2007 Presidents Cup

Competition schedule

Glossary

Below is a guide to some of the terms unique to match play and the Presidents Cup.

All square: This term refers to a match that is in progress and tied up.

Captain's pick: Presidents Cup teams consist of 12 players. 'Captain's picks' refer to the final two players, outside the 10 players who automatically qualify, whom the captain feels will contribute to the team's success.

Concedes: When a player or a team concedes a putt, the opponent or opponents do not have to finish out the hole.

Dormie: Dormie is the term used when the lead in a match is equal to the number of holes left to be played. The team or player leading is said to be dormie and can do no worse than halve the match.

Down: The number of stokes or holes you are behind your opponent.

Four-ball: Two teams of two golfers competing in a best-ball format. Each golfer plays his own ball and the best score of the two counts for the team.

Foursomes: Two teams of two golfers competing in an alternate shot format. One player tees off on the odd holes, the other on even. They alternate shots until the hole is completed.

Halved: A hole is halved if each side finishes in the same number of strokes.

Honor: The honor goes to the last player or team to win a hole. The player with the honor tees off first.

Match play: This is a form of competition where each hole is won, lost or halved. The winner is whoever won the most holes. A winning score of 3 and 2 means that the winner won by 3 holes with 2 left to play.

Observer: An 'observer' is one who is appointed by the Committee to assist a referee to decide questions of fact and to report to him any breach of a Rule.

Singles: One player versus another. The player who takes the least number of strokes wins the hole.

Standings: The Presidents Cup is contested over four days. 'Standings' refer to what took place throughout the day. The team earning the most points leads.

Format

The Presidents Cup is contested over four days and 36 matches, each of which is worth one point. Players compete against each other, not the course, and the score reflects the number of holes won rather than strokes. The winning player or team receives one point, and each participant receives a ½ point in the event the match is tied after 18 holes.

The first two days of competition feature eight matches between two-man teams. Friday morning there will be four four-ball matches in the morning, with foursomes in the afternoon. The second day will have foursomes in the morning and four-ball in the afternoon. The final day of the competition features 12 singles matches.

An outright victory for a team will require 18 points and 17½ points will result in a tie. In comparing the Presidents Cup to the Ryder Cup, the defending team retains possession of the Ryder Cup (28 matches over three days) in the event of a tie (14 points), but each team needs 14½ points for an outright victory.

Examples of match-play scoring:

2 up thru 11: A player/twosome who is 2 up thru 11 has won two more holes than their opponent(s) through 11 holes.

All Square thru 15: The match is tied through 15 holes.

2 up: A player/twosome who wins 2 up has won two more holes than his opponent through 18 holes.

3 and 2: A player/twosome who wins 3 and 2 had won three holes more than their opponent(s) with only two holes left to play, mathematically assuring victory.