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  Debate

Debate

Does Tiger Woods truly deserve the top spot in Presidents Cup history, or is someone else more deserving?

Are you excited to watch Jim Furyk vs. Mike Weir at the Royal Montreal Golf Club from September 24-29? As anticipation builds for the tournament, who do you think are Team USA’s top players in President’s Cup history? Here are the answers:

1) Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson turned pro back in 1992, and only after a year did the pro win The International and Buick Invitational of California on the PGA Tour. Following that, Lefty played his first Presidents Cup in 1994, and since then he played in every edition of the tournament till 2017, making his total appearances to 12. Not only that, the golfer also holds a record of scoring 32.5 in the list of Most Presidents Cup Points Won by Golf Monthly.

In 2019, when Phil Mickelson wasn’t selected for the team, he admitted that he didn’t deserve a captain’s pick from then-captain Tiger Woods after failing to make the team on points. Despite that, he was excited to watch the tournament and said, “I’ve always thought this would be one of the most exciting events to watch.” “No, I’m excited. I’m pulling for the guys. I want to see us get another win.”

2) Tiger Woods

Holding the record of scoring 27.5 points so far, Tiger Woods has played in nine Presidents Cups. His first appearance was in 1998 and he played consecutively till 2013. The 15x major champion missed out on two editions of the tournament: 2015 and 2017. However, when he played again in 2019, he was selected as a captain and then made an interesting decision.

At first, the golfer chose Gary Woodland, Tony Finau, and Patrick Reed as his captain’s picks. For the final spot, he selected himself. That’s right—Tiger Woods picked himself to play in the tournament. Matt Kuchar admired Woods and his captaincy, saying, “I think all of us will look back and have these pictures hanging on our walls and say, ‘We played alongside Tiger Woods, the greatest player ever. It was awesome. And to have him take that role, take that mantle as captain, was great fun to be part of.” 

3) Jim Furyk

Jim Furyk stepped into the field of the Presidents Cup in the same year as Tiger Woods did and is easily one of the best players in the history of the tournament that Team USA had. Furyk has played in the tournament seven times so far. Starting with his first appearance in 1998, he played consecutively till 2011 as a player.

Fast forward to thirteen years, and he is a part of the Royal Montreal Golf Club in 2024 as a captain of Team USA, leading golfers like Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and more. In 2022, Team USA won with a commanding margin of 17.5-12.5 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. Will the history repeat itself? Only time will tell.

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4) Davis Love III

Davis Love joined the professional greens back in 1985. Although the golfer has 21 PGA Tour wins to his name, his name also shines in the history of the Presidents Cup. Love played his maiden Presidents Cup in 1994 for the first time alongside Phil Mickelson. From that year on, he played in every Presidents Cup until 2005 and holds the record for scoring 18 points so far. Not only that, the 60-year-old also led Team USA to victory at the 2022 Presidents Cup.

5) Steve Stricker

The golf world first saw Stricker on the field of the Presidents Cup in 1996. He only had one Presidents Cup appearance in the 90s; the rest of them were after 2005. In 2007, Steve Stricker played as a part of Team USA again until 2013. Throughout these years, he managed to score 14 winning points. The 57-year-old was also present at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City in 2017 as a captain. Under his guidance, America won dominantly with a score of 19-11 against the International team.

Although, indeed, we won’t see any of these players in 2024 at Royal Montreal Golf Club except Jim Furyk as a captain. But the impact they had in their time can’t be ignored as well. From the aforementioned players, who is your favorite? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!

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