The 2024 Presidents Cup -- as is always the case this time of year -- marks the end of competitive golf for many Americans. It is unlikely that Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele or Collin Morikawa will play much (if at all) for the rest of the fall as they begin to prepare for the 2025 season beginning in January.
As such, this will be the last chance to see them in full form, trying to do what all American teams have done for the last 20 years: beat the International team in the Presidents Cup.
There are plenty of storylines to go around across both sides as Mike Weir's International team attempts to end the drought against an interesting amalgamation of U.S. players that will try to keep them from doing so. While the Ryder Cup often offers more intrigue and opportunity to critique every decision, this President's Cup is not short on drama or narratives.
Let's take a look at a few of those that will be fun to follow as the festivities get underway at Royal Montreal Golf Club on Thursday.
2024 Presidents Cup storylines
1. Through lines: This is the first Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup since 1993 that will not feature Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas or Jordan Spieth. Why that seemingly random collection of four American names? Well, the latter two were considered the successors to the former two. Mickelson essentially said as much about Spieth as Lefty started to age out of these team events. But things have not gone well. Spieth's year ended with a wrist surgery, and Thomas was left off the team by captain Jim Furyk after failing to automatically qualify.
Mickelson, Spieth and Thomas, in particular, have long been considered the soul of any U.S. team, which seemingly leaves a spot to fill on this year's squad. Who will step up? That's a big question as event begins and the U.S. marches toward what would be its 10th consecutive victory. Is it Max Homa? He certainly fits the spiritual and emotional mold, but his golf has been bad. What about Scottie Scheffler or Xander Schauffele? The dynamic of this specific U.S. team is going to be fascinating to watch throughout this event.
2. No losses this century: Speaking of consecutive wins, the U.S. team is trying to keep its streak of not losing Presidents Cups alive. It has not happened since 1998 when it fell to Ernie Els and Greg Norman at Royal Melbourne. The U.S. and International teams tied in 2003, but it's been all Stars and Stripes since then with nine straight victories, five of which have been by four or more points. The U.S. is a huge favorite to win its 10th in a row and keep the streak rolling.
3. O, Canada: Montreal is not necessarily the first place one thinks about when considering great golf landscapes. However, there is a real possibility that Canada takes over as one of the biggest storylines this week. The last few Canadian Opens have been genuinely awesome, and there is plenty for the home fans to get behind. Weir's captaincy is one, but so is the trio of Canadians on the team: Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith and Mackenzie Hughes. Almost all team events have great home fans, but this one has a chance to be more dynamic than most Presidents Cups outside the U.S.
4. Will the real Scottie Scheffler please stand up? It has obviously been a dream year for Scheffler -- one of the best we have seen in the last few decades -- but that means, especially in the absence of Spieth and J.T., that he will be relied upon more than ever at this event. His record at Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups is a putrid 2-5-4, and it's even worse over the last two team events he entered as the No. 1 player in the world: 0-5-3. Does Scheffler need to play great to validate his status as a great player? No ... but he might need to show up and lead (perhaps even carry?) his American teammates.
5. Who will step for the International team? Who becomes the guy or the guys for Weir's squad? Who do they send out against Scheffler and/or Schauffele? Will it be Adam Scott? Hideki Matsuyama? Jason Day? Those are the three players with experience, but are they going to be the guy on this team? What about somebody younger like Sungjae Im or the enigmatic Si Woo Kim? Maybe a rookie like Min Woo Lee or Mackenzie Hughs? Tom Kim was electric in the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow, but he's cooled off as of late, and I'm not sure he's ready to take on the U.S. team's heavyweights.
For the International team to have a real chance to win, Weir will likely need to identify a player (or players) who is performing the best early in the week and has the ability to galvanize everyone around the team as the event unfolds. It's an intriguing subplot for Weir's squad as it tries to notch its first Presidents Cup victory in over 25 years.
