LIV Golf players make a difference?

Seven of the International team that were narrowly beaten 15.5-14.5 in the 2015 edition and five of the side from their close 2019 loss have since joined the LIV Golf League, making them ineligible due to the Presidents Cup being a PGA Tour-run event.

Veteran Louis Oosthuizen, major champion Cameron Smith and rising star Joaquin Niemann are among the names who could have added some depth and experience to the Internationals team, although Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau were among those to miss out for Team USA.

“Of all three of those teams [Team USA, Europe and the Internationals], I would say the International team took LIV Golf the hardest,” Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard said. “Clearly, LIV Golf gutted what was going to be a solid International team.

“Essentially, Trevor Immelman [2022 Internationals captain] had to begin rebuilding from scratch just weeks before Charlotte [previous Presidents Cup]. The Team USA lost players but they’re deeper, so it’s easier for them to backfill.

“If there’s a universe where you can get the two sides together, imagine the team that the Internationals could field?! I think that could make a difference.”

Can time help the Internationals?

Only three of the Internationals side came into the event with more than two previous Presidents Cup appearances, while 10 of the 12 players were 33 of younger, leaving former world No 1 Scott excited for the future.

“I felt like there’s been an evolution under this Shield the last two Cups, four or five years of that, and buy-in from all the international players,” Scott said. “It’s something that they aspire to play for.

“I felt we just had a great trip up here. The personalities were great. I think you saw that under the heat of competition this week from some of these guys, maybe some unexpected personalities out on the golf course, some expected as well.

“The result unfortunately is the same. With a deep dive, I think there are positives always to see, and hopefully this competition inspires all of us to play really hard, go on with our careers the next two years, win big events, and come back better prepared and ready to win in Chicago.”

Team USA will be looking to regain the Ryder Cup from September 26-28 next year at Bethpage Black against Team Europe, with the next Presidents Cup taking place in 2026 at Medinah Country Club. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and more with NOW.