History
From PGATOUR.com
The Presidents Cup over the years
The Presidents Cup, which will be played for the seventh time in 2007, 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 Sept. 16-18, 1994 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. The United States Team, captained by Hale Irwin, defeated the International side of David Graham, 20-12.
The United States also won the second Presidents Cup, held Sept. 13-15, 1996 and played again at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Arnold Palmer, no stranger to high-level international competition, had the reins as the U.S. edged Peter Thomson’s International Team, 16 1/2 - 15 1/2.
The 1998 Presidents Cup was played Dec. 11-13 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. The International Team won 20 1/2-11 1/2. Nicklaus served as Captain of the U.S. Team, while Thomson repeated his role for the International Team.
In 2000, The Presidents Cup returned to Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, with the United States avenging its 1998 loss with a 21 1/2-10 1/2 victory over the International Team. Thomson captained the International Team for a third time, while Ken Venturi was victorious in his debut.
The 2003 Presidents Cup was originally scheduled for November 2002, but was postponed one year in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
In 2003 at The Links at Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate in George, South Africa, The Presidents Cup ended in a tie. After both teams ended regulation tied at 17 points, Ernie Els of the International Team and Tiger Woods of the United States 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 1/2 to 15 1/2 U.S. victory. Chris DiMarco holed a 15- foot, birdie putt on the 18th hole of his singles match to win 1 up and clinch the U.S. victory.
Former U.S. President Gerald Ford presided over the first Presidents Cup as Honorary Chairman. Former President George Bush, like Ford an avid golfer, served as Honorary Chairman for the 1996 Presidents Cup. Australian Prime Minister John Howard was Honorary Chairman for the 1998 event. In 2000, President Bill Clinton made history when he became the first sitting president to serve as Honorary Chairman. In 2003, Thabo Mbeki, President of the Republic of South Africa, was Honorary Chairman. Current United States President George W. Bush, reprised the role his father played in 1996, when he was the Honorary Chairman of the 2005 Presidents Cup.
Members of the 2007 U.S. Team are selected based on official earnings from the start of the 2006 season through the 2007 PGA Championship. International Team players will be chosen on the basis of the Official World Golf Ranking. International Teams do not include players eligible for the European Ryder Cup Team.
The eligibility rankings are used to select 10 members for both squads. There are two Captain’s Choices who round out each 12-man team.
The Presidents Cup competition consists of 34 matches — 11 foursomes and 11 four-ball matches. There are 12 singles matches involving all players on the final Sunday. All matches are worth one point each, for a total of 34 points.
As is the case with virtually all activity involving the PGA TOUR, charity is the ultimate winner of The Presidents Cup. There is no purse for the players. Net revenues are divided into equal shares that the players and Captains designate for charities or golf-related projects of their choice. Contributions in their names are made through PGA TOUR Charities, Inc. The first six Presidents Cups generated over $13 million for charities worldwide.
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