Presidents Cup has more matches and the result has been a lopsided series for the Americans
The Presidents Cup has been more of an exhibition than a competition, and the PGA Tour is partially to blame for that.
The idea behind these matches was to give the international stars born outside Europe a chance to compete against the Americans every two years, just like the Ryder Cup.
Only it's not just like the Ryder Cup.
They play for 30 points at the Presidents Cup this week at Medinah, not the 28 points at stake in the Ryder Cup since 1979, and at the Solheim Cup since it began in 1990. Those two points can make a huge difference when one team has greater depth.
“If the Ryder Cup was the same format as the Presidents Cup, the Europeans wouldn’t historically be as successful as they have been,” Rory McIlroy said. “It's the points.”
McIlroy, who has played in eight Ryder Cup matches for Europe, is a casual observer this week, if he even bothers watching. And he's not alone in his thinking.
The PGA Tour owns the Presidents Cup and thus sets all the rules (along with keeping all the income). But it wanted to put its own stamp on the matches when they began in 1994. So instead of starting Friday with three days of relentless action that force captains to strategically decide which eight players to activate in team matches, the event is spread over four days and has additional matches for the paying customers to watch.
That meant 32 matches when the Presidents Cup began, which then went up to 34 points before a compromise was reached in 2015 reducing it to the current format of 30 points.
It's still too many.
“The Solheim Cup, the Ryder Cup, they have the same points system and look at what they have,” said Nick Price, a three-time International captain and the loudest voice for change. “Why should we be different?”
What those cups have is a close competition — overall, not necessarily every event — and the numbers bear that out. Europe has a 13-9-1 advantage over the United States in the Ryder Cup since 1979. The American women lead 11-8-1 over Europe in the Solheim Cup.
The Presidents Cup? The Americans lead the series 13-1-1. The outcome has been about as predictable as Tiger Woods wearing a red shirt on Sunday.
Adam Scott of Australia is playing for a record-tying 12th consecutive time. He has yet to be on a winning team. This International team has two players — Ryo Hisatsune and Tom Kim — who weren't even born the one time their team won the Presidents Cup in 1998 at Royal Melbourne.
“If they adapt the Ryder Cup format, that would help the Internationals immensely because they don't have the depth,” McIlroy said. “It's five teams out there instead of four, those two extra players. America is always going to have more depth. That to me … it's one reason, but not the only reason. But it's the biggest reason.”
The Americans have won 10 in a row dating to the tie in South Africa in 2003.
Price, when he was appointed captain for 2013, lobbied the PGA Tour to reduce the points from 34 to 28. That was rejected by PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem who said: “I increasingly feel like unless it's broke, don't really mess with it. And the Presidents Cup has been very, very successful.”
Successful in sales? Sure. As a competition? Not so much.
Two years later, Finchem reached a compromise and lowered the points to 30. It's still not enough.
“The less points you play for the closer it’s always going to be,” Brendon de Jonge, who played on the 2013 team for the Internationals, said on the “Subpar” podcast. “You’ve got a proven product with the Ryder Cup, 28 points, and that was the thing that Nick Price worked really hard for — and then following captains — to try to get those points to come down.
“The American team is always going to be deeper, so the more points you are playing for the bigger advantage for them,” he said. “Points have come down now, so we are getting closer and closer, but I still think if you can get that to 28 you are improving the chances of the International team.”
This U.S. team has 10 players among the top 25 in the world. Two others from the top 25, J.J. Spaun and Ryan Gerard, were not chosen. Half of the 12-man International team is outside the top 50.
“The average golfer doesn't understand what those two points mean,” Price said. “It's not a question of hiding your worst players. It's not that. You're putting your best eight forward because you have no choice.
“All I wanted for the Presidents Cup was for it to be more exciting, more competitive.”
It's not the only thing. The Internationals struggle to find cohesion playing for a flag the PGA Tour created for them in 1994. Ernie Els was given permission in 2019 to design their own logo. Now an International team with players from seven countries on five continents is starting to meld.
This takes time.
But the tour missed its opportunity to keep it relatable to the other cups, and perhaps keep it closer.
Who knows? The International team is due — that's been said for 20 years — and maybe Medinah is where it happens. But it's been the one cup Americans could count on winning.