2003

The 2003 Presidents Cup at Fancourt in South Africa is revered as the greatest moments of sportsmanship in golf history. The week was an unrelenting battle between Jack Nicklaus's Americans and Gary Player's Internationals on the difficult Links course. The Internationals dominated the Saturday Four-ball session 6-0 to take a lead, but the U.S. stormed back in Sunday Singles to tie the overall match at 17-17. With the cup undecided, the captains selected their best players—Tiger Woods and Ernie Els—for a sudden-death playoff. The atmosphere was electric as the two heavyweights matched each other shot for shot over three intense playoff holes. As they reached the third extra hole, darkness began to envelop the course, making further play impossible. In a legendary decision, Nicklaus and Player agreed to share the Cup rather than force a conclusion in unfair conditions. "We should share this cup," Nicklaus famously told Player. The resulting tie remains the only one in Presidents Cup history, a symbol of the event's spirit where competitive fire meets mutual respect. It remains the singular "perfect" result in the competition's lore.