Does the winner of the Presidents Cup receive prize money? Rules explored
The Presidents Cup is all set to kickstart on 24th September 2024 at the Royal Montreal Club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The tournament does not have a prize money.
The prestigious biennial event is played between the US and the International team, comprising players from across the world except Europe. The players participate in the tournament for the honor and the love for their country. Although they aren't paid for participation, they get to allocate an equal portion of the funds generated by the Cup to charities of their choosing.
According to the official website, more than $56.4 million has been raised from event proceeds since the inception of the tournament in 1994.
This year, the US team is led by Jim Furyk while the International team will be captained by Mike Weir. The US team comprises Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Sahith Theegala, Sam Burns, Max Homa, Tony Finau, Keegan Bradley, Russell Henley, Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark, Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay.
The International squad includes Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, Sungjae Im, Tom Kim, Jason Day, Byeong Hun An, Corey Conners, Min Woo Lee, Taylor Pendrith, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Si Woo Kim and Mackenzie Hughes. The International team boasts of four Canadians including Weir himself, so they will already have a majority of spectators on their side at the 2024 edition.
How is the Presidents Cup different from the Ryder Cup?
Just like the Presidents Cup, the Ryder Cup doesn't have prize money or appearance fees for golfers. Players compete in both events simply for the prestige and pride of their country. The main difference between the two is that in the former, the USA clashes against the International team comprising players from all over the world except Europe. In the latter, the US and the European teams fight against each other.
Both these tournaments are biennial. However, the Presidents Cup is played during even years, and the Ryder Cup in odd years. One big difference from now would be the participation of LIV Golf players. Both these tournaments' rules earlier stated that the participating golfers must be eligible to play in PGA Tour events, which the LIV Golfers aren't, essentially banning them from taking part.
However, in a new development, the PGA Tour recently announced that the Saudi-backed circuit's golfers will now be eligible to compete in the Ryder Cup. The announcement came much after the teams for the 2024 Presidents Cup were announced, so nothing regarding the 2024 tournament was changed. However, it has renewed hopes for the LIV Golf players for the 2026 edition.
The USA has enjoyed a lopsided dominance in the Presidents Cup having won in all but two editions of the event. The team lost only in 1998 and tied in 2003. Although the US is ahead of Europe in the Ryder Cup, the team doesn't have it that easy. Europe is a tough challenger having won 11 times.