The United States won the Presidents Cup once again, this time by a score of 18 1/2 to 11 1/2, throttling a feisty but overmatched international team and continuing a remarkable two-decade run of dominance. The United States has now won the Presidents Cup 13 of the 15 times the event has been contested.
Xander Schauffele set the tone early Sunday with a complete 4&3 singles domination of former world number one Jason Day at Royal Montreal Golf Club. A few matches later, Keegan Bradley, the captain of the 2025 US Ryder Cup team, outlasted Si Woo Kim to clinch the winning point.
“It was amazing. I said all week that I didn’t know if I could ever do that again,” Bradley said afterward. “Just playing in this tournament and then winning the point, my God, the last time I played I was about to lose the Ryder Cup. If this is my last round as a player, it’s maybe so, I’m happy with that.”
The United States entered the day with an 11-7 lead, thanks to a five-game sweep on Thursday coupled with two 3-1 victories on Saturday. Needing 4 1/2 points to win the 2024 Cup, the Americans began dismantling the international team in the first game.
Day took an early 1 Up lead over Schauffele, but the two-time major winner fought back, tying the match on the fourth hole, then winning the next five straight matches to take a 5 Up lead at the turn. After some back and forth on the back nine, Schauffele won the match on the 15th hole. He, Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay each finished the week with a 4-1-0 record, leading Team USA.
Sam Burns and Tom Kim tied their match, giving each team half a point each. Hideki Matsuyama dealt a big blow at the Internationals by winning 1 Up against world number 1 Scottie Scheffler. Corey Conners of the international team eliminated Tony Finau, 5&3. But Team USA’s Russell Henley scored a 3&2 victory over Sungjae Im, and Cantlay’s 3&1 victory over Taylor Pendrith put the United States just one point away from victory.
In a bit of match play justice, Bradley won the deciding point against Si Woo Kim, winning 1 Up on the 18th hole. Bradley, who has spoken openly about his love of the team game, was notoriously left out of last year’s Ryder Cup team but was later named Ryder Cup captain for next year. He’s enjoyed a career rebound in recent years, performing well enough on the course to be named to Jim Furyk’s U.S. Presidents Cup team this year.
“I can’t even describe how I felt today,” Sahith Theegala said. “It was so intense in the morning, and even in the afternoon, every shot felt like it meant the world, and it did. Every shot meant the world. You can never let in the ‘international team because they have so many talented guys around there and you can’t give them a little bit of light or a little bit of hope.’
After the clinch, Wyndham Clark and Min Woo Lee were tied, as were Theegala and Byeong Hun An. Morikawa eliminated Presidents Cup legend Adam Scott 2&1. Internationals’ Christiaan Bezuidenhout eliminated Brian Harman 2&1, and Max Homa closed out Mackenzie Hughes 2&1 to begin the official celebrations.
“We use all the energy we have to try to beat each other, ‘now let’s put it together, channel it and try to beat someone else,’ which is really fun,” he said. Clark said. “It’s really refreshing for golf, too. It’s so individual, and now you’re looking to each other, encouraging each other, helping each other. It’s really a lot of fun.”
Prior to this year’s competition, the United States had won 12 of 14 competitions, with the Internationals having won one in 1998. The teams tied in 2003. The future of this event should be discussed, given the overwhelming advantage of the United States. , but for now, the reign of the United States seems assured for at least two more years. The next Presidents Cup will take place in 2026 at Medinah Golf Club, near Chicago.