History of The Presidents Cup
The 11th playing of The Presidents Cup will be contested at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Songdo IBD in Incheon City, Korea.
South Korea becomes the first country in Asia to host The Presidents Cup. Captains for the U.S. and International Teams are expected to be named in the late springs/early summer of 2014.
The first Presidents Cup was played September 16-18, 1994, at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia, USA. The U.S. Team, captained by Hale Irwin, defeated the International Team, captained by David Graham, 20-12. The United States also won the second Presidents Cup, held September 13-15, 1996, played again at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Arnold Palmer, no stranger to high-level international competition, had the reins as the United States edged Peter Thomson’s International Team, 16 1/2 -15 1/2.
The Presidents Cup 1998 was played December 11-13 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The International Team made the most of home-field advantage, winning 20 1/2 -11 1/2. Jack Nicklaus served as captain of the U.S. Team, while Thomson repeated his role as captain for the International Team.
In 2000, The Presidents Cup returned to Robert Trent Jones, with the United States avenging its 1998 loss with a decisive 21 1/2 to 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 as U.S. Team captain.
The Presidents Cup 2003 was held at The Links at Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate in George, South Africa. The competition ended in a tie, after both teams completed regulation with 17 points. Ernie Els of the International Team and Tiger Woods of the U.S. Team were designated to represent their teams in a sudden-death playoff. After three playoff holes, and as darkness was descending, Captains Gary Player and Nicklaus, in the spirit of the competition, decided that the two teams would share the Cup.
In 2005, Nicklaus and 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 – 15 1/2 United States victory. The U.S. Team wrapped up its fifth Presidents Cup victory in seven tries at Royal Montreal Golf Club in 2007 with a 19 1/2 – 14 1/2 victory, the U.S. Team’s first at an international venue in the competition’s 13-year history, led once again by Nicklaus. David Toms earned the most points for the U.S. Team, while Woody Austin earned a new nickname – Aquaman – after falling into the lake on hole 14 while attempting a shot. And while his team did not win, Canadian golf hero Mike Weir thrilled the crowds with a 1-up victory over World No. 1 Tiger Woods in Sunday’s singles competition. Player captained the International Team for a third and final time.
In 2009, The Presidents Cup was held at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, Calif., one of the top public golf properties in the United States. Two of the most dominant players on the PGA TOUR during the 1980s and 1990s, Fred Couples and Greg Norman led the U.S. and International Teams, respectively. The Presidents Cup 2009 marked the first time in event history that both captains were former participants. Couples has appeared four times (1994, 1996, 1998, 2005) for the United States and Norman three (1996, 1998, 2000) for the Internationals, and both factored prominently in victories secured by their respective teams. As first-time captains, Couples and Norman each led strong teams with the U.S. Team retaining the Cup, winning for the sixth time by a score of 19 1/2 – 14 1/2.
The ninth playing of the event occurred November 15-20, 2011, at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, which was the first international venue to host this prestigious competition more than once. The U.S. Team captured The Presidents Cup for the seventh time, led once again by Captain Couples and a 5-0-0 performance by veteran Jim Furyk. Tiger Woods clinched the Cup for the United States with a 4-and-3 win over Australia’s Aaron Baddeley in Sunday Singles. For Woods, it was the second consecutive time he had scored the winning point at The Presidents Cup, becoming only the second player to accomplish that feat (Couples, 1994, 1996) and the first captain’s pick to do so. Norman’s International Team was outscored 8-3 in foursomes and eventually lost the Cup by four points (19-15).
In 2013, The Presidents Cup was played at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, which became the first golf course to host the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup and Presidents Cup. Nick Price, who owns the distinction of the captain with the most Presidents Cup experience as a player (five appearances) led the International Team, which was defeated by Couples’ U.S. Team, 18 1/2 – 15 1/2, despite an impressive Sunday charge by the Internationals. Woods once again clinched the victory for the U.S. Team for the third straight time, becoming the first player in event history to accomplish that feat. Couples became the winningest captain in Presidents Cup history with a 3-0-0 record.
Presidents Cup Moments: Tiger Woods & Ernie Els clutch putting leads to 2003 Presidents Cup tie.
Source: The Presidents Cup