This year, the Presidents Cup will return to the Royal Montreal Golf Club for the second time in its history. The last time the international event was played there was back in 2007. Notably, 2024 will mark its sixteenth edition when the event begins on September 24.

The format of the Presidents Cup is pretty simple. Two teams—the USA and the International—are led by their captains and consist of 12 of their best players. The sides will engage in a series of foursomes and four balls, and whichever team has a higher score on Sunday will take home the trophy.

This year, for the second time in a row, team USA will be led by Jim Furyk, while the International side is under Mike Weir’s wings. And boy, does the latter have his work cut out for him! After all, history is not on his side when it comes to the event.

The American Team has dominated the Presidents Cup right from its inception

The Presidents Cup began in 1994. In the first edition, the US side defeated the International squad with a final score of 20-12. It has been three decades since, and the American team is still in the dominance.

They have a record of 12-1-1, having won 14 editions out of the sixteen so far. In the second edition too, they held on to the trophy and defeated the International team at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club with a minute difference in the score (16.6-15.5). Their third victory came in 2000 at the same golf course as their second victory. However, unlike last time, this time the scoreboard saw a huge difference in the final round. The US team defeated their opponents by 21.5-10.5.

This was among the biggest gaps that the scores of the two teams have had so far. Since 2005, the dominant team has managed to win nine victories consecutively, with 2022 being the latest. At the last edition, they defeated the International team at Quail Hollow led by Jim Furyk—a feat they’ll no doubt be looking to repeat this year too.

The International team has yet to buckle up

The International team comprises players from all across the world except for the US and Europe. This calls for a rather diverse team. “So we’re trying to tap into that, inspire the youngsters all over, and welcome fans from all of those countries to come on down and support us in some way, shape, or form because we’re their team,” said 2022 captain Trevor Immelman. However, they have failed to showcase their dominance in the international event so far.

The International team has only won once. In the third edition of the Presidents Cup, the US team lost at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club. They were defeated by 20.5-11.5 in 1998. Well, that is not just it for the team. In 2003, the International team had put in a great fight and came very close to lifting the trophy. However, the ultimate result was a tie between both the teams at the Fanciurt Hotel and Country Club (17-17).

This year, however, Mike Weir had worked hard, and per him and the team left no stone unturned to try to bag the International side’s second-ever win at the event.  Whether he’ll be able to, however, remains to be seen!