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SportsQuiet 4d · day 6

International golf's 30-year decline laid bare as Presidents Cup looms

Analysis shows international players have collapsed from 8 in golf's top 20 in 1994 to just one today, with LIV Golf a symptom rather than cause.

newest coverage 4d agosummary written 20h ago4 pieces NewswiresMastodonGoogle News

What to know

  • International golf collapsed from 8 players in the world's top 20 in 1994 to just 1 today (Si Woo Kim), despite the Presidents Cup being founded on the assumption that international dominance would grow.
  • Major championship wins by international golfers dropped from 10 in the 1990s and 13 in the 2000s to just one in the past 15 years, marking the end of a 20-year golden age.
  • The International team has gone 0-10 in Presidents Cups since 2012, with analysis attributing the decline to systemic factors rather than solely to LIV Golf's raid on international talent.

“Nothing against Bezuidenhout, a South African golfer I like and admire, but when someone with that résumé can make the team roster, all you can say is, "ooof."”

Yahoo Sports analysis · Yahoo Sports ↗

Si Woo KimSi Woo Kim International golferGeoff OgilvyGeoff Ogilvy International team captainChristiaan Bezuidenhout South African golferRyan Fox International golferDeane Beman & Tim Finchem Presidents Cup founders

International golf's 30-year decline laid bare as Presidents Cup looms
Yahoo Sports

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in two hours at Sep 22, 9 AM; 4 pieces over 6 days (3 articles · 1 post) Sep 22, 9 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Newswires 1, Mastodon 1Sep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietSep 23, 1 AM — quietSep 23, 3 AM — quietSep 23, 5 AM — quietSep 23, 7 AM — quietSep 23, 9 AM — quietSep 23, 11 AM — quietSep 23, 1 PM — quietSep 23, 3 PM — quietSep 23, 5 PM — quietSep 23, 7 PM — quietSep 23, 9 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 23, 11 PM — quietSep 24, 1 AM — quietSep 24, 3 AM — quietSep 24, 5 AM — quietSep 24, 7 AM — quietSep 24, 9 AM — quietSep 24, 11 AM — quietSep 24, 1 PM — quietSep 24, 3 PM — quietSep 24, 5 PM — quietSep 24, 7 PM — quietSep 24, 9 PM — quietSep 24, 11 PM — quietSep 25, 1 AM — quietSep 25, 3 AM — quietSep 25, 5 AM — quietSep 25, 7 AM — quietSep 25, 9 AM — quietSep 25, 11 AM — quietSep 25, 1 PM — quietSep 25, 3 PM — quietSep 25, 5 PM — quietSep 25, 7 PM — quietSep 25, 9 PM — quietSep 25, 11 PM — quietSep 26, 1 AM — quietSep 26, 3 AM — quietSep 26, 5 AM — quietSep 26, 7 AM — quietSep 26, 9 AM — quietSep 26, 11 AM — quietSep 26, 1 PM — quietSep 26, 3 PM — quietSep 26, 5 PM — quietSep 26, 7 PM — quietSep 26, 9 PM — quietSep 26, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 1 AM — quiet 1
Sep 23Sep 24Sep 25Sep 26yesterdaynow · 2:30 AM ET
  1. 1

    Yahoo Sports examines structural collapse of international golf

    Analysis ahead of the 2026 Presidents Cup shows only one international golfer in the world's top 20—Si Woo Kim—down from eight in 1994. The article attributes the decline to systemic factors beyond LIV Golf, though the Saudi league did disproportionately raid international talent including Cam Smith, Joaquin Niemann, Carlos Ortiz, Abraham Ancer, Marc Leishman, and Lucas Herbert.

    “The wave broke, and somewhere around 2012, it started to recede.”
    — Yahoo Sports analysis
    1. 3 outlets Presidents Cup 2026: What happened to international men’s golf, and is it America’s fault?

      first by Australian Golf Digest, 4d ago · also Golf Digest, Yahoo Sports

  2. background

    International golf momentum shifts as decline begins — Around 2012, international golf's upward wave broke and began to recede. Major championship wins by international players dropped significantly, and competitive balance shifted.

  3. background

    Presidents Cup launched amid international golf boom — The Presidents Cup was founded on the assumption that international men's golf would continue rising. At that time, eight international golfers ranked in the world's top 20, compared to seven Americans and three Europeans.