Montreal in late September is usually about the changing leaves and the first bite of autumn chill, but for a week in 2024, it was the absolute center of the golfing universe. If you were watching the 2024 Royal Montreal Golf Club festivities, you saw a lot more than just guys in polos hitting a little white ball. You saw a historical powerhouse—the oldest club in North America—trying to contain some of the most intense, and occasionally weird, match-play drama we’ve seen in years.
Honestly, the atmosphere was electric. Imagine 35,000 people crammed around a handful of groups on a midcentury-modern parkland course. It wasn't just a tournament; it was a pressure cooker.
What Most People Missed About the 2024 Royal Montreal Golf Club Layout
Everyone talks about the players, but the Blue Course at Royal Montreal was the real protagonist here. This place was founded back in 1873. That’s older than most of the cities these guys live in. By the time the 2024 event rolled around, architect Rees Jones had already spent years tweaking the course to make sure it didn't get bullied by modern equipment.
The Blue Course is a beast of a par 70, stretching over 7,200 yards.
It’s got these "cashew-shaped" bunkers and T-shaped greens that are basically designed to make the best players in the world second-guess themselves. The greens are small. They're elevated. If you miss your spot by two feet, you aren't just putting; you're chipping from a hollow or a sand trap that's deep enough to hide a golf cart.
The routing had a weird quirk too. All four par 3s fell on odd-numbered holes (5, 7, 13, and 17). In alternate-shot formats (foursomes), this meant the same player on each team was hitting the tee shot on every single par 3. It’s a small detail, but it basically dictated the strategy for captains Jim Furyk and Mike Weir.
The Closing Stretch Drama
If you’ve ever played a parkland course, you know the vibe: narrow, tree-lined, and precise. But the back nine at Royal Montreal is where the water starts to scream at you. Holes 14 through 18 are essentially built for match play.
👉 See also: Last Match Man City: Why Newcastle Couldn't Stop the Semenyo Surge
You’ve got peninsulas, narrow greens hugging ponds, and a lot of "risk-reward" shots. It’s the kind of stretch where you can go from "one up" to "one down" in the blink of an eye. Remember Woody Austin falling into the pond back in 2007? That was the 14th hole. In 2024, that same hole was still haunting players with its narrow, boomerang-shaped green.
The Scorecard and the Surprising 5-0 Shutouts
The actual competition was a total see-saw.
The U.S. Team, led by Jim Furyk, came out like a freight train on Thursday. They swept the opening Four-ball session 5-0. It felt over before it even started. The International fans were quiet, the media was already writing the "U.S. Dominates Again" headlines, and it looked like a blowout.
Then Friday happened.
In a move that basically no one predicted, Mike Weir’s International Team turned the tables and swept the Friday Foursomes 5-0. It was the first time in the history of the event that both teams had 5-0 sweeps in the same tournament. The score was dead even at 5-5 heading into the weekend.
Why the International Team Couldn’t Hold On
Despite that Friday surge, the U.S. depth was just too much. By the time Sunday Singles rolled around, the Americans had built an 11-7 lead. The International Team needed a miracle on the final day, but they ran into a buzzsaw of guys like Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, and Collin Morikawa.
✨ Don't miss: Cowboys Score: Why Dallas Just Can't Finish the Job When it Matters
The final tally was 18.5 to 11.5.
- Thursday: U.S. 5, Internationals 0
- Friday: U.S. 0, Internationals 5
- Saturday (AM): U.S. 3, Internationals 1
- Saturday (PM): U.S. 3, Internationals 1
- Sunday Singles: U.S. 7.5, Internationals 4.5
The Faces of the 2024 Royal Montreal Golf Club Matches
You can’t talk about this event without mentioning Tom Kim. The guy is a human spark plug. Even when the Internationals were down, he was fist-pumping, shouting, and getting the Montreal crowd into a frenzy. It’s the kind of energy the Presidents Cup desperately needs.
On the other side, Scottie Scheffler was... well, Scottie Scheffler. He came into the week after a historic PGA Tour season where he won seven times, including a gold medal and the Masters. Surprisingly, he actually lost his Sunday singles match to Hideki Matsuyama (1-up). It didn't matter for the overall trophy, but it showed that even the World No. 1 isn't bulletproof in the pressure of match play at Royal Montreal.
Keegan Bradley was another huge story. He was a captain's pick, and he ended up clinching the winning point for the U.S. Team. It was a sort of redemption arc for him, especially considering he was named the 2025 Ryder Cup captain shortly after.
Realities of Hosting a Massive Event in Quebec
There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that most fans don't see. For instance, the maintenance crew at 2024 Royal Montreal Golf Club had to basically rebuild roads overnight in previous years to handle the mud.
For 2024, they didn't take any chances. They built permanent service roads ahead of time. When you have 35,000 people walking over the same turf, and you add a little bit of Quebec rain, the course can turn into a swamp.
🔗 Read more: Jake Paul Mike Tyson Tattoo: What Most People Get Wrong
The economic impact was huge, too. We’re talking over $100 million CAD injected into the local Montreal economy. Between the "Fan Village" at Place Ville Marie and the crowds on Île Bizard, the city was vibrating.
What This Means for Your Next Round
If you’re a golfer looking at how these pros handled Royal Montreal, there are a few takeaways that actually apply to your weekend game.
First, look at the course strategy. The winners weren't always the guys bombing it 350 yards. The Blue Course rewarded "straight-hitting, gritty competitors." Accuracy off the tee was everything because the rough was thick and the fairways were narrow. If you were in the trees, you were dead.
Secondly, the short game. The undulating greens at Royal Montreal meant that "scrambling" was the name of the game. Pro golfers were missing greens and still making pars because their lag putting was elite.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Players
- Visit if you can: Royal Montreal is a private club, but if you ever get the chance to play it or attend an event there, do it. The history is palpable. It’s only the second non-U.S. club to host the Presidents Cup twice.
- Watch the highlights of Hole 14-18: If you want to see how to handle pressure, watch the replays of the 2024 Sunday Singles on that closing stretch. The way they manage the water hazards is a masterclass in risk management.
- Focus on accuracy over distance: Most of us want to hit it like Bryson, but Royal Montreal proved that being in the fairway—even if you're shorter—is the only way to score on a classic parkland layout.
- Support international team golf: The 2024 event proved that while the U.S. is dominant, the "gap" in excitement is closing. The 5-0 comeback by the Internationals on Friday was one of the most electric days in golf history.
The 2024 Royal Montreal Golf Club chapter is closed, but it left a mark. It showed us that even a 150-year-old course can still humble the best players in the world, and that Montreal remains one of the greatest sports towns on the planet.