International Team Captain Mike Weir has his share of major winners on his team, including Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott and Jason Day, but the International side enters the biennial competition as an underdog on paper, based on the Official World Golf Ranking.
But never fear, Weir is here to steer the the 12-man team behind the Internal Team shield as it seeks its first win since 1998. His team is made up of the top-six finishers in the point standings that are PGA Tour members – LIV players need not apply because they are ineligible for the biennial competition – who automatically qualified.
To be eligible for automatic qualification players needed to compete in 15 or more OWGR-rated events from Sept.12, 2022, through the 2024 BMW Championship, which ended on Aug. 25, 2024. Weir then made his six captain’s picks to round out his 12-man team for the 2024 Presidents Cup to be contested at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada, and added some Canadian flavor with three selections who are natives of north of the border. Let’s take a closer look at the International Team.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Appearances: 2022
Record: 1-0-1
C Bez is back for his second team. The 30-year-old South African is still seeking his first PGA Tour title but recorded a season-best runner-up finish at the American Express, where he lost to Nick Dunlap by one shot, and notched a career-best 12 top-25 finishes on the Tour this season, including three top-10s.
Corey Conners
Appearances: 2022
Record: 0-4-0
Corey Conners, a two-time PGA Tour winner, is one of three Canadians chosen by Weir. He putted poorly in 2022 and finished a dreadful 0-4 in his matches so he still has something to prove. One of the game’s top ball strikers, Conners finished seventh in the point standings after a season in which he recorded three top-10 finishes including a season-best, solo-sixth-place effort at the RBC Canadian Open.
Jason Day
Appearances: 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017
Record: 5-11-4
The 36-year-old Australian is back on the team for the first time since 2017. Day, a 13-time winner on the PGA Tour, is making his fifth overall appearance and will look to improve upon a 5-11-4 career mark, including going 3-1-1 at Muirfield Village Golf Club near his home in Ohio.
Mackenzie Hughes
First Presidents Cup appearance.
Mackenzie Hughes enjoyed a solid, if unspectacular season, in 2024 on the PGA Tour. He notched three top-10 finishes including a season-best T-3 at the Valspar Championship. He only missed four cuts in 22 starts, marking a career best, but wound up just outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings. He’s a gritty competitor and one of the best putters on Tour and wanted so badly to represent Canada on native soil this time at the Presidents Cup after narrowly missing the team in 2022. His game is built for team competition, and he should thrive playing in the home environment.
Byeong Hun An
Appearances: 2019
Record: 1-2-2
In 2019, An played in all five matches in Australia, partnering twice with Adam Scott in fourballs competition. An’s match play history dates to the 2009 U.S. Amateur, which he won at age 17 after defeating future Tour winner Ben Martin in the championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This season he has recorded five top-10 finishes, including a T-2 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he lost in a playoff to Grayson Murray.
Sungjae Im
Appearances: 2019, 2022
Record: 5-3-2
Im has been a stout competitor for the International side in two previous Presidents Cup appearances, including an undefeated record in Sunday singles play after defeating Gary Woodland and Cameron Young in 2019 and 2022, respectively. Im recorded eight top-10 finishes, including a season-best T3 at the Travelers Championship, where he finished two shots shy of a playoff. He also notched the third top-10 of his major championship career with a T7 at the British Open.
Tom Kim
Appearances: 2022
Record: 2-3-0
The 22-year-old South Korean was the breakout star of the 2022 Presidents Cup. While partnering with Si Woo Kim in Saturday afternoon’s fourball matches, he sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to defeat Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, 1 up. Kim has three career Tour titles. He recorded two top-10 finishes, including a season-best runner-up at the Travelers Championship, where he lost to Scottie Scheffler in a playoff.
Hideki Matsuyama
Appearances: 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022
Record: 7-10-5
The 32-year-old Japanese star is representing the International Team for the sixth time, tied for fourth most in International Team history alongside Retief Goosen and Robert Allenby. He had two PGA Tour wins this season — The Genesis Invitational and FedEx St. Jude Championship — giving him 10 career Tour titles. He has notched six top-10s overall in the 2024 season and earned a bronze medal with a third-place finish in the Olympic golf competition.
Taylor Pendrith
Appearances: 2022
Record: 0-4-0
Canadian Taylor Pendrith has played some terrific golf the last few months. The 33-year-old won the CJ Cup in May for his maiden victory on the PGA Tour and showed how committed he was to making the International team by playing the Barracuda Championship and finishing T-5. He also finished fifth at the 3M Open in July. He made the Tour Championship for the first time, closing in 66 to finish T-14. Injuries have held him back from blossoming into a top player but he seemed to turn a corner this year. His length should be an asset at Royal Montreal and he’s developed into a more complete player in recent years.
