USA Clinches 10th Straight Victory at 2024 Presidents Cup: Royal Montreal Recap & Analysis

Team USA claimed an impressive 18.5-11.5 victory at the 2024 Presidents Cup in Montreal, securing their tenth consecutive victory in the competition. The dominant performance at Royal Montreal Golf Club represents not only another American triumph but also a statement about the structural advantages Team USA enjoys in international golf competition.

Dominant Opening Day

The tournament began exactly as American fans hoped—with a decisive show of force. Team USA whitewashed the International Team 5-0 in Thursday's four-ball session, establishing an early psychological advantage that would prove difficult for the International Team to overcome.

The four-ball format, which allows each player to play their own ball with the team's best score counting, often favors American depth. With multiple stars capable of shooting low scores, Team USA's roster provides redundancy that international teams struggle to match.

International Comeback Friday

The International Team responded with remarkable resilience. Led by captain Mike Weir, the International players captured a decisive 5-0 victory in Friday's foursomes competition, evening the match at 5-5 entering Saturday.

This victory represented both strategic brilliance and emotional catharsis for the International Team. Foursomes—the alternate shot format where partners take turns hitting the same ball—often produces closer competitions than four-ball, as shot-making can be neutralized by teamwork and tactical play.

The Friday victory proved that the International Team remained competitive and capable of performing at high levels when motivated.

American Dominance Returns Saturday

However, Team USA reasserted its dominance on Saturday, building an 11-7 advantage after eight matches across two sessions. The combination of four-ball and foursomes competitions on Saturday typically determines the Presidents Cup outcome, and American depth proved decisive.

Pairings featuring Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, and other American stars produced consistent point wins. The International Team had moments of excellence—individual matches that demonstrated competitive potential—but couldn't overcome the cumulative weight of American talent spread across multiple matches.

Sunday Clincher

By the time Sunday singles matches began, Team USA was positioned for victory, needing just 6.5 points from twelve matches to clinch. The International Team faced an uphill battle, requiring 8+ points—a difficult task even when playing well.

Sunday's singles confirmed the inevitable. The Americans secured the victory and tenth consecutive Presidents Cup triumph. Keegan Bradley, the U.S. captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup, registered the winning point, holding off Si Woo Kim 1 up—a fitting conclusion to a dominant American performance.

Xander Schauffele opened the singles matches with a dominant display, converting seven birdies in his first thirteen holes to defeat Jason Day 4 and 3. This early American momentum set the tone for the remainder of Sunday play.

Strategic Insights

The 2024 Presidents Cup result provides several strategic insights relevant to the 2026 competition at Medinah:

American Depth Advantage: The difference between American and international golf isn't at the top—Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, and Xander Schauffele are talented, but so are Hideki Matsuyama, Tom Kim, and other international stars. The difference comes in roster depth. America's 7th through 12th players can compete with any team's top players.

Format Matters: Four-ball competition generally favors American teams because multiple scoreable balls reduce the importance of any single player's performance. Foursomes competition provides international teams with better opportunities, as the alternate-shot format reduces the importance of depth and increases the importance of partnership efficiency and tactical play.

Home Advantage Impact: Montreal's location in North America provided Team USA with linguistic and cultural advantages that international players lacked. The 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah will provide even greater American advantages—a Midwest crowd that understands American golf culture and speaks English as a first language.

Motivation and Psychology: While Team USA has won ten consecutive Presidents Cups, the psychological burden of this dominance shouldn't be underestimated. The International Team enters as underdogs with nothing to lose, which can paradoxically provide psychological freedom. Conversely, American players feel pressure to maintain a winning tradition that has become nearly automatic.

International Team Challenges

The 2024 result highlights why the International Team has won only once since 1998. Despite improvements in Asian golf and the emergence of players like Tom Kim and Im Sung-jae, the fundamental imbalance persists.

The International Team's best player (Hideki Matsuyama) is likely ranked 10th-15th in the world. The American team's best players (Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay) are frequently ranked 1st-5th. This gap in elite talent compounds across twelve players and multiple formats.

Additionally, the International Team lacks European players—the Ryder Cup's most reliable competitive force. The International roster draws from Asia (Japan, South Korea, Australia, and one or two other regions, making roster construction inherently more difficult than American team-building.

Looking Forward to 2026

The 2024 Presidents Cup result establishes the presumptive outcome for 2026: another American victory. However, it also provides a blueprint for how the International Team might compete more effectively.

The International Team needs to:

1. Maximize performance in foursomes competitions
2. Identify partnership combinations that work exceptionally well
3. Leverage young players like Tom Kim's fearless competitiveness
4. Build early momentum to reduce pressure in later sessions
5. Win the psychological battle by proving they belong at Medinah

The Bigger Picture

Team USA's tenth consecutive victory represents an extraordinary run of success that transcends golf. It reflects the depth of American golf, the effectiveness of American team captaincies, and the structural advantages America enjoys in international competition.

However, it also masks a concerning reality: the Presidents Cup is becoming increasingly one-sided, with competitive balance deteriorating rather than improving. While this benefits American fans, it potentially threatens the long-term viability of the competition as a compelling international spectacle.

For the Presidents Cup to thrive long-term, the International Team must find ways to compete more effectively. The 2026 event at Medinah will test whether Geoff Ogilvy's leadership and improved international golf can challenge American dominance, or whether the trend toward American supremacy will continue unabated.

Conclusion

The 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal was a masterclass in American team golf—dominant, efficient, and nearly inevitable. As Team USA prepares for 2026 at Medinah under Brandt Snedeker's captaincy, the precedent is clear: American victory is the default expectation.

Whether the International Team can author a different narrative at Medinah will define the 2026 Presidents Cup and determine whether the competition remains truly competitive or continues its slide toward American inevitability.