Presidents Cup

Presidents Cup
The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a United States team and an International Team representing the rest of the world less Europe, which competes against the U.S. in a similar but considerably older event, the Ryder Cup. The Presidents Cup is held biennially. Initially it was held in even numbered years, with the Ryder Cup being held in odd numbered years. However, the cancellation of the 2001 Ryder Cup due to 9/11 pushed both tournaments back a year, and the Presidents Cup is now held in odd numbered years. It is hosted alternately in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world.

The format of the event is also drawn from the Ryder Cup, consisting of twelve players per side and a non-playing captain, usually a highly respected golf figure. The captains are responsible for pairing the teams in the doubles events, which consist of both alternate shot and best ball formats (sometimes called "foursome" and "four ball" matches) However, unlike the Ryder Cup, all twelve players must play both matches on Friday (six matches per Friday session, unlike the Ryder Cup, with four matches), and only two players will sit out each session of Saturday matches (five matches per Saturday session, compared to four), and each player must play one match on Saturday.

The format of the Presidents Cup is different from that of the Ryder Cup mainly in that it includes six extra matches, which prevents a team from hiding its weaknesses. By having all 24 players on the course for all three days there cannot be a situation such as in the 1999 Ryder Cup when Europe kept three players (Jarmo Sandelin, Jean Van de Velde and Andrew Coltart) on the bench for the sixteen four-ball and better-ball matches on the first two days. This use of twelve players on all three days arguably led to the United States' victory.

The event was created and is organised by the PGA Tour. At the inaugural Presidents Cup former U.S. President Gerald Ford was Honorary Chairman. Subsequent events saw former President George HW Bush, Australian Prime Minister John Howard and then-President Bill Clinton in the chair. [1]

There is no prize money in the Presidents Cup. The net proceeds are distributed to charities nominated by the players, captains, and captains' assistants. The first six Presidents Cups raised over US$13 million for charities around the world. [2]

In 2005, Jack Nicklaus captained the United States team and Gary Player captained the International team.Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus will be the captains for the third straight time in 2007 at Royal Montreal Golf Club in the Montreal suburb of ?le Bizard, September 27 to 30.

History
The Presidents Cup over the years
The Presidents Cup, which will be played for the seventh time in 2007, was developed to give the world's best non-European players an opportunity to compete in international team match-play competition.

A biennial event played in non-Ryder Cup years, the first Presidents Cup was played Sept. 16-18, 1994 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. The United States Team, captained by Hale Irwin, defeated the International side of David Graham, 20-12.

The United States also won the second Presidents Cup, held Sept. 13-15, 1996 and played again at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Arnold Palmer, no stranger to high-level international competition, had the reins as the U.S. edged Peter Thomson's International Team, 16 1/2 - 15 1/2.

The 1998 Presidents Cup was played Dec. 11-13 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. The International Team won 20 1/2-11 1/2. Nicklaus served as Captain of the U.S. Team, while Thomson repeated his role for the International Team.

In 2000, The Presidents Cup returned to Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, with the United States avenging its 1998 loss with a 21 1/2-10 1/2 victory over the International Team. Thomson captained the International Team for a third time, while Ken Venturi was victorious in his debut.

The 2003 Presidents Cup was originally scheduled for November 2002, but was postponed one year in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

In 2003 at The Links at Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate in George, South Africa, The Presidents Cup ended in a tie. After both teams ended regulation tied at 17 points, Ernie Els of the International Team and Tiger Woods of the United States were designated to represent their teams in a sudden-death playoff. After three playoff holes, and as darkness was descending, Captains Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, in the spirit of the competition, decided that the two teams would share the cup.

In 2005, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player returned as Captains, and the matches were held once again at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. The tie from 2003 was broken with an 18 1/2 to 15 1/2 U.S. victory. Chris DiMarco holed a 15- foot, birdie putt on the 18th hole of his singles match to win 1 up and clinch the U.S. victory.

Former U.S. President Gerald Ford presided over the first Presidents Cup as Honorary Chairman. Former President George Bush, like Ford an avid golfer, served as Honorary Chairman for the 1996 Presidents Cup. Australian Prime Minister John Howard was Honorary Chairman for the 1998 event. In 2000, President Bill Clinton made history when he became the first sitting president to serve as Honorary Chairman. In 2003, Thabo Mbeki, President of the Republic of South Africa, was Honorary Chairman. Current United States President George W. Bush, reprised the role his father played in 1996, when he was the Honorary Chairman of the 2005 Presidents Cup.

Members of the 2007 U.S. Team are selected based on official earnings from the start of the 2006 season through the 2007 PGA Championship. International Team players will be chosen on the basis of the Official World Golf Ranking. International Teams do not include players eligible for the European Ryder Cup Team.

The eligibility rankings are used to select 10 members for both squads. There are two Captain's Choices who round out each 12-man team.

The Presidents Cup competition consists of 34 matches -- 11 foursomes and 11 four-ball matches. There are 12 singles matches involving all players on the final Sunday. All matches are worth one point each, for a total of 34 points.

As is the case with virtually all activity involving the PGA TOUR, charity is the ultimate winner of The Presidents Cup. There is no purse for the players. Net revenues are divided into equal shares that the players and Captains designate for charities or golf-related projects of their choice. Contributions in their names are made through PGA TOUR Charities, Inc. The first six Presidents Cups generated over $13 million for charities worldwide.