There is a level of nervousness every other year entering the Ryder Cup with Americans wondering whether they will be able to live up to their European counterparts — especially when not playing on home soil. Such has not been the case with the Presidents Cup as the United States has captured nine straight trophies in the biennial with their International counterparts. This year’s showdown will be hosted in Canada at Royal Montreal, and with three Canucks on the International side, there should be plenty of energy from a crowd seeking to knock the U.S. off its game.
The United States enters -285 to win the Presidents Cup with an expected advantage of 3.5 points. The International side is a notable underdog at +270, though it will hope experience and familiarity will help buck a trend of U.S. victories that dates back two decades. In fact, the Internationals have only won once out of 13 playings of the event: that came in 1998 across the globe in Australia.
The 2024 competition sees the Americans boast the two best golfers in the world, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, along with a handful of rookies who will look to complete a youth movement for the red, white and blue. Whether that will be enough to hold off the Internationals — helmed by veteran Adam Scott featuring golfers from Canada, South Korea and Australia (among other locations) — remains to be seen.
At the end, the question will be whether the Americans remain dominant in this event — a level of play they have not been able to achieve at the Ryder Cup — or the Internationals break a long losing streak and come out on top in Montreal.
Let’s take a look at how our CBS Sports experts believe the 2024 Presidents Cup will play out this week.
2024 Presidents Cup predictions, expert picks
United States MVP
Xander Schauffele: It would be easy just to slot Scottie Scheffler into this position, but he has low-key struggled at recent team events. After a coming out party at Whistling Straits in 2021, Scheffler is 0-5-3 in his last eight team matches at the President’s Cup and Ryder Cup. Schauffele, on the other hand, has been nearly as proficient this summer as Scheffler and has been excellent at team events, including a 4-4-0 record in those same two events. I think the U.S. will lean on him throughout, and he will often get the benefit of a better match play partner (Patrick Cantlay) than Scheffler. Top American: 9/2 | Top scorer: 13/2 — Kyle Porter
Collin Morikawa: It’s tough not to look at the top two players in the world here, but Morikawa’s quality isn’t as far behind as it may seem. He has been stellar in three team competitions and Royal Montreal appears to be right up his alley as fairways will be at a premium and quality iron play will need to be had. Scheffler and whoever his teammate is and Schauffele and Cantlay make for two formidable duos, while Morikawa will captain the ship in the third partnership. That’s where this competition will be won and that’s where Morikawa will thrive as he poses a big threat in both formats and should have a strong chance to accumulate four points. Top American: 11/2 | Top scorer: 8-1 — Patrick McDonald
Xander Schauffele: Scheffler has been the best player in the world this year, but Schauffele has been right alongside him. Plus, there is an obvious advantage that Xander offers given his prior success in team events, which is something Scottie simply cannot boast. All the Americans need from Scheffler is an average performance, and they will likely get that given his level of play recently. Schauffele, however, needs to come through for the red, white and blue, and there’s no reason to believe he will not. Top American: 9/2 | Top scorer: 13/2 — Adam Silverstein
International MVP
Adam Scott: The summer reemergence of Scott has been one of the most fun storylines of the entire season. Scott has been electric since July 1 with three top five finishes in six starts. He should get plenty of starts against these Americans (he went all five in 2022), and one could argue that he is playing better golf than all but two players on the United States team. Top International: 15/2 | Top scorer: 20-1 — Porter
Taylor Pendrith: Quail Hollow was…rough to say the least for Pendrith as he compiled an 0-4-0 record alongside Corey Conners. Despite the ineffectiveness from the two Canadians, I expect Weir to trot them out again and this time with more success. Over the last three months, Pendrith ranks third in strokes gained approach and fifth in strokes gained putting for the International Team. If the Canadian gets running down hill early, he could turn into a runaway train the U.S. has trouble keeping up with. Top International: 12-1 | Top scorer: 40-1– McDonald
Sungjae Im: There’s going to be a significant level of comfort for Im playing alongside countryman Tom Kim, who (if it was not for his putting struggles) would probably get my vote in this spot. Im is 3-0-1 in four-ball and 2-0-0 in single matches across his two Presidents Cup appearances. He’s the seventh-ranked player in the world with 10 top 12s over his last 14 tournaments since April. Let me repeat that: He’s compiled top-12 finishes in 71.4% of his appearances over the last five months. That’s better than Schaufflee (69.2%) in the same span. Plus, his odds are solid. Top International: 6-1 | Top scorer: 15-1 — Silverstein
Breakout candidate
Sahith Theegala (United States): I’ve been sitting on this one for a while, but Theegala has the chance to be the new Spieth for team USA. I’m not sure they will ever lean on him as much as they did with Spieth early on, but he makes so many birdies (top 15 among players who play a similar schedule) and plays with loads of emotion, which is half the battle at these events. I think he’s going to have an amazing week. — Porter
Russell Henley (United States): Accurate off the tee, precise with his scoring clubs and underrated with the flat stick, Henley has all the makings of becoming match play maven for the U.S. side. It’s somewhat surprising this is his first stint in either the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup, but expect Henley to make the most of it coming off the best statistical season of his career. Players will be clamoring to be paired with him in foursomes where his skillset should thrive. — McDonald
Sahith Theegala (United States): I don’t necessarily agree with Kyle in that Theegala will take Spieth’s role, but what I do know is that he has been incredibly fun to watch this season. His youth (26) and passion is exactly what the Americans need in a team event (perhaps that does make him Spieth-ian), and his recent level of play proves that he could be a difference maker for the stars and stripes when all is said and done. — Silverstein
Surprise prediction
U.S. trails on Saturday night: Yep, you can see my final pick below, but I think this U.S. team is a little awkward and lacks the juice past teams have had. It’s the first time in 30 years it has not had one of Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas on the team, and those guys seem to be the spiritual center. There’s the possibility that the U.S. will come out a little flat and struggle in the team matches before overwhelming the International team with talent on Sunday. — Porter
The Canadians come to play: I reckon the success of the internationals lies heavily on the three Canadians on the team, and I expect them to hold their own. Pendrith and Conners are a combined 0-8-0 while Hughes makes his debut appearance, but there’s something about them that I can’t quite put my finger on that has me drawn to them. As already stated, Pendrith should be primed for a solid showing and Hughes has the goods — ranking first in strokes gained putting and strokes gained around the green among the 24 players — to be a headache for the U.S. — McDonald
It’s never particularly close: There’s been a lot of talk about the Americans being vulnerable and the Internationals being capable of giving the dominant U.S. side a run. It ultimately rings hollow and comes across as just that: talk. The American side is significantly front-loaded. Royal Montreal is not a particularly unique course that they have not experienced recently. There may be some advantage for the three Canadians, who have likely played this course far more than others, but the talent o the U.S. should be overwhelming even if there are some potential cracks in the armor, such as the inclusion of Max Homa. But you know what’s interesting about Homa? He went a perfect 4-0 two years ago in his lone Presidents Cup appearance. — Silverstein
Winning side
Odds: United States -285, Internationals +270, Tie +1600
Handicap: United States -3.5 (-120) | Internationals +3.5 (-110)
United States (16-14): I actually want to pick the International team because I don’t love the makeup of this U.S. team, but I think the Americans’ talent will overwhelm them in the end and that the U.S. will win its 10th consecutive Presidents Cup. — Porter
United States (16.5-13.5): The U.S. wins its 10th straight Presidents Cup, but it won’t come without some moments of doubt. The first three days of the competition will be tight with the red, white and blue taking a narrow lead into Sunday singles where it ultimately pulls away. From top-to-bottom, this U.S. team is much stronger than the International Team and that will shine through when players get stacked up one vs. one on the final day. — McDonald
United States (17-13): The International side is slightly stronger than it was in 2022 … but not by much. Barring a slow start that puts the U.S. significantly behind the eight ball, the Americans should strike fast and (relatively) coast to the finish line. The back half of the U.S. roster is not as stacked as it has been in the past, but they mostly represent the points that would just run up the score, such as what the Americans did in 2017 (19-11) and 2007, last time the Presidents Cup was played in Montreal (19.5-14.5). — Silverstein
Patrick McDonald and Greg DuCharme preview the 2024 Presidents Cup from a DFS perspective. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Read the full article here
