Kim Si-woo and Tom Kim have earned spots on the International Team for the upcoming Presidents Cup, the biennial match play competition that pits non-European international golfers against their American counterparts. Unlike the Ryder Cup, which matches the United States against Europe, the Presidents Cup draws its International side from the rest of the world, and the U.S. side's historical stranglehold on the event has made competitive International teams a persistent storyline.

The six automatic qualifying positions on the International Team were finalized Tuesday, based on players' world ranking positions following the conclusion of the Tour Championship — the final PGA Tour playoff event — over the weekend.

Kim Si-woo, ranked No. 13 in the world, is the highest-ranked player on the International Team and is heading to his fourth Presidents Cup. Tom Kim, ranked 30th, finished fifth in the International Team standings and will be making his third appearance in the event. Both were part of the International side at the 2022 Presidents Cup in Charlotte, where Tom Kim emerged as one of the emotional leaders of a young squad that pushed the heavily favored Americans before falling 17.5–12.5.

The two Koreans are joined on the automatic qualifiers list by Ryan Fox of New Zealand, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, Min Woo Lee of Australia and Adam Scott of Australia, the latter set to extend his record as one of the event's most enduring participants with another appearance.

Kim Si-woo arrives in strong form, having recorded the second-most top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season with 11. He also leads the circuit with 55 rounds in the 60s and 66 rounds under par.

Tom Kim, for his part, captured the Genesis Scottish Open in July for his first title since October 2023, and has posted four top-20 finishes in six tournaments since that victory.

This year's Presidents Cup will be held at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. It will mark the 16th edition of the competition. Medinah is best known in match play circles as the host of the 2012 Ryder Cup, remembered for the European team's dramatic final-day comeback after trailing 10–6 entering singles play — a reminder of how quickly match play momentum can shift.

International Team captain Geoff Ogilvy will announce six additional captain's picks at a later date, with Korean veteran Im Sung-jae — ninth in the team standings — among the candidates under consideration. Im has played in three previous Presidents Cups. Ogilvy, the 2006 U.S. Open champion, will be counting on that experience as he assembles a squad seeking only the second International victory in the event's history.

Historically, the United States has dominated the competition with 13 victories, while the two sides played to a tie in 2003. The International Team's lone win came in 1998 at Royal Melbourne in Australia.

Source: The Korea Times