The Presidents Cup Has A Predictability Problem… Here’s The One Change That Would Save It

Team USA taking home the Presidents Cup for an 11th consecutive time came as a surprise to precisely no one. Now, I admit, Sunday’s singles delivered genuine excitement as the Americans mounted a comeback after falling behind across the first three days, and that’s the raw, unscripted beauty of match play we all adore in the Solheim and Ryder Cups. But let’s be honest, on paper, the Americans were always heavily favoured to outclass the International team.

Look at the stark World Ranking gap across the two teams. For example, World No. 7 Chris Gotterup was matched against Christiaan Bezuidenhout, ranked down at World No. 104. Granted, Gotterup only scraped through with a 1-up win, proving that anything can happen in match play, but that level of talent disparity across the board in Sunday’s singles was simply too wide to bridge.

Strip away the Sunday drama, though, and you're left with a reality that the Presidents Cup has a relevance problem. We all love the partisan noise, the fist-pumps, and the heartbreak on the 18th green that make team golf so electric. So why does this event often feel flat by comparison?

The answer lies in total predictability. The US has now won 14 of the 16 contests, tied once, and lost just a single time all the way back in 1998. When an event’s outcome is practically written into the script before the first tee shot is struck, fan interest naturally wanes. Take Europe out of the equation on the men’s side, and the International team loses its main competitive edge.

The spectator apathy was impossible to ignore. Wyndham Clark openly blasted the "dead" atmosphere during the early sessions, complaining that great shots were met with total silence because the galleries just weren't engaged. Can you blame them? When fans feel like they're watching players go through the motions toward a predetermined result, the energy dies.

If we want to save the Presidents Cup from irrelevance, we need to completely reimagine it. In my view, the solution is clear. Make it a mixed event.

It’s an idea that has been mooted before, and was even discussed during the event when International player Min Woo Lee admitted he would love to see a mixed format and the chance to play alongside his sister Minjee.

Removing Europe cripples the men’s International side, but on the women’s side, it creates a world-class line-up. Think about the depth in global women's golf. Bring in the world’s leading players from South Korea, Thailand and Japan, combine them with the likes of New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and Australia’s Minji Lee, and suddenly the International team isn't just competitive, they might actually start as favourites.

Imagine mixed foursomes and fourballs: Nelly Korda and Scottie Scheffler taking on Lydia Ko and Hideki Matsuyama. It would have the potential to transform an otherwise dull US victory into a genuine, high-stakes nail-biter. Fans would jump at the chance to watch an ‘us versus them’ battle where the outcome isn't a foregone conclusion.

Of course, suggesting a mixed Presidents Cup immediately raises an obvious question: why is the golf establishment so terrified of putting men and women on the same stage?

The appetite from fans and players is clearly there. You only had to look at the Olympics in Paris to see it. The players, and major broadcasters like NBC, spent the entire fortnight begging for a mixed competition, pointing out how ridiculous it was that stars like Korda, Scheffler, and Justin Rose were all at Le Golf National without ever sharing a tee time.

The IOC eventually listened to that overwhelming demand, officially approving a 36-hole mixed-team event for the 2028 Los Angeles Games at Riviera. Yet, across the rest of the golf landscape, an infuriating resistance remains. The Scandinavian Mixed, a breath of fresh air on the European schedules, was quietly scrapped.

Even modern, forward-thinking projects fall into the same trap. TGL had a blank canvas to build a tech-infused, contemporary league from scratch. It was the ultimate opportunity to launch a mixed product where men and women competed side-by-side. Instead, they played it safe, launching a men’s league first before announcing a separate women's league for later this year.

When you strip away the romantic ideals of growing the game, the hurdles usually boil down to two things: power struggles and calendar chaos.

The PGA Tour owns the Presidents Cup. Turning it into a mixed event means bringing in the LPGA, which inevitably leads to awkward conversations about spotlight, control, and crucially, revenue sharing. Is the PGA Tour willing to slice up its commercial pie to share it with the women's game?

Then there is the scheduling nightmare. The Presidents Cup sits firmly in a Solheim Cup year. Asking the elite women players to squeeze another massive team event into an already packed calendar is a big ask.

Despite the logistical headaches, something has to change, whether it's redesigning the Presidents Cup or inventing a totally new global event. Imagine an ultimate clash bringing together the finest Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup stars every four years. Golf desperately needs to rewrite its narrative.

Match play brings out the best in golf. Mixed match play would bring out the best in the sport's biggest personalities. The game doesn't just need new audiences, it needs to excite the ones it already has.

It’s time for the powers-that-be to stop playing it safe, set self-interest aside, and give us the global, mixed spectacle golf deserves.

Would you like to see a mixed Presidents Cup? Let us know in the comments box below.