2024 Presidents Cup: Rory McIlroy & Other Top Pros Absent Due to No Fault of Their Own, Listed

Team USA has been the dominant force in the Presidents Cup, winning the event nine times in a row. This year as well they will be heavy favorites to retain the trophy with players like Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele in their ranks. Team International is targeting only their second victory at the event when they take to the field at the Royal Montreal Club in Canada. While the likes of Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama are competing, a lot of the world’s favorite pros are missing out due to a number of reasons.

On the American side as well, a few of the big names won’t be able to participate due to one reason or another. Some have been left out to due to their association with LIV Golf, while others have been simply overlooked.

LIV Golfers missing from the Presidents Cup

As the Presidents Cup is organized by the PGA Tour, only players on the Tour are eligible to compete. For the USA, notable players such as two-time US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and Ryder Cup ace Brooks Koepka are absent due to their involvement in LIV Golf.

Another player missing from the list is LIV star Phil Mickelson. Mickelson could have been a vice-captain at the 2024 Presidents Cup for his contributions to Team USA when he was still with the PGA Tour. These contributions include the record for most appearances from 1994-2017 and his 32.5 total points, which makes him the second-highest tally in the tournament’s history.

Apart from him, Dustin Johnson and Talor Gooch are also not playing due to their LIV Golf association. Still, Team USA will have the likes of Max Homa, Wyndham Clark, and Keegan Bradley alongside Scheffler and Schauffele in the 12-player lineup. The International Team, however, has been majorly affected by the exclusion of LIV golfers in the event.

They will be without 2024’s two-time LIV winner Joaquin Niemann and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith. In addition to this Louis Oosthuizen, Abraham Ancer and Dean Burmester are other notable absentees from the list. South African Oosthuizen won twice in December last year and then finished 6th in the LIV points list.

Ancer won his first LIV title in Hong Kong this year and ended 12th on the points list. He has also competed in the Presidents Cup in the past, winning  3.5 points from his first four matches before losing to Woods in the opening singles match. Burmester has been in incredible form, winning three times in the past 12 months.

The decision to keep LIV golfers from the event remains a point of contention. While some may argue that it is the fault of these players, it is important to consider that they have been allowed to participate in majors and even the Ryder Cup. It has been three years since LIV Golf started hence, it makes little sense to keep them out, given the already thin field keeps out European players as well

European players left out

The Presidents Cup has become a beloved tradition that brings together golf’s greatest talents from around the world, except Europe. But there’s a reason for this, and that is the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup is a timeless rivalry between the US and Europe that has been etched in golf’s history since 1927. The Presidents Cup selects the international players in many ways, one of which is the OWGR points.

However, here’s the catch: the top 6 eligible players in the OWGR standings after the 2024 BMW Championship by excluding European Ryder Cup members. The official rule states, “The automatic qualifiers will be the top six (6) eligible international players (excluding those eligible for the European Ryder Cup team) in the OWGR standings after completion of the 2024 BMW Championship.” The players who lost their spot on the International team because of this rule are Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, and Ludvig Aberg.

These three players alongside the likes of Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, and others helped Team Europe to reclaim the Ryder Cup against the USA and their addition to the Presidents Cup would have helped level the playing field somewhat.

While rules and regulations prevented LIV golfers and European players from competing in the Presidents Cup, other players have missed out due to them just being overlooked.

Overlooked players

2024 Valero Texas Open winner Akshay Bhatia and Open runner-up Billy Horschel are major omissions from Team USA. Horschel’s shocking exclusion from the Presidents Cup lineup also sparked a heated debate with golf analyst Smylie Kaufman jumping into the argument. Kaufman called it a missed opportunity, citing Horschel’s recent BMW PGA Championship win as proof of his potential impact. Horschel won the BMW PGA Championship with a score of 20 under par by edging Rory McIlroy.

Justin Thomas is another name left out from Team USA’s lineup. Kaufman said, “I can make a case for Billy Horschel, I can make a case for Akshay Bhatia, I can make a case for Justin Thomas, and I can make plenty of cases for guys that are on the team that shouldn’t be on the eam,” speaking on behalf of players who were left out.

For Team International, PGA Tour winner Adam Hadwin and 2024 WM Phoenix Open champion Nick Taylor were surprise omissions.   Australia’s Cameron Davis, who finished 8th in the points list after winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic this year, was another player that was overlooked.

So, the field for the Presidents Cup could have been quite spectacular but due to a number of factors and reasons, it won’t carry the star power of a Ryder Cup. Which team do you think is the most affected due to this? Let us know in the comment section below!