Five Things to Watch in the 2024 President’s Cup: Team U.S.A.
The 2024 President’s Cup will be held at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Quebec, Canada, from September 26-29. It will feature the 12 best players from Team U.S.A. and from the International Team (excluding Europe). Team U.S.A. is 12-1-1 all-time and will be the heavy favorites this year as well. They will be captained by Jim Furyk for the first time in this particular event. Here are five things to keep an eye on for Team U.S.A. during the 2024 President’s Cup.
1. Ryder Cup Bounce Back
Team U.S.A. will be looking to bounce back on the international team stage after being upset by Team Europe in last year’s Ryder Cup. Though they may not have been as heavily favored in that event as they are in this year’s President’s Cup, it was still extremely surprising how poorly they performed in the event. On average, the Americans had the higher ranking players, yet still never even came close to retaining the cup, losing 16.5 - 11.5 in points, including losing all four matches in the opening session. There was quite a bit of controversy with the team selection leading up to the 2023 Ryder Cup as well, with Captain Zach Johnson seemingly choosing his underperforming friends like Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler over higher-ranked players like Keegan Bradley and Cameron Young. Team U.S.A. is not playing those kinds of games this time around. They filled the roster with the 12 players that finished with the most President Cup points, all of which rank in the top 25 in the Official World Golf Rankings. Look for Team U.S.A. to have additional motivation to cleanse themselves of their Ryder Cup performance and use this event to boost their morale for next year’s Ryder Cup on American soil.
2. The Rookies
Two President Cup stalwarts, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, will not be traveling to Canada to represent the U.S. in the event, making room for four event rookies. Wyndham Clark, Sahith Theegala, Brian Harman, and Russell Henley will all be making their President’s Cup debuts this year, with Clark and Theegala making the team via automatic qualification and Harman and Henley making it via Captain’s Pick. While this may be their first appearance in the President’s Cup, Clark, and Harman were both a part of the 2023 Ryder Cup team, so they have some experience in this kind of environment. Good performances in this event could help make their case to make the 2025 Ryder Cup team if they don’t automatically qualify, especially with Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley being on the team and keeping a close eye on everything.
3. Call it a Comeback
Speaking of Keegan Bradley, he will be making his first President’s Cup appearance since the 2013 event in Ohio and his first International team event since the 2014 Ryder Cup. Bradley was infamously left off the 2023 Ryder Cup team despite being ranked higher than three of the players on the team. Look for him to bring the energy and fiery demeanor this week as he seeks to prove he deserves to be on that team and makes a case for him to be a playing captain next year.
4. Max Homa a.k.a. The New Captain America
Max Homa was easily a standout for Team U.S.A. during the 2022 President’s Cup and the 2023 Ryder Cup. Ask any player on tour about Homa, and they’d have nothing but amazing things to say about him and his attitude. His 2024 season was not the best, but Homa will always compete and bring relentless passion, no matter the situation. Look for him to fire up his teammates and to make every match he’s a part of close. With Justin Thomas not on the team, Max Homa could now be viewed as the New Captain America, uniting Team U.S.A. in the locker room and keeping the vibes high throughout the 2024 President’s Cup.
5. What if They Lose
If Team U.S.A. gets upset and loses the 2024 President’s Cup, it would be a shock, a disappointment, and one of the biggest upsets in all of sports, let alone golf. They boast the top two players in the world with Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, who also hold three of the four Majors in 2024. Collin Morikawa is a top-five player in the world, and Wyndham Clark and Patrick Cantlay are both in the top 10, while the Internationals only have Hideki Matsuyama in the top 15. The Americans are bringing so much firepower to Canada that there should be no way they lose, right? The thing about golf is that the game can come and go from week to week. If Team U.S.A. comes in complacent, thinking they can walk their way to victory, they can easily be upset by a talented International Team that has nothing to lose. It would then leave a dark shadow in American golf history and would be something that would loom over them in golf media for the foreseeable future.
