MEDINAH, Ill. — Brandt Snedeker? He says it was a “great” question.
Geoff Ogilvy? He deemed it “interesting.”
Russell Henley, when he was asked, said he couldn’t put his finger on an answer. Sam Burns said he didn’t have a perfect one. Scottie Scheffler said someone could come up with 100 reasons.
In conclusion, the consensus was confoundment Tuesday at Medinah Country Club, when the sides of this week’s Presidents Cup were asked a question that turned out to be deeper than the pizzas in nearby Chicago.
Why have the Americans done so well in the Presidents Cup — and not so well recently in the Ryder Cup?
The format, after all, is basically the same — 12 American pros versus either a dozen European or International pros in match play — and yet, over the past seven playings, the Europeans hold a 5-2 edge, while the Internationals are 0-7 (and 1-13-1 all time). Is it those players, then? Or maybe, as Scheffler suggests, there are more things to look at.
So let’s do that.
OK, is it the players?
Of course it is. Right? The players hit the shots. Period.
That suggests a talent gap, and for our purposes here, we’ll look at the world rankings, though they have their critics and only just this past year folded in some LIV Golf results. Below is a look at the past three Ryder and Presidents Cups:
2021 Ryder Cup: U.S. wins 19-9; U.S. average world ranking is 8.9; Europe is 30.8
2023 Ryder Cup: Europe wins 16.5-11.5; U.S. average world ranking is 12.9; Europe is 30
2025 Ryder Cup: Europe wins 15-13; U.S. average world ranking is 11.1; Europe is 23.6
2022 Presidents Cup: U.S. wins 17.5-12.2; U.S. average world ranking is 11.6; International is 48.9
2024 Presidents Cup: U.S. wins 18.5-11.5; U.S. average world ranking is 11.9; International is 34.25
2026 Presidents Cup: U.S. average world ranking is 15.1; International is 50.8
Over those past three Ryder and Presidents Cups, the rankings show the Europeans (28.1 average ranking) have been ranked better than the Internationals (44.65) — but the Americans (11.9) have been ranked better than both sides at every event. What’s also notable is that the Internationals have had just one player ranked in the top 10 (Hideki Matsuyama in 2024), while the Europeans have had eight.
But do the ranking gaps between the Americans and the Europeans (16.2) and the Americans and the Internationals (32.75) mean that much more success? It’s possible. Let’s continue.
Is it the experience?
Since playing in team events and match play is rare in pro golf, experience can be beneficial. Knowing the dynamics and having continuity can help — though fresh looks have also been welcomed. The U.S. also plays a team event every year, while both the Europeans and Internationals play every other.
Below is a look at the number of previous Cups played for the past three Ryder and Presidents Cups:
2021 Ryder Cup: U.S. average previous appearance is 1; Europe is 3.2
2023 Ryder Cup: U.S. average appearance is 1.4; Europe is 1.75
2025 Ryder Cup: U.S. average appearance is 1.25; Europe is 2.7
2022 Presidents Cup: U.S. average appearance is .75; International is 1.25
2024 Presidents Cup: U.S. average appearance is 0.9; International is 2.3
2026 Presidents Cup: U.S. average appearance is 1.5; International is 2.5
The Europeans and the Internationals have had more experience, though the Internationals’ numbers are boosted by Adam Scott (12th appearance this year) and Hideki Matsuyama (seventh appearance this year).
Is it LIV Golf?
Since LIV Golf started play in 2022, its players have played in Ryder Cups — but not Presidents Cups. At the Ryder Cup, the governing bodies of the teams (PGA of America for the U.S. and DP World Tour for the Europeans) allow LIV players, but the Presidents Cup is run entirely by the PGA Tour, which blocks LIV from the event.
What has that meant? The International side has been without Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann, Lucas Herbert, Louis Oosthuizen and Dean Burmester, though the Americans haven’t been able to play Bryson DeChambeau, among others. Interestingly, Golf Digest reported that Geoff Ogilvy, when he accepted the offer to become International captain, did ask if he could pick LIV players.
Is it the golf courses?
Of course, this plays a factor; that’s what the players play. And teams have adjusted courses either to strengthen their own side or weaken the opponent. At the past two Ryder Cups it’s hosted, for example, the Europeans have pinched fairways and grown rough — though the Americans were stung last year at the Ryder Cup when it trimmed the rough at Bethpage Black, only to see rain soften the course.
This week in Medinah, there has also been rain.
“As a home captain, that’s one of the advantages,” said Snedeker, the U.S. captain this week. “You get to set parameters with how the golf course should be set up. I was very clear with our Tour staff how we wanted this place to try to get to, [but] kind of eerily similar to what happened at Bethpage, [that] has not gone according to plan. So you can have a great plan in front of you, but mother nature throws a wrench in it, and there’s other factors you have to deal with.
“I’ve talked to the guys a ton about this. It’s like, I don’t care where we play. You guys shouldn’t care where we play. We’re going to play another team. Be competitors. Go out there and be competitors. And they are. These guys are the best competitors in the world.
“You try to do everything you can to stack the odds in your favor, but at the end of the day, the guys have got to go out there and do it.”
Has it been the captains?
Depends whom you ask. For the past two Ryder Cups, the Europeans have sworn by captain Luke Donald, whose attention to detail is remarkable — at last year’s Ryder Cup, for example, he worked to find the right shampoo for his team. There is also handling the week-of schedule — at the 2021 Ryder Cup, U.S. captain Steve Stricker saw to it that the Americans had a good amount of freedom. There is also lineup-setting, and captains have constantly been second-guessed here — for the past two Ryder Cups, Donald’s choices have, for the most part, avoided criticism, while the Americans have been hammered.
Then there’s what Jack Nicklaus once told Golf Digest:
“Just show up, keep up and shut up. You have to know when to be there, know what’s going on, and keep your mouth shut until it’s time to talk. Being captain is kind of easy.”
Has it been the analytics?
Europe, behind Edoardo Molnari, has set the standard here. The United States, meanwhile, will turn to the team of Justin Ray and Hunter Stewart next year. Stewart is also at the Presidents Cup.
The question is, how much does a team rely on data?
“I think the best way I can sum up stats is stats are great in 10,000-round models,” Snedeker said. “We’re playing an 18-hole match. Use them to help you make informed decisions, but you can’t just be stuck to them. You’ve got to see what your eyes see.
“A lot of these matches will be over in 12, 13, 14 holes for the most part. Stats necessarily aren’t going to bear that out over three days of golf, four days of golf.
“You can use them to help you make decisions, to help you kind of understand what strengths and weaknesses you have and those kind of things, matchups potentially, but you’ve got to trust your eyes, got to trust your gut. You’ve got to kind of use them in the right way.”
Has it been the selection system?
Interestingly, the U.S. has revamped its system going into next year’s Ryder Cup. Now, only play in 2027 will be used as part of its points standings; previously the Americans also used events from the previous year.
The Europeans and the U.S. Presidents Cup teams use events from both the current and previous years. The Internationals use the world ranking.
Has it been the ‘vibe?’
This is hard to quantify. Are the Americans united? Are the Euros more united? At recent events, for instance, much attention was also given to whether the U.S. players would get paid.
Maybe it’s telling that the International team’s Ryan Fox recently said that the Internationals wanted to be a bit more like Team Europe.
“I think we can definitely emulate them and take a little bit out of what they — how they get together as a team,” he said. “I think that’s — the European Team has done a really good job of that over probably the last decade, maybe even longer, just having as one collective goal, I feel like we’re getting pretty close to that as an International Team. Certainly feels like that this year.
“I think that’s the way we win is have that collective goal, all buy into it, and yeah, it will be an exciting week for us next week.”
Has it just been, well, golf?
You know, there is that. Players can get hot at the right moments, and cold at the wrong ones.
That’s just golf.
So what’s the answer? Maybe it’s the players. But perhaps Scheffler was also right:
One hundred (or so) reasons add up.
“I think every team is different,” Snedeker said. “I think trying to figure out the secret sauce, if you will, of why the success has been this way is the hardest question we’re trying to answer. Every team is different. The makeup of every team is different. The bonding in every team is different. So trying to navigate that is really, really difficult.”
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