Organized by the PGA Tour, the Presidents Cup is a biennial end of season match play competition played between a 12-man team of professional players from the United States of America and an International Team representing the Rest of the World (apart from Europe). It’s run on similar lines to the Ryder Cup, which is held in alternating years between the US and Europe, with a tournament history that goes back to the 1920s.

The first two editions of the Presidents Cup were played over three days, consisting of morning and afternoon four-ball and foursome matches on the first two days, followed by twelve singles on the third day. The format was changed in 2000 to add an extra day, allowing four balls and foursomes to be more spread out over the first three days of competition.

There’s no prize pot up for grabs here; all proceeds are distributed to charities nominated by both teams and tens of millions of dollars have been raised since the first event was held in 1994 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia. Each contest is assigned an Honorary Chairman, normally a President of the United States or the Prime Minister of the country hosting the tournament when it takes place outwith the US.

The two teams compete for the Presidents Cup and this handsome trophy was fashioned by Tiffany & Company, spun from five sterling silver circles which were then put together by a silversmith before a roller die then created the beaded embellishment that goes around the 24-carat gold cup. The original is stored in the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida.

The biggest margin of victory is the 21½ - 10½ home win for the US in 2000, with Ken Venturi captaining his side against the team led by Peter Thomson. In terms of the record number of appearances and individual points attained, Phil Mickelson holds both records, appearing in each of the first twelve matches from 1994 and 2017 and gaining the most points (32½) with playing statistics of 26-16-13 (win-loss-draw).

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, located just a thirty-minute drive from downtown Washington DC on Lake Manass, has hosted four Presidents Cup events (1994, 1996, 2000, 2005) with the home side winning every time. Two of the first five editions played outside the United States were held on the composite course at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia but home fans left disappointed on both occasions as the visiting team (led by Fred Couples in 2011 and Tiger Woods in 2019) departed with the trophy stashed in checked luggage for the flight back to the United States.