Junior Presidents Cup captains named, Montreal to stage event

The Presidents Cup and the American Junior Golf Association on Monday announced that Graham DeLaet and Charley Hoffman will lead the Internationals and the USA respectively at the fourth edition of the Junior Presidents Cup in Montreal’s Le Club Laval-sur-le-Lac on September 24 and 24, 2024.

The senior edition of the 2024 Presidents Cup will tee off two days later at The Royal Montréal Golf Club, a statement from the organisers said.

The Junior Presidents Cup is a match-play competition featuring 24 of the world’s top junior boys age 19 or younger – 12 from the US and 12 from around the world, excluding Europe – that takes place just before the biennial Presidents Cup.

The Junior Presidents Cup was set up to give the world’s best non-European juniors an opportunity to compete in an international team match-play competition. Teams will compete in six four-ball and foursomes matches on September 23, followed by 12 singles matches on September 24.

“In what has quickly become a beloved tradition of Presidents Cup week, we are honoured to once again partner with the AJGA to contest the Junior Presidents Cup and set the stage for what will be another exciting competition at nearby Royal Montréal for the Presidents Cup,” said 2024 Presidents Cup executive director Ryan Hart.

“As we’ve seen with each edition, the Junior Presidents Cup is a preview of the talent that will one day take the spotlight in the main event, and we’re grateful to the prestigious Le Club Laval-sur-le-Lac for opening their doors to this unique competition.”

"Partnering with the Presidents Cup and the PGA Tour to bring the Junior Presidents Cup to Montréal is an opportunity to showcase these junior golfers to the world,” said AJGAs’ Stephen Hamblin. “Having two captains who are so involved with the Presidents Cup as well as AJGA alumni is a dream come true and we are excited for this event to help us further our mission of developing golf’s next generation.”

DeLaet, who represented Canada at the 2013 Presidents Cup, put on a show in front of the crowds at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, earning a 3-1-1 record. He opened with a victory in the first match of the event, partnering with Jason Day to defeat Hunter Mahan and Brandt Snedeker, in four-ball.

But DeLaet’s indelible moment came on Saturday morning, when he holed a bunker shot at the 18th hole for birdie to claim a 2-up victory over Jordan Spieth and Steve Stricker. The next day, DeLaet defeated Spieth in singles, 1-up. Three years later, DeLaet represented Canada at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

“It was a total honour to get the call, and I was honestly taken aback at the opportunity, but it’s going to be a lot of fun to see these kids make memories for a lifetime in a city as special as Montréal,” DeLaet said.

Hoffman has competed on the PGA Tour since 2006 and is a four-time winner, besides having 15 runner-up finishes. Known for his consistency and longevity, Hoffman advanced to the FedEx Cup Playoffs in 15 consecutive seasons from 2007-2021.

In 2017, Hoffman qualified for the Presidents Cup, where he compiled a 1-2-0 record in his debut at Liberty National Golf Club, highlighted by a dominant 6-and-5 victory in four-ball over Charl Schwartzel and Anirban Lahiri.

“The relationships that are formed through these AJGA team events are special, and to represent your country on top of that is second to none. This experience will no doubt prepare the players for future Presidents Cups, but at the end of the day my job is to make sure they have fun and enjoy the experience,” Hoffman said.

Team USA beat the Internationals 13-11 in the third edition of the Junior Presidents Cup in 2022 at Myers Park Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, in an improbable comeback in the singles matchups.