5 names who missed out on making the Presidents Cup Teams ft. Akshay Bhatia
The captains of the U.S. and International teams for the 2024 Presidents Cup, Jim Furyk and Mike Weir, announced their respective free picks on Tuesday, September 3. In doing so, they completed both teams.
On both sides, there were some interesting names that were not selected. In fact, both Furyk and Weir left out several players who won tournaments during the season.
Let's take a look at some of those players:
5 Names That Did Not Make the Presidents Cup Team
The American Presidents Cup team consisted of points qualifiers Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay, Sahith Theegala and the selected Keegan, Bradley, Sam Burns, Tony Finau, Brian Harman, Russell Henley and Max Homa.
For the International Team, the qualifiers were Hideki Matsuyama, Sungjae Im, Adam Scott, Tom Kim, Jason Day and Byeong Hun An, while the selections were Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Corey Conners, Mackenzie Hughes, Si Woo Kim, Min Woo Lee and Taylor Pendrith.
This left out the following players, among others:
#1- Akshay Bhatia
Akshay Bhatia's case came as a surprise to most fans and the press, considering he is one of the most promising young players on the PGA Tour at present.
In 2024, Bhatia won his second PGA Tour event at the Valero Texas Open, and posted three additional top-10 finishes, including a tie for second at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. This moved him into the top 30 in the FedEx Cup rankings and the top 30 of the world rankings.
#2. Billy Horschel
Another popular name was left off the American team to the Presidents Cup was Billy Horschel, with experience in the most recent edition of the event (2022). Horschel won the Corales Puntacana Championship in 2024 and finished in the top 10 six times, including a runner-up finish at the Open Championship.
With these results, Horschel returned to the FedEx Cup Top 30 and is ranked 25th in the world.
#3. Chris Kirk
Chris Kirk was also passed over by Jim Furyk for the Presidents Cup despite the consistency he showed in 2024. Kirk played 21 events with one victory (The Sentry) and two other top 10s.
Still, his results were enough to place him in the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings and he finished the year ranked 40th in the world.
#4. Cam Davis
On the international side of the Presidents Cup, the case of Cam Davis stands out. The Australian won the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic and although he only finished in the top 10 once more, it was at the BMW Championship at the end of the season.
It is true that Davis did not make it into the top 30 in the FedEx Cup rankings. However, other players in a similar situation were called up.
#5. Nick Taylor
Nick Taylor's case is special because the 2024 Presidents Cup will be played in Canada, where Taylor is a national hero after winning the 2023 RBC Canadian Open.
Mike Weir's decision may have been influenced by the seven cuts Taylor suffered during the season, including three in the final seven tournaments. Nevertheless, the Canadian went on to win the 2024 WM Phoenix Open.
The case of Bryson DeChambeau
Many fans have noted the case of Bryson DeChambeau as an absence on the American team. The LIV Golf star had an excellent season in 2024, winning the US Open and finishing in the top 10 at the Masters and PGA Championship.
However, DeChambeau is ineligible to play in the Presidents Cup because he was banned from the PGA Tour for playing with LIV Golf. As a result, even if Jim Furyk had wanted to call him up, tour rules prohibit it.