Team USA look to continue their dominance of the President’s Cup against the Internationals, but Mike Weir is hoping his experienced and talented squad can snatch the cup for the first time since 1998 from Jim Furyk and his US outfit.
Key Stats/Skill Set Required
- Match Play Record
- GIR
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Scrambling
- Birdies
Royal Montreal is a club that dates back 150 years but has shifted courses a number of times with this property being home since 1959.
It is a generous parkland course with small greens, making scrambling and iron play even more important.
Royal Montreal hosted the 2007 President’s Cup while it has hosted five Canadian Opens.
Key Correlation Courses/Tournaments
- Ryder Cup
WINNER
USA
There have been 14 President’s Cups played and the United States have won 12 of them, losing only once.
That one loss was on a very tough Royal Melbourne way back in 1998 while the only tie was in South Africa.
On the two occasions the Internationals have hosted in the Northern Hemisphere, the United States have claimed victory.
All 12 Team USA members rank in the Top 25 while there are five Top 10 players in the world on the team and the International Team has just one Top 10 player and just four inside the Top 25.
Team USA might be short in the market but they will be winning.
TOP INTERNATIONAL SCORER
TOM KIM
Kim lost no admirers at his President’s Cup debut at Quail Hollow when he played five matches, winning two of them.
He is young, he is talented and it is hard to see him not being wheeled out for every session, having won in both foursomes and fourball formats.
Expect him to be paired with Si Woo Kim more after the pair beat Cantlay and Thomas in fourball in 2022.
TOP USA SCORER
XANDER SCHAUFFELE
Schauffele is an elite matchplay exponent who is coming off a career year where he claimed two majors.
Schauffele has a 6-3 President’s Cup record with a particularly strong record in foursomes, ranking second in qualifying so expecting he will see plenty of action.
Happy to lay Scheffler, who has won in four President’s Cup matches.
TOP INTERNATIONAL ROOKIE
MACKENZIE HUGHES
Mike Weir has plumped for just two rookies and suspect outsider Mackenzie Hughes will have a better time of it.
He enters in better form than Min Woo Lee, has more experience on Canadian courses including Royal Montreal and suspect Mike Weir will want to wheel out the Canadians as much as he can to get the crowd going.
TOP USA ROOKIE
WYNDHAM CLARK
Clark is one of two US rookies to receive automatic selection and he is playing some nice golf with four Top 15 finishes in his last five starts.
He has a fairly adaptable game and he played well at the Ryder Cup last year, winning 1.5 points from just three matches.
He will get more usage this time with no Koepka, Thomas or Spieth.
TOP INTERNATIONAL WILDCARD
SI WOO KIM
Expecting Si Woo Kim to partner-up with Tom Kim and they seem the most likely of the Internationals to have success.
Si Woo Kim is the only International team member to have a winning President’s Cup record.
TOP USA WILDCARD
MAX HOMA
Homa was the star of the last President’s Cup when the likeable Californian won all four of his matches.
He backed it up at the Ryder Cup last year with a 3-1-1 record.
While his recent form is down, he is arguably the most reliable matchplay exponent on Team USA.