After a forced one-year break due to hurricanes, the Skechers World Champions Cup is returning in December, with the captains for the three teams announcing most of their lineups Wednesday.
Jim Furyk (USA), Mike Weir (International) and Darren Clarke (Europe) are the captains of the three six-man teams that will compete Dec. 4–7 at Feather Sound Country Club in Clearwater, Fla. The event will be televised by ESPN/ABC.
The tournament, last played in Bradenton in 2023, features PGA Tour Champions players competing in nine-hole matches that have team formats and singles play, with points being earned for each hole won in each of the event’s 24 matches.
Each of the captains is also a playing captain although Furyk, a 17-time winner on the PGA Tour, will not compete due to recent hip replacement surgery.
“I don’t think any of us knew how a three-team format would work,” said Furyk, who was captain of the victorious U.S. team in 2023. “It reminds me a lot of nine-point when you go play a threesome at some course. It’s basically the same thing. Very similar to that.
“It gives us a chance to be a team again. A lot of these guys haven’t played in a Presidents Cup or a Ryder Cup in 20 years. And the format is really cool. It’s volatile. The points bounce all over the place. No lead is safe. Two years I enjoyed it. We had a lot of fun together, win, lose or draw.”
The players on Furyk’s team will be Stewart Cink, Jerry Kelly, Justin Leonard and Steve Stricker with two more to be named as Furyk said he won’t be playing.
The International team will have Steven Alker, Ángel Cabrera, K.J. Choi and Y.E. Yang, along with Weir, with one more player to be named.
And the European team will include Thomas Bjørn, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie, along with Clarke and another player to be named.
The team formats will be six-ball and Scotch sixsomes (modified alternate shot) with morning and afternoon waves. On each hole, two points is awarded to the low score, with one point to the second score and none to the highest score. If there are ties, the same number is awarded. There is also a singles format.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as World Champions Cup Returning in December With PGA Tour Champions Stars.
