The Presidents Cup – At A Glance
The Presidents Cup, a team match play competition featuring 24 of the world’s top golfers – 12 from the United States and 12 from around the world, excluding Europe – is held every two years, and since 1996 has alternated between United States and international venues. The Presidents Cup 2013 marks the 10th staging of this prestigious event.
Dates: October 1-6, 2013
Venue: Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio
Golf course architect: Jack Nicklaus (1974)
Yardage/par: Front: 3,660 (36) – Back: 3,694 (36) – Total: 7,354 (72)
Defending champions: The U.S. Team defeated the International Team at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 2011.
Eligibility Criteria: The top 10 U.S. players who earned the most official PGA TOUR money beginning with the 2011 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola through the 2013 Deutsche Bank Championship (ending Monday, Sept. 2), with money earned in 2013 counting as double; the top 10 international players (excluding those eligible for the European Ryder Cup team) from the Official World Golf Ranking as of Monday, Sept. 2, 2013 (post- Deutsche Bank Championship); plus two captain’s selections made on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013.
Muirfield Village Golf Club
Muirfield Village Golf Club becomes the third golf course in the United States to host The Presidents Cup, joining Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Prince William County, Va., (1994, 1996, 2000, 2005), and Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco, Calif., (2009). The venue, where the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance has been held annually since 1976, has also hosted several national championships and international team competitions including the 1986 U.S. Junior Amateur, 1987 Ryder Cup, 1992 U.S. Amateur and the 1998 Solheim Cup.
Muirfield Village Golf Club was the dream and work of Jack Nicklaus. The land was acquired in 1966, but construction did not begin until July 28, 1972. The golf course is situated on 220 acres, which includes an 11-acre driving range. Designed by Nicklaus with early collaboration from Desmond Muirhead, the course was officially dedicated on Memorial Day, May 27, 1974, with an exhibition match between Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf. Nicklaus carded a six-under-par 66, which stood as the course record until 1979. John Huston’s 11-under 61 during round two of the 1996 Memorial Tournament is the current course record. The 18-hole layout played at 6,978 yards in its original form, but is now 7,354.
Nicklaus’ revolutionary design of Muirfield Village Golf Club was the first course in the world, from its inception, that was created with the spectator in mind. His creative use of “mounds” and “amphitheaters” became a model for tournament courses around the globe.
When it came to naming his masterpiece, Nicklaus looked to the origins of golf and the home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, Muirfield, whose records date back to 1744 when the Club wrote the original 13 rules of golf for the first competition played for the Silver Club. Muirfield in Scotland is where Nicklaus represented his country for the first time in the 1959 Walker Cup and where he won his first Open Championship in 1966 to complete his first Grand Slam. It was a perfect fit for the name of his new world-class golf course and club.
The Schedule
Tuesday, October 1:
– Practice rounds all day
– Gates open at 8 a.m.
– International Team photos at 9:30 a.m. (Driving Range)
– U.S. Team photos at 10:30 a.m. (Driving Range)
– Gates close at 5 p.m.
Wednesday, October 2:
– Player practice rounds
– Gates open at 8 a.m.
– Opening Ceremony/International Festival/Rascal Flatts concert – 5-9:30 p.m. (Columbus Commons)
– Gates close at 6 p.m.
Thursday, October 3:
– First day of competition
– Gates open at 8 a.m.
– Six Four-ball Matches – 11:30 a.m. – 12:40 p.m. tee times (approximately)
– Golf Channel broadcast – 12-6 p.m.
– Gates close 1 hour after play concludes
Friday, October 4:
– Second day of competition
– Gates open at 8 a.m.
– Golf Channel broadcast – 1-6 p.m.
– Six Foursome Matches – 1:10-2:05 p.m. tee times (approximately)
– Gates close 1 hour after play concludes
Saturday, October 5:
– Third day of competition
– Gates open at 6:30 a.m.
– Five Four-ball Matches – 7:33-8:29 a.m. tee times (approximately)
– NBC broadcast – 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
– Five Foursome Matches – 1:21-2:05 p.m. tee times (approximately)
– Gates close 1 hour after play concludes
Sunday, October 6:
– Final day of competition
– Gates open at 7:30 a.m.
– NBC broadcast – 12-6 p.m.
– 12 Singles Matches – 12:04-2:05 p.m. tee times (approximately)
– Closing ceremony, 30 minutes following play – Presidents Cup Fan Experience
– Gates close 30 minutes after closing ceremony
(All times Eastern. Tournament schedule subject to change.)
