Team USA kept its unbroken run in the Presidents Cup, adding another win over the International side and reigniting a long‑standing conversation about whether the biennial showdown needs a structural overhaul. Brandt Snedeker’s squad produced the biggest single‑day comeback in the event’s history at Medinah, snatching 9.5 of the 12 points available in the Sunday singles and sealing a record‑extending 11th straight victory. While the final margin of 17‑13 suggests a comfortable triumph, the match‑play narrative was far more nuanced. The International team swept the Friday foursomes, and for only the fourth time ever they entered the final day in the lead, hinting that the gap between the continents might be narrower than the scoreboard implies.
Despite those flashes of competitiveness, the International side ultimately fell short, extending its drought of a first Presidents Cup win since 1998. Geoff Ogilvy’s contingent matched the Americans well over the first three days, but the Sunday onslaught proved decisive, leaving Team USA with 14 victories out of the 16 editions played to date.
"It was sort of on a knife's edge all day," Ogilvy reflected. "Some of those one‑downs we had out there, if they'd flipped to one‑up, the numbers look really good and who knows what momentum can give." The Presidents Cup currently spans four days and features 30 matches—one more day and two more points than the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup formats.
Because the talent pool in the Presidents Cup is more uneven than in the Europe‑versus‑America contests, some analysts argue that a tighter schedule with fewer points could level the playing field. Reducing the number of foursomes and four‑ball sessions, especially on Friday and Saturday, would give captains more flexibility to sit weaker players and lessen the pressure on marquee names to compete in every slot. Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee has been vocal about trimming the event. He proposes starting the competition on Friday and cutting the total points to 24, the same number used in the Ryder Cup.
"If they're playing for 28 in the Ryder Cup, why in the heck are they playing for 30 in the Presidents Cup when there's a bigger separation between the talent?" Chamblee asked. He points out that the first three Presidents Cups, which also began on a Friday, ended with the two sides dead‑even after the initial three days, suggesting a shorter format could produce tighter finishes. "The longer you go out, the more the better players and the better team are going to come to the fore," he added, noting that the extended schedule tends to favor the deeper American roster. One structural factor that heavily favors the United States is the PGA Tour’s ownership of the Presidents Cup, which automatically excludes LIV Golf players.
This rule has hit the International squad harder because many of its top talent—such as Chile’s Joaquín Niemann, 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith, and South African Louis Oosthuizen—have either joined LIV or are otherwise unavailable. In the early era of the competition, the International side boasted former world No.
1s like Greg Norman, Nick Price, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh, but its depth began to erode even before the LIV split. Chamblee argues that the International team should be allowed to select any eligible player, regardless of tour affiliation, just as the European Ryder Cup side can pick a Jon Rahm or a Bryson DeChambeau.
Another radical suggestion that has floated around is the creation of a mixed‑gender Presidents Cup. With five of the world’s top six women golfers (as of September 29) technically eligible under current criteria, a partnership between the PGA Tour and the LPX LPGA could produce a truly balanced contest.
Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley mused that a mixed event would generate two strong, evenly matched teams, especially if half of the women’s field were combined with the men’s. While logistical hurdles—such as tee‑box adjustments, format tweaks, and scheduling coordination—remain, players like Min Woo Lee have expressed enthusiasm for the idea, even joking that it would be fun to see his sister Minjee Lee on the same squad.
Beyond format tweaks, many observers believe the Presidents Cup should break away from its U.S.‑centric hosting pattern. To date, only four nations outside the United States have ever staged the event, despite 18 different countries having been represented on the International side. South Africa, a nation with a rich golfing heritage and recent massive crowds for a LIV event, has not hosted since the historic 15‑15 tie in 2003.
Australia, Canada and South Korea have each held the competition once, but regions such as the Middle East, India, Japan and New Zealand represent untapped markets with strong fan bases and commercial potential. Moving the tournament abroad could achieve several goals: it would showcase PGA Tour stars to a global audience, inspire a new generation of international talent, and perhaps even give Team USA a better chance of breaking its recent Ryder Cup struggles on foreign soil.
Europe already runs a variety of team‑play events that give players experience in a match‑play setting—the now‑defunct Seve Trophy, the current Hero Cup, and the former EurAsia Cup. These competitions have served as proving grounds for future Ryder Cup participants; a similar event for the International side could provide valuable practice and help forge partnerships before they face the United States. Scheduling, however, remains a challenge. The Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup alternate years, so any additional team event would need to fit into an already crowded calendar.
An early‑season slot, akin to the Hero Cup’s timing, might work before the PGA Tour swing begins, or a post‑Ryder Cup window could be explored during the off‑season when the PGA Tour is less involved. Some have even suggested a biennial competition that fills the gap in non‑Presidents Cup years, pitting Asia against the rest of the world, or a Northern‑Hemisphere versus Southern‑Hemisphere showdown. The LPGA already runs the International Crown, a nation‑based team tournament featuring multiple formats, but a comparable men’s event is missing from the calendar.
Introducing such a tournament could provide the International players with another high‑profile stage, generate additional revenue for global broadcasters, and keep the spirit of team golf alive throughout the year. In summary, the United States will soon turn its attention to the Ryder Cup, set for September 17‑19 2024 at Adare Manor in Ireland, while the next Presidents Cup is slated for 2028 at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia.
Whether the event will undergo format reductions, open its doors to LIV players, experiment with mixed‑gender teams, or travel to new continents remains to be seen. What is clear is that the continued dominance of Team USA has sparked a vigorous debate, and any meaningful change could help the Presidents Cup evolve into a more competitive and globally resonant showcase of the sport.