Four Things That Make the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup Different

Golf's two premier team competitions, the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup, showcase international talent in a head-to-head showdown. While both feature fierce competition and patriotic pride, they differ in history, leadership and opponents.

Here's the three major ways each competition stands out.

The Ryder Cup, established in 1927, is a classic. Named after Samuel Ryder, an English entrepreneur who commissioned the creation of the trophy, it pits the United States against Europe in a biennial event co-operated by the PGA of America and DP World Tour. It's known for dramatic finishes and high emotion. The next Ryder Cup is at Bethpage Black in New York in Sept. 2025, and the event alternates between European and American hosts every two years.

The Presidents Cup, on the other hand, is run by the PGA TOUR and gives internationals outside of Europe the chance to compete for their flags. Launched in 1994, the event features Team USA versus an International Team (excluding Europe) and was first held outside Washington, D.C., with President Gerald Ford as the honorary chairman. 

Over the years, Presidents Bush, Obama, Clinton and Trump have occupied the same role. When held internationally, the honorary chairman role has gone to the Prime Minister of Canada (Stephen Harper), Prime Minister of Australia (Julia Gillard) and Korean President Park Guen-Hye, to name a few. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is serving as chairman for this year's matches at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec.

Hence the name of the event.

Qualification for both events is similar, but there are slight mathematical differences that are too difficult to explain. Each team has a set number of automatic qualifiers (six currently) based on performance, and both captains select additional players as "wildcards," more formally known as captain’s picks.

The number of picks has varied over the years but remains a crucial element for both competitions. There are 12 players a side in each competition.

Currently, there are six captain’s picks in both the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup.

Outside of the competitions pitting the USA vs Internationals and USA vs Europe, the next biggest difference fans likely notice is the match formats and scoring.

In the Ryder Cup, there's three days of matches consisting of 28 total matches, each of which is worth one point. The first two days include one session each of two-on-two foursomes (or alternate shot, where players alternate hitting) and four-ball (all four players hit, and take a duo's best score). The final day is reserved for singles, where all 12 players go head to head. There are no extra holes in Ryder Cup matches. Should the two sides be tied after 18 holes, each side earns a half point.

To win the Ryder Cup outright, a team must collect 14 ½ of the 28 points available. In the case of a 14-14 tie, the winning team from the previous Ryder Cup retains the trophy.

In the Presidents Cup, the matches are spread out over four days with 30 total matches, each also worth a point. The team that earns the most points (or reaches 15.5 points) after four days of competition wins the Presidents Cup. In the event each team earns 15, the USA and Internationals split.

On the opening day, there's five matches total of either four-ball (best ball) or foursomes (alternate shot). On the second day, there's also five matches and it's opposite of whatever format was chosen by the home team captain. Saturday gets busier, with eight matches total split between foursomes and four-ball, while the final day is singles like the Ryder Cup.

One other note that's interesting and different is how matches are chosen by the captains.

In the Presidents Cup, pairings are chosen for the Day 1 matches the evening before. The captain of the defending team will choose who goes first to start the draw, and the captains will alternate for the remaining sessions. Captains set their lineups for each session one match at a time, alternating in a snake format. Each player is required to play a minimum of one match prior to the Singles session.

In the Ryder Cup, the “lineups” have to be turned in to Ryder Cup officials by a certain time each day before the matches get started. For Day 1's morning matches, the deadline is 4:15 p.m. local time, the afternoon prior. Those matchups are announced at the Opening Ceremony. For Day 1 afternoon matches, it’s 1:05 p.m., Friday. For Day 2 morning matches, the deadline is one hour after Friday play concludes and afternoon matches, it’s 1:05 p.m., on Day 2.

For final day singles, the deadline is one hour after play the evening before. Each captain is also required, by the same deadline, to put the name of one player in a sealed envelope. That player will not play if a player on the opposing team is injured and cannot play.

The interesting wrinkle is that neither the American or European side knows what the other side’s pairings or teams are until they are sent out from the Ryder Cup rules office until about five minutes after the above-stated times.

So, how has each team done in both events? In the Ryder Cup, the U.S. has faced stiff competition from Europe in recent decades, holding an all-time record of 27 wins, 14 losses, and 2 ties.

In the Presidents Cup, the U.S. dominates, boasting an impressive record of 12 wins, 1 loss, and 1 tie.

We'll see how the next two events shake out, but knowing the not-so-well-known differences between the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup makes it a little easier to understand what's going on!