History

The Presidents Cup, which will be played for the ninth time in 2011, 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 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 ½ -15 ½.

The 1998 Presidents Cup 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 ½ -11 ½. Jack Nicklaus served as captain of the U.S. Team, while Peter 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 their 1998 loss with a decisive 21 ½ to 10 ½ 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 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 ½ to 15 ½ 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 ½ to 14 ½ victory, the U.S. Team's first at an international venue in the competition's 13-year history. David Toms earned the most points for the U.S. Team, while Woody Austin earned several new nicknames 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.

In 2009, The Presidents Cup was held at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco, California, 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 United States and International Teams, respectively. The Presidents Cup 2009 marked the first time in event history that both captains were former participants in The Presidents Cup. 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 at The Presidents Cup 2009, Couples and Norman each led strong teams as they competed in front of record crowds at Harding Park. The U.S. Team retained the Cup, winning for the sixth time, by a score of 19 ½ to 14 ½.