Presidents Cup 2017: Results, scores, match schedule, and more updates

The Presidents Cup isn’t the Ryder Cup — but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have god-tier golfers battling it out for global supremacy. The United States takes on the world — minus Europe — at the Liberty National Golf Club in an event owned and operated by the PGA Tour. A star-studded field that includes players like Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day, and Phil Mickelson will go out knowing they’re playing for pride — all the proceeds for this week’s tournament will be donated to charity.

Here’s some background info and a primer on this 2017 Presidents Cup in Jersey City, New Jersey, as well as a full match board which we’ll update as the event progresses.

The format for day 2 changes from Foursomes to Four-ball, which could make this more of a game. The Internationals have actually scored more points in that format than the US side since 2007. The problem is that massive deficit in Foursomes. They’re down by two points again already really cannot afford to lose Friday’s session. If the two-point gap widens going into Saturday’s double session, this thing will be over. Here’s your lineup for Friday Four-ball:

Here’s your lineup for opening day at the Presidents Cup, which will feature five Foursomes matches (see below for details on just what that format means).

International captain Nick Price successfully lobbied the PGA Tour to reduce the overall number of matches and points for the 2015 edition, which is a format that will remain in 2017. While the Ryder Cup features just 28 points and matches, the Presidents Cup had been a much heftier 34-point event. Price got it cut down to 30 (he wanted 28) which is a boost for the International side because they’re not nearly as deep as the Americans and can hide some of their weaker players in the early sessions. In the past, the full 12-man team had to play six-match sessions in the first two days. Those are now five-match sessions and Saturday’s double session has just four matches in the morning and afternoon (used to be five each). It’s one way this could potentially become more competitive. The 2015 event was the Internationals narrowest loss in years, as it came down to just one point.

The primary reason these team events are so fun is that it’s a unique format for these world-class pros, who play medal play and only for themselves almost every other week of the year. It’s fascinating to watch the teams come together, or tear apart, and the strategy involved in the two-man games. Here are the formats that will be in play this week in Jersey City.

This format will start the competition on Thursday and be used again for Saturday morning’s session. This is the most challenging format these players will play all year, alternating shots with their partner. The U.S. has historically struggled with this format in the Ryder Cup, but has skated by well enough in the Presidents Cup. Alternate shot is the biggest adjustment. You may be playing a different make and model golf ball on many shots, which may seem trivial for a weekend hack, but can make the best in the world, who stress over every slight detail to be perfect, uncomfortable. You may also go a significant stretch without making a shot, or without having to putt. There’s strategy on who will tee off on odd holes and who will blast away on even holes, which usually puts the bigger hitters on the set with more par-5s. It’s just a different game that requires more adjustment and strategy, which is fun to watch.

This format will be used for Friday’s five-match session and the afternoon session on Saturday. It’s your basic best-ball game where all four players play their own ball from tee to green and the best score of the two smashes up against the other side. There’s some strategy involved here, mostly about order of play between partners and who will get aggressive and who will play safe. But it’s not as significant a departure from what they’re used to compared to the Foursomes game.

The traditional Sunday finish will feature 12 head-to-head singles matches. With 12 of the 30 points out there in the final session, there is the opportunity for a dramatic comeback. We’ve seen that in the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup in recent years, but the Internationals had not been able to manage a comparable charge after huge holes during the two-man sessions — until 2015.

The last Presidents Cup Sunday single session will go down as one of the most dramatic and pressurized in this event’s history. It was exactly what was needed after the week started with some Internationals questioning the future viability of the Cup because of the format and a lack of competitiveness. Bill Haas, the son of U.S. Captain Jay Haas, clinched the winning point on the last hole of the last match. It was an amazing see-saw day full of fluctuations that left the U.S. on top by a point, 15.5 to 14.5.

The Presidents Cup is not as competitive as the Ryder Cup but this American roster is loaded with talent. Team members have won three of 2017’s four majors and feature six of the top 12 in the world rankings. All 12 are inside the top 30 in the world rankings.

On the other side of the green, the Internationals have just six players inside the top 30. The International team is not nearly as strong as the European team in the 2016 Ryder Cup, but better than the crew that pushed the U.S. to the limit in the 2015 Presidents Cup.

Each team places 10 automatic qualifiers on the rosters based on different points systems for each group. Then there are two captains picks for each side. For 2017 captain Steve Stricker, his choices were Charley Hoffman and Phil Mickelson. His international counterpart, Nick Price — making his third straight appearance as team captain — sorted through the world’s best non-American, non-European players to add Emiliano Grillo and Anirban Lahiri to his squad.

Unlike the three-day Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup spreads its matches out across four days. The first two days are single five-match sessions followed by a Saturday double session and then Sunday singles. The 30-match schedule is four less than the traditional setup, which had put the deeper American side at an advantage. The different formats create sessions that run different lengths each day, so the schedule switches each and every day in Jersey City.

Thursday — NBC — 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET

Session 1 -- Five Foursomes Matches

Friday -- Golf Channel -- 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET

Session 2 -- Five Four-ball Matches

Saturday -- NBC -- 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET

Session 3 -- Four foursome matches

Session 4 -- Four four-ball matches

Sunday -- NBC -- noon to 6 p.m. ET

Session 5 -- 12 Singles matches

The Presidents Cup comes to New Jersey to stage an international battle on one of the most expensive golf courses ever built. Liberty National, built on a former landfill, occupies a spot across the Hudson River from Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. It cost a whopping $250 million to bring to life in 2006.

Aside from breathtaking views, the course combines rolling hills, water hazards, and limited treescapes over a 7,353-yard track. It previously played host to The Barclays event in 2009 and 2013, but has undergone significant renovations since then, clearing it for the more prestigious Presidents Cup. While it may not be a major-level course, it’ll look great on camera and attract a rowdy New York City crowd.

“It’s right near Manhattan. The practice facilities are excellent. The golf course is in great shape and really is a fun layout to play,” Phil Mickelson was quoted as saying about Liberty National.

The rise of global talents made this Presidents Cup a great idea to play in non-Ryder Cup years, getting some of the amazing players from Australia, Asia, South Africa, and elsewhere involved in these team match play competitions. The Internationals have the talent to win these Cups, but depth can become an issue when going up against the loaded 12-man American side.

The USA has owned this event since the start, going 9-1-1 in its 23-year history. The first and only International win came at Royal Melbourne all the way back in 1998, and it was a 10-point rout. Then there was the infamous tie in 2003 in South Africa, when captains Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus decided on the fly with darkness settling in that they would just share the Cup. The decision was not without its critics at the time and now more than a decade later. The full Presidents Cup history: