Presidents Cup 2011: Fourth Straight Win Only the Beginning for American Team

The Presidents Cup wrapped up in Australia today, and it was business as usual for the American side. The U.S. team defeated its international counterparts (a team composed of players from assorted non-European countries) for its fourth win in a row and eighth in their nine meetings.

Obviously, some of that dominance reflects the impressive talent the U.S. has been able to muster, including Tiger Woods, who clinched today's win with one of his best performances in the last two years. However, the structure of the competition itself also provides some notable advantages to the Americans that will keep them winning through 2013 and beyond.

In the first place, the international team consists of golfers who have no other occasion to play together and no particular patriotic motivation. After all, it can’t be easy to get excited about playing for “the part of the world that isn’t the U.S. or Europe.”

The U.S. team, in contrast, is playing for its own country and consists of largely the same group that competes in Ryder Cup play every other year. To the extent that an individual sport like golf can benefit from camaraderie, the U.S. is always going to have an edge there.

In addition, the Ryder Cup experience has more tangible benefits for the Americans because both tourneys use alternate-shot foursome matches. As noted by USA Today, both American captain Fred Couples and his international counterpart, Greg Norman, acknowledge that the international players are at a disadvantage from being unfamiliar with the format.

Then, too, the international team has never won on U.S. soil, and the next meeting in 2013 will take place in Dublin, Ohio. Look for another American win on Jack Nicklaus’ course in two years.