Presidents Cup Headed To Canada In 2007

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The next time Americans play on the road in the Presidents Cup, they will have not have to cross an ocean, just a border.

The Presidents Cup will be played at Royal Montreal Golf Club in 2007, a move first reported nearly two years ago. With the deal finally put together, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and former Masters champion Mike Weir will be in Montreal on Aug. 15 to make the announcement.

Royal Montreal is the oldest club in North America and recently played host to the Canadian Open in 2001.

The Presidents Cup features the United States and an International team of top players from every country but Europe. It is held every two years, between the years of the Ryder Cup.

Some top American players have complained about traveling halfway across the world when the matches are held outside the United States -- in Australia in 1998 in early December, where the United States sustained its worst loss in team competition; and in South Africa in November in 2003, when the matches ended in a tie.

This year’s Presidents Cup will be played Sept. 22-25 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in northern Virginia, where it has been held in 1994, 1996 and 2000.

Among the issues that had to be sorted out was traffic at Royal Montreal, which is located on an island with only one road leading to the course. Grant Waite was disqualified in the 2001 Canadian Open when he overslept and was stuck in traffic, missing his tee time by more than five minutes.