Presidents Cup 2024: Rules, Format and Points System Primer for Golf Tournament

Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele will lead the United States at the Presidents Cup in Montreal this week.

The United States has won all but one of the biannual events since the competition began in 1994.

The Presidents Cup pits Team USA against golfers from Canada, Mexico, Asia and Africa.

Team play dominates the schedule, but unlike the Ryder Cup's three-day format, the Presidents Cup spans four days with the same amount of matches.

Presidents Cup Rules

The Presidents Cup takes place from Thursday-Sunday at Royal Montreal Golf Club.

A quartet of foursomes matches will be played on Thursday, while four four-ball matches take place on Friday.

Both the foursomes and four-ball team formats will be in play on Saturday, with one happening in the morning session and the other in the afternoon.

Sunday is all about the singles play. Every member of the United States and International rosters will compete across 12 matches.

There is no requirement as to how many matches each golfer has to participate in from Thursday-Saturday. All of the golfers should get at least one shot at the team format, but the most-used players will be the ones who perform best.

The foursomes format is alternate shot. The two players from each team in the foursomes matches alternate their shots over 18 holes.

Every golfer plays their own shot in the four-ball format. The lowest score among the two team members is used for each hole.

One point is awarded for an outright win of every match. Half points will be handed out if the matches end in a tie after 18 holes.

The target for both teams is 15 points. The winner typically needs to reach that mark to win the trophy. That can be adjusted if matches are halved, but to start, 15 will be the target for each squad to reach.