ThePresidents Cupis a series of men'sgolf matches between a team representing theUnited Statesand an International Team representing the rest of the world minusEurope. Europe competes against the United States in a similar but considerably older event, theRyder Cup. The Presidents Cup has been held biennially since 1994.Initially, it was held in even-numbered years, with the Ryder Cup being held in odd-numbered years. However, the cancellation of the2001 Ryder Cupdue to theSeptember 11 attacks pushed both tournaments back a year, and the Presidents Cup is now held in odd numbered years. It is hosted alternately in the United States and in countries represented by the International Team. Until the 2005 event, prior to the start of the final day matches, the captains selected one player to play in a tie-breaker in the event of a tie at the end of the final match. Upon a time, the captains would reveal the players who would play a sudden-death match to determine the winner. In 2003, however, the tiebreaker match ended after three holes because of darkness, and the captains, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, agreed that the Cup would be shared by both teams.

From 2005 to 2013, singles matches ending level at the end of the regulation 18 holes were to be extended to extra holes until the match was won outright. All singles matches would continue in this format until one team reaches the required point total to win the Presidents Cup. Remaining singles matches were only to be played to the regulation 18 holes and could be halved. Although this rule was in force for five Presidents Cup contests, no matches actually went beyond 18 holes.

HISTORY

The Presidents Cup began in 1994 as an exhibition team event between an American team made up of U.S. citizens and an International team made up of golfers from outside the U.S. and Europe. It is held biennially, alternating years with the Ryder Cup competitions.

The Presidents Cup used to be held in even-numbered years, but the September 11th attacks forced the postponement of the 2001 Ryder Cup by a year. The Presidents Cup followed suit and moved the 2002 event to 2003.

The first two Presidents Cups, in 1994 and 1996, were held at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia, after which the event alternated between U.S. and International courses.

The U.S. team has long dominated the event, unlike their recent performance at the Ryder Cup. The Americans hold an incredible record of 11-1-1. The International team picked up their only win at the 1998 event at Royal Melbourne, the site of the 2019 Presidents Cup.

The 2003 Presidents Cup in South Africa famously ended in a tie. Those teams were led by all-time legends Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. After finishing the event tied 17-17, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els faced off in a playoff to determine the winner. The two stars were still deadlocked after three holes, so, with the sun setting on the South African course, Nicklaus and Player huddled together and decided to share the trophy between the two teams, thus ending the competition. Woods and Els will continue their rivalry as opposing captains at the 2019 Presidents Cup.

ABOUT 2019 EVENT

The 2019 Presidents Cup will be the 13th edition of the Presidents Cup golf competition, held at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, from 12 to 15 December 2019. Royal Melbourne has previously hosted the tournament in 1998, at which the International team had their only victory, and 2011. It is the only international venue to have held the tournament more than once. The United States team is the defending champion, having won the 2017 tournament 1911. The 2019 Presidents Cup will be held on December 9-15, 2019, when it returns to the prestigious Royal Melbourne Golf Club. The return to the State of Victoria, Australia, will mark the third time in the biennial events 25-year history. The Presidents Cup offers the ultimate setting for business development and networking for local, national and international corporations, and numerous companies will use the event as an opportunity to entertain clients, CEOs and employees from around the world. The Presidents Cup is 100 percent incremental benefit to the region and will be attended by top business leaders affiliated with the TOUR, professional golf, travel and global business. The Presidents Cup offers the ultimate setting for business development and networking for local, national and international corporations, and numerous companies will use the event as an opportunity to entertain clients, CEOs and employees from around the world. The Presidents Cup is 100 percent incremental benefit to the region and will be attended by top business leaders affiliated with the TOUR, professional golf, travel and global business.

CURRENT PRESIDENTS CUP STANDINGS: U.S. TEAM

Here are the current Top 10 in the U.S. Presidents Cup standings (as of June 5, 2019):

1.DUSTIN JOHNSON 6,327 points
2. BROOKS KOEPKA 6,116 points
3. JUSTIN THOMAS 5,359 points
4. XANDER SCHAUFFELE 5,279 points
5. MATT KUCHAR 5,099 points
6. PATRICK CANTLAY 4,816 points
7. BRYSON DECHAMBEAU 4,546 points
8. RICKIE FOWLER 4,309 points
9. TONY FINAU 4,282 points
10. TIGER WOODS 3,783 points 

CURRENT PRESIDENTS CUP STANDINGS: INTERNATIONAL TEAM

Here are the current Top 10 in the International Presidents Cup standings (as of June 5, 2019):

1. MARC LEISHMAN 152.62 points
2. HIDEKI MATSUYAMA 136.36 points
3. LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN 133.13 points
4. ADAM SCOTT 132.17 points
5. HAOTONG LI 118.34 points
6. C.T. PAN 114.94 points
7. CAMERON SMITH 107.08 points
8. JASON DAY 102.85 points
9. JUSTIN HARDING 102.04 points
10. ABRAHAM ANCER 97.99 points

HOW PRESIDENTS CUP STANDINGS WORK

The Presidents Cup standings are different for each team.

The U.S. employs a system tied closely to FedEx Cup points. The eight American players who earn the most  FedEx Cup points from the 2017 BMW Championship through the 2019 Presidents Cup will automatically qualify for the team.

But not all FedEx Cup points are judged equally. Instead, the U.S. team imposes a weighting system on the points. Each FedEx Cup points earned from the 2017 BMW through the 2018 Tour Championship equals one point in the Presidents Cup standings. Each point earned during the 2018-19 season ending at the 2019 Tour Championship equals two Presidents Cup Standings points.

Finally, the last four spots on the team will be selected by the U.S. captain and vice captains.

The International team instead determines their players standings with the Official World Golf Ranking. The eight International players with the most Official World Golf Ranking points earned from the 2018 Dell Technologies Championship to the 2019 Tour Championship automatically qualify for the team.

As is the case with the U.S. team, the final four spots on the International side will be selected by the captain and vice captains.

WHERE IS THE PRESIDENTS CUP THIS YEAR?

The 2019 Presidents Cup will be held in Australia at Royal Melbourne Golf Club. Royal Melbourne hosted the 2011 Presidents Cup and the 1998 Presidents Cup. 1998 marked the only time the International team won the biennial event.

When is the Presidents Cup?

This years Presidents Cup will be held December 12-15, which is early in Australias summer season.

Who are the 2019 Presidents Cup captains?

For the 2019 Presidents Cup, the U.S. team will be led by first-time captain Tiger Woods. He will be opposed on the International side by another first-time captain, Ernie Els. Woods has chosen Steve Stricker, Fred Couples and Zach Johnson as his vice captains. Els tapped Mike Weir, Trevor Immelman, Geoff Ogilvy and K.J Choi to be vice captains on the International team.

PRESIDENTS CUP FORMAT

The Presidents Cup format differs slightly from that of the Ryder Cup.

There will be a total of 30 matches worth 30 points at the 2019 Presidents Cup. The matches will be contested over four full days. Day 1 of the competition on Thursday features five foursomes matches, with two golfers per team in each match. Those are followed by five four-ball matches on Friday. Saturday will feature two sessions with a total of eight matches: four foursome matches in the morning and four four-ball matches in the afternoon. Finally, the final round on Sunday includes 12 singles matches.

PRESIDENTS CUP MATCH SCHEDULE

Thursday 5 Foursomes matches
Friday 5 Four-ball matches
Saturday morning 4 Foursomes matches
Saturday afternoon 4 Four-ball matches
Sunday 12 Singles matches

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