Stop if you have heard this before: The United States is favored to win the Presidents Cup. Despite a hiccup in Rome at the 2023 Ryder Cup, the U.S. team finds itself as a heavy favorite to enter enemy territory and capture its 10th straight Presidents Cup against the International team.
Dating back 30 years, the Presidents Cup has become one-way traffic in terms of which team raises the trophy by the end of the competition. While the U.S. has gotten its hand on the golden cup 12 times, the International side has done so just once with a tie occurring 21 years ago in South Africa.
Oddsmakers believe the 15th edition of the competition will be more of the same as the U.S. marches into Royal Montreal with more than enough talent at its disposal. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler leads the red, white and blue after an all-time season that included seven wins on the PGA Tour and an Olympic gold medal. He is joined by world No. 2 Xander Schauffele off an all-time major championship season that saw him raise the Wanamaker Trophy and Claret Jug.
Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns are expected to play large roles. They are accompanied by Presidents Cup rookies Sahith Theegala, Russell Henley and Wyndham Clark. Despite the immense talent presented by the Americans, the International side is confident this competition will be different than the last nine.
With what is expected to be a noticeable home-field advantage in Canada, the home teams brings three countrymen into the ring with Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith and Mackenzie Hughes. They'll get the crowd pumping as will global superstar Tom Kim of South Korea and the electric Australian Min Woo Lee. The play of Adam Scott (Australia), Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) and Sungjae Im (South Korea) aims to do the same.
2024 Presidents Cup odds
To win
- United States: 2/5
- International: 11/4
- Tie: 16-1
This line was stagnant the last few months, but it has inched towards the U.S. in recent weeks. The reason is rather simple: The visiting team has the three best players in the competition. Scheffler and Schauffele should be trotted out there in each and every sessions (likely alongside Burns and Cantlay), while Morikawa made vast improvements in his short game in 2024 and leads a strong third pairing.
That said, the play at the start of the week may be to roll the dice on the International team. Matsuyama enjoyed a fantastic season, while Scott played like a top-five player in the world over the last handful of months. Im has the game to keep up with the stars on the U.S. as well. Where this competition will be decided is the middle of each roster, and the International team is far from weak with Pendrith and Lee, among others.
Top points scorer
- Scottie Scheffler: 6-1
- Xander Schauffele: 7-1
- Collin Morikawa: 8-1
- Patrick Cantlay: 9-1
The only four players with single-digit odds fly the American flag. Scheffler tops the list -- just like he did in every tournament this year -- but he may not be the wisest selection. He'll likely play alongside Burns (at least in four-ball), while Schauffele and Cantlay could play alongside each other in all four team sessions. That partnership is 3-0-0 in foursomes in two Presidents Cups.
- Sam Burns: 11-1
- Wyndham Clark: 14-1
- Tom Kim: 16-1
- Sungjae Im: 16-1
- Max Homa: 16-1
- Hideki Matsuyama: 16-1
- Adam Scott: 18-1
Burns is an interesting option given his likely playing partner, while players like Clark, Kim and Homa may leave some to be desired. This could be an area to circle the top international players with Scott presenting the most palatable price at 18-1. He doesn't have the best Presidents Cup record (18-25-6), but he may be playing the best golf among those on his team.
- Sahith Theegala: 20-1
- Si Woo Kim: 22-1
- Brian Harman: 22-1
- Tony Finau: 25-1
- Mackenzie Hughes: 25-1
- Jason Day: 25-1
- Corey Conners: 25-1
- Christiaan Bezuidenhout: 25-1
- Min Woo Lee: 28-1
- Taylor Pendrith: 30-1
- Russell Henley: 40-1
- Keegan Bradley: 40-1
- Byeong Hun An: 40-1
This range is a bit of a guessing game when it comes to who will get the opportunity to play the most. There are some rookies, some players out of form ... and then there is Pendrith at 30-1. The big-hitting Canadian played in four sessions during his rookie appearance at Quail Hollow resulting in a 0-4-0 record, but he arrives this time around as a much more complete player. I wouldn't be shocked if the Canadian plays at least four times again and enjoys more success than his first Presidents Cup.
