The Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup are often compared because both involve two teams of 12 players in a match play format.
The Ryder Cup is a three-day event with five sessions, while the Presidents Cup spans four days.
A key difference is that the Presidents Cup features Team USA against an International Team (excluding Europe).
Presidents Cup Scoring And Format
In the Presidents Cup, 30 matches are played over four days, with each match worth one point. If a match is tied, both teams get half a point. The first three days have foursomes or fourball matches, and the last day has 12 singles matches.
Foursomes involve teams of two taking alternate shots with one ball. Fourball involves each player using their own ball, and the best score counts for each hole. Singles matches pit one player against another until someone wins or ties the match.
The first two days feature five doubles matches in morning and afternoon sessions. If Thursday has foursomes, Friday will have fourball.
Fans might find this setup exciting because it keeps things unpredictable .
On Saturday, there are eight matches—fourball or foursomes—in morning and afternoon sessions. Sunday’s action concludes with 12 singles matches where all players compete for points.
How Many Points Are Needed To Win The Presidents Cup?
To win the Presidents Cup, a team needs 15.5 points out of 30. This rule has been in place since 2015; before that, there were more points available to play for.
What Happens If There Is A Tie In The Presidents Cup?
If there’s a tie in the Ryder Cup after singles matches, the previous holder retains the trophy. But in the Presidents Cup, if teams tie after all matches, they share the trophy—a rule dating back to 2003 when Tiger Woods and Ernie Els couldn’t break a tie even after extra holes due to falling darkness.
Traditionally though, ties are rare; only once did it happen in 2003. Usually, Team USA dominates with 12 wins while the International Team won just once in 1998.
What do you think about these differences?
