At a glance, the 2024 Presidents Cup may look like most other editions of this event: a comfortable U.S. win. And on Sunday the U.S. team enjoyed relatively little stress, as Keegan Bradley clinched the Cup for the Americans in the sixth match of the session.
But it says here that this Presidents Cup had at least a tad more fire than usual, thanks to the International team rallying from a 5-0 deficit on Friday to square the match 5-5 and battle the U.S. deep into the matches on Saturday before ultimately falling into a 4-point hole entering Sunday. So it goes, and the Internationals will look to break a 10-event losing streak at Medinah in two years.
But before we think about the 2026 Presidents Cup (or the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black) we look back at the good, bad and ugly from the week at Royal Montreal. The grades are in.
2024 Presidents Cup U.S. Team Grades
Xander Schauffele, (4-1): Unshakable. Was trusted to lead off Sunday singles and left no doubt while dusting Jason Day. Can make case he was was either Man of the Match or co-Man of the Match with the next guy on this list.
Grade: A+
Patrick Cantlay (4-1): Buried a bloodless 18th hole birdie in the dark on Saturday to steal a full point, and perhaps also the International team’s soul. Lost alongside Xander 7 and 6 in Friday’s foursomes debacle, but as Cantlay himself might say, whatever. Took care of Pendrith in singles to cap huge week.
Grade: A+
Sam Burns (3-0-1): Sat out Friday’s slaughterhouse and returned Saturday to win two key points. Battled Tom Kim to a draw in singles, preventing the one man capable of setting the course ablaze from ever striking a match.
Grade: A
Scottie Scheffler (3-2): Workhorse came up big in the team matches, though did struggle at times with the putter. Couldn’t get through Matsuyama in singles but by then his job was done.
Grade: B+
Russell Henley (3-1): Nice to have Scheffler for a partner in first team competition but more than held his own. Took down Im in singles before outcome was decided.
Grade: A
Keegan Bradley (2-1): Earned the cup-clinching point. Nice week for a guy who was originally slated to be assistant-captain. Best of all, learned of several new effective U.S. player combinations. Player-captain at Bethpage?
Grade: A-
Tony Finau (2-2): Solid duo with Schauffele. Out of gas Sunday.
Grade: B-
Collin Morikawa (4-1): Sunday point didn’t prove consequential but match vs. Adam Scott was never in doubt. Starred in the team events.
Grade: A
Sahith Theegala (1-1-1): Rookie had flashes of brilliance and flashes of…”rookie-ness.” Nice half-point in singles. Look forward to seeing more.
Grade: C-
Wyndham Clark (1-2-1): Clutch in the opening session then drifted a bit. Halved singles with Min Woo, but Cup was long decided by then.
Grade: C
Brian Harman (0-3): Used only in foursomes, which continues to be Team USA’s worst format. Just didn’t have it.
Grade: F
Max Homa (1-2): Stumbled alongside Harman but enjoyed a nice pressure-free Sunday win in final pairing. Was off his game entering the week but stepped up.
Grade: C
Captain Jim Furyk: Opening session was a masterclass, but never waived after Internationals tied things 5-5 on Friday. Rode his horses and kept the mood light. The job is done.
Grade: A
2024 Presidents Cup International Team Grades
Jason Day (1-2): Followed a surprise Saturday benching by getting run off the course by Schauffele in the singles match.
Grade: D
Tom Kim (1-2-1): Established himself as the International’s lead antagonist, which every team needs and was sorely missing from this squad before the week. The problem: he didn’t exactly establish himself as the team’s go-to player, and took no bigger loss that Saturday night, when his histrionics hit their peak and he and Si Woo Kim lost to Cantlay-Schauffele on the final hole. Gamely battled Burns to a draw in singles. Look forward to seeing him at Medinah in ‘26.
Grade: B
Hideki Matsuyama (2-3) : At No. 7, the highest-ranked player on this team and played like it for long stretches. Was handed Scheffler in singles, battled him for a full 18 and pulled out a full point.
Grade: B+
Sungjae Im (1-4): Buzzsawed three times by Henley, twice in team events and once more in singles.
Grade: F
Corey Conners (2-3): Gave everything he had but American pairings got the best of him. Made quick work of Finau on Sunday.
Grade: C
Taylor Pendrith (2-3): Scored a couple of points alongside Adam Scott, but statistically was one of the team’s weaker players this week. Not enough firepower to keep up with Cantlay on Sunday.
Grade: D
Si Woo Kim (2-2): In terms of fire and spirit, was the 1B to Tom Kim’s 1A. Arguably the International's best player for most of the week. Couldn’t get through Bradley on Sunday and missed a 10-footer that could’ve extended Sunday's suspense.
Grade: B+
Adam Scott (2-3): Winless in 11 appearances, a stat that will forever look like a typo. Earned a couple gritty points in the team portion but couldn’t come close to matching Morikawa in singles.
Grade: C
Min Woo Lee (0-1-1): The chef barely entered the kitchen, courtesy of Friday and Saturday benching. Would like to see more of him next time.
Grade: Incomplete
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (2-1): Several rough moments in the team events and was perhaps most deserved of Weir's Saturday benchings. Won his singles match after the outcome was decided.
Grade: C
Byeong Hun An (1-1-1): Arguably the least deserving of the Saturday benching. Battled Theegala to a draw on Sunday.
Grade: C
Mackenzie Hughes (1-3): Opening-day beer chug was epic, but sputtered as the event progressed.
Grade: D
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Grading Every Player's Performance at the 2024 Presidents Cup.
