In just a few days, the Presidents Cup will return for its 16th edition at Medinah Country Club. Twelve of the best players from Team USA and the International Team will go head-to-head, competing for a 28-pound sterling silver trophy plated in 24-carat gold and crafted by Tiffany & Co. But if you’re new to golf, the Presidents Cup can look quite different from the regular tournaments played throughout the season.
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Let’s start with the basics. The biennial team event is made up of 30 matches played over four days. And the competition is split between team and individual play. The first 18 matches are team contests, in which players compete in pairs. Nine are played in the Foursomes format, while the other nine use Four-ball. While the final 12 matches are Singles, which are played on Sunday, let’s first look at what exactly is Foursomes and Four-ball.
What is Foursomes at the Presidents Cup?
Foursomes is a two-player team match-play format, where players from the same side share one ball and take turns hitting it until the hole is completed. Each pair decides beforehand who will tee off on the odd-numbered holes and who will handle the even-numbered ones. After the drive, the players strictly alternate shots for the rest of the hole. One hits the second shot, the other the third, and so on until the ball is holed.
Only one ball is in play for each team on every hole. The side with the lower score wins the hole. And if the scores are equal, the hole is halved. The match is decided by which team wins more holes, and each match is worth one full point or half a point to each side if the match ends in a tie after 18 holes. This format is widely regarded as the purest and often the most demanding form of team golf because every shot depends directly on the previous one.
What is Four-ball at the Presidents Cup?
Four-ball is slightly different from Foursomes. In this one, each member of a pair plays their own ball throughout the hole, so four balls are in play on every hole. At the end of the hole, each team records only the better of its two individual scores. And that lower score is compared against the opposing pair’s better score. The side with the lower score wins the hole. Meanwhile, if the scores are equal, the hole is halved.
The match is decided by which team wins more holes, and each match is worth one full point or half a point to each side if the match ends in a tie after 18 holes. This format is generally considered more forgiving and individual-friendly than foursomes because a poor shot by one player does not automatically hurt the team. The partner can still post a strong score and carry the hole.
And lastly, there’s the Sunday singles. Singles is the one-on-one match-play format most people are familiar with. Each of the 12 players from the US team is paired against one player from the International team, creating 12 individual matches. It’s worth noting that the host captain, Brandt Snedeker, gets to decide which team format is played first.
For the 2026 Presidents Cup, the competition will begin with five Four-ball matches on Thursday, followed by five Foursomes matches on Friday. On Saturday, both formats will be played: four Four-ball matches in the morning and four Foursomes matches in the afternoon. Hopefully, this will help you get ready for the Presidents Cup, which is similar to the Ryder Cup, from September 24th to 27th.