Team USA secures Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow in their ninth victory in a row
The United States team retained the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, after surviving a spirited comeback from the International Team, winning the golf tournament by 17.5 to 12.5 and securing the Americans’ ninth overall victory in a row.
Xander Schauffele rolled in the decisive putt in his match against Canadian Corey Conners on the 18th hole to clinch the US team’s overall victory, sparking scenes of jubilation on the green from Schauffele and other players whose matches had finished.
The Presidents Cup is a biennial competition between Americans and an international team open to players outside the United States and Europe. The US team has now won 12 out of 14 Presidents Cups in history, losing only one overall tournament.
US captain Davis Love III sent out two of his heavy hitters, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, in the opening two matches in an effort to prevent International Team momentum building. Spieth delivered for Love as he beat Australian Cam Davis with three holes to spare, but Thomas surrendered an early lead to lose on the final hole to South Korean Si Woo Kim.
Patrick Cantlay and Tony Finau added more points to the board for the United States, while Colombian Sebastián Muñoz shocked world No.1 Scottie Scheffler to give the International Team an inkling of hope, along with Japanese team veteran Hideki Matsuyama’s tied match with Sam Burns.
Much of the build-up to the competition was dominated by how the teams and overall tournament had been affected by players joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series and thus being ineligible to compete in this year’s edition.
Eight of the International Team’s 12 players made their Presidents Cup debut this year, and six US players were also participating for the first time.
The 2024 Presidents Cup is set to take place at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada from September 24-29 of that year. The same venue hosted the 2007 edition of the competition.
