Presidents Cup 2019: Here’s everything you need to know

Two dozen of the world’s best golfers are shipping halfway around the world for one of the game’s top events: the Presidents Cup. The Presidents Cup begins Thursday (Wednesday evening for those in the States) at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia.

What is the Presidents Cup?

The Presidents Cup is a biennial event between the United States and the rest of the world, excluding Europe. The tournament runs in opposite years to the Ryder Cup, and features two teams of a dozen players. Eight spots on each team are reserved automatically based upon standings, while each team’s captain is allowed four “captain’s picks,” which can be used on any player.

Presidents Cup format

The Presidents Cup consists exclusively of matchplay. Each match is worth a single point, with half-points given to ties, similar to the Ryder Cup.

This year’s Presidents Cup also features a minor format tweak from previous iterations of the event. Players are now only required to play one match prior to the final-round singles matches.

If the event is deadlocked after 30 matches, the competition is ruled a tie and the trophy is shared by both teams.

Presidents Cup History

Since its inception 1994, the Presidents Cup has been largely dominated by the Americans. The U.S. team holds a 10-1-1 record all-time in the event, but the only non-wins for the United States have come when the event has been played on foreign soil. First, in a loss to the Internationals at Royal Melbourne in 1998, and later in a tie in South Africa in 2003.

Presidents Cup Rosters

U.S. Player, Overall Record

Tiger Woods (playing captain), 24-15-1
Dustin Johnson, 8-4-2
Justin Thomas, 3-1-1
Matt Kuchar, 6-8-2
Xander Schauffele, first appearance
Webb Simpson, 5-3-2
Patrick Cantlay, first appearance
Bryson DeChambeau, first appearance
Gary Woodland, first appearance
Tony Finau, first appearance
Patrick Reed, 4-3-2
Rickie Fowler, 4-3-1

International Player, Overall Record

Ernie Els (captain, not playing), 20-18-2
Hideki Matsuyama, 4-6-3
Adam Scott, 14-20-5
Louis Oosthuizen, 7-5-3
Marc Leishman, 3-7-3
Abraham Ancer, first appearance
Haotong Li, first appearance
C.T. Pan, first appearance
Cameron Smith, first appearance
Joaquin Niemann, first appearance
Adam Hadwin, 0-2-1
Sungjae Im, first appearance
Byeong Hun An, first appearance

Presidents Cup Schedule (ET)

30 matches will take place over the span of four days with the following schedule:

Thursday: 5 four-ball matches, tee times estimated to begin on Wednesday at ~5:30 p.m. ET
Friday: 5 foursomes matches, tee times estimated to begin on Thursday at ~7:00 p.m. ET
Saturday: 4 four-ball matches, 4 foursomes matches, tee times estimated to begin on Friday at ~3:00 p.m. ET
Sunday: 12 singles matches, tee times estimated to begin on Saturday at ~6:00 p.m. ET

Looks like the #IntlTeam is ready to write a little history of their own next week 👀 pic.twitter.com/qV3M08YGsh

— Presidents Cup (@PresidentsCup) December 4, 2019

How to watch (ET)

Wednesday: 5:30 p.m.-12:00 a.m. (Golf Channel)
Thursday: 7:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. (Golf Channel)
Friday: 3:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m. (Golf Channel)
Saturday: 6:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. (Golf Channel)

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