Presidents Cup predictions: Surprises, MVPs, stories, upset alert?!

Our writers from on the ground at the Presidents Cup — Dylan Dethier, James Colgan and Nick Piastowski — break down best matches, breakout stars, team MVPs and something surprising they’ve seen. Let’s get to it.

1. Hey there, team. Below you’ll find Thursday’s four-ball matches. What’s the best one — and what’s your predicted Day 1 score?

2024 Presidents Cup Thursday matchups, tee times (ET)

Match 1 (11:35 a.m.) : Jason Day & Byeong Hun An (International) vs. Xander Schauffele & Tony Finau (USA)

Match 2 (11:53 a.m.) Adam Scott & Min Woo Lee (International) vs. Collin Morikawa & Sahith Theegala (USA)

Match 3 (12:11 p.m.): Sungjae Im & Tom Kim (International) vs. Scottie Scheffler & Russell Henley (USA)

Match 4: (12:29)Taylor Pendrith & Christiaan Bezuidenhout (International) vs. Wyndham Clark & Keegan Bradley (USA)

Match 5 (12:47 p.m.): Hideki Matsuyama & Corey Conners (International) vs. Patrick Cantlay & Sam Burns (USA)

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): I’ll take the electric duo of Sungjae Im and Tom Kim against the relentless ball-striking duo of Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley. A clash in personalities and styles of play? Bring it on. Looking forward to a gritty tie in this one as the Internationals jumping out to a 3.5-1.5 lead after the first session. This is a prediction mostly made on vibes (most of these are, to be honest) but I’ll take the International side in lousy weather on Thursday.

James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): I have seen the future, and it is an absolute fire-breather between The Australians (Scott and Lee) and The Netflixers (Morikawa and Theegala). Both teams have one steady hand and one streaky player, and ultimately I think it might be the pivot point of the whole first session. 

Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): James has the right answer here. Min Woo is my breakout pick on the International side, and Sahith for the American dozen. Should be fun. But to add another pairing to the mix, let’s go to the fourth match, where we’ll find Taylor Pendrith, the first Canadian out. If there’s home-country noise, it’ll be heard here. (And if there’s any lingering Patrick Cantlay thoughts, they’ll be voiced in the day’s final match.). And a prediction? Let’s gets nuts and say  3-2 … Internationals.

2. Tom Kim was this tournament’s breakout star two years ago. Is there anyone who fits that description this time around?

Colgan: In my mind, it’s not even close. Min Woo Lee is the exact kind of media-literate star the PGA Tour has been missing since Bryson, and while he’s got a ways to go before he’s Bryson’s caliber of player, this week could quickly vault him into Bryson levels of entertainer.

Piastowski: Man, I need to answer these faster; James is spot on again. But it may very well be Sahith Theegala, who can low with the best of ‘em, isn’t bashful and will, outside of the Canadians, have as much support as anybody. The Theegala family and friends group will be out, and they’re a hoot. 

Dethier: He’s sitting the first session, so this could be a dumb prediction already — but Canadian Mackenzie Hughes is one of the best putters in the world. If he gets hot on the greens he could have a real moment on home soil.

3. Give me your highest point-earner for each team.

Dethier: On the U.S. side I’ll take Xander Schauffele; he’s built for these. And gimme Adam Scott for the Internationals, mostly because he’s been open about how badly he wants to play well this week and watching him get, say, four points would be immensely satisfying. (Value plays: Henley and Pendrith.)

Colgan: Patrick Cantlay for the Americans, Tom Kim for the Internationals. We always undervalue the value of prior history in these events. Both of those guys have done it before, and they’ll do it again.

Piastowski: Dylan going with Xander is undoubtedly my favorite part of these exercises. It’s paid off this year, for sure. But I’m liking either Collin Morikawa, who’s shown good form over the summer, or Wyndham Clark, who played two weeks ago in Napa. On the International side, let’s go with Jason Day. 

Lifestyle

4. Everyone on both teams has now come through the interview room. What’s something you’ve seen or heard from in there that piqued your interest?

Dethier: I was fascinated to hear Tony Finau talking about being a parent. The gist was this: Growing up, Tony’s family didn’t have much in the way of money or built-in opportunity. His son, on the other hand, will have plenty of both. Tony’s life and career have been defined by his grit; now it’s clear he thinks a lot about how to instill that into his son. I thought that was fascinating.

Colgan: Min Woo Lee told me he stumbled into a barbershop in downtown Montreal and requested to have INT etched into his head. TEN minutes later, he walked out with a fresh haircut. He has more faith in a barber he’s never met than I do in my car.

Piastowski: I asked Kevin Kisner if he’s going to follow through on a tweet where he said he’d go tarp off if Max Homa were to hoop one (editor’s note: that means he’d take his shirt off if Max Homa were to hole out from the fairway) and he said he would. So there’s that.  

5. Who has the most at stake this week?

Dethier: U.S. captain Jim Furyk. He has a lot riding on this week, especially after his Ryder Cup captaincy in Paris ended in defeat. Look, he’s hardly the only one to lose an away Ryder Cup, so he’s hardly alone there. But it’s been a quarter-century since the U.S. lost a Presidents Cup. It won’t necessarily be his fault if they do lose, just like it wasn’t necessarily his fault in France — but he’s the guy at the helm. That means big-time pressure.

Colgan: Weirdly, Scottie Scheffler. I don’t expect he’ll play poorly, but the World No. 1 has struggled mightily in each of his last two starts in team events. If he makes it three, the questions could get louder about his match play makeup.

Piastowski: Any of the six U.S. captain’s picks. It’s still stunning to me that Justin Thomas, who lives for team golf maybe more than any of the 24 players here, will be watching on TV. 

Dethier: That’s wild to me, too, Nick!

6. Okay, gimme a final score.

Dethier: The analytics favor the road team, but let’s get crazy: I think this is the year for the Internationals. This team’s extremely cohesive. Adam Scott is setting the standard. I like their entire leadership team. The U.S. team has its weak spots. And if Quebec’s finest hockey fans show up ready to tear down the visitors, it could happen. Let’s ride with the home squad. Internationals, 16-14.

Colgan: U.S. wins. Again. 17-13.

Piastowski: Having walked all 18 this week, having stuck my foot into the water where Woody Austin face-planted here in 2007, it’ll be the team that birdies the most. Scores will be low. That favors the US of A. Make it 16.5-13.5.