The strategy every team captain must follow

Team match-play month continues when the Presidents Cup comes to Medinah next week. The event will have big shoes to fill in terms of living up to the drama that played out recently at the Walker Cup and Solheim Cup. Particularly so given the lopsided history of the match between the U.S. and the Internationals, with the Americans holding a 13-1-1 advantage.

If International captain Geoff Ogilvy has any chance of flipping the usual script, he needs to understand a strategy of team match-play golf that is all but required in order to have success come Sunday singles. Our Shane Ryan did some investigating into the tactic of “loading the boat” in that final session. What he found was whether you’re way ahead, way behind or in a tight match, captains need to put out their best players early in the Sunday lineup, the idea being that they can build momentum that then might make the difference in which side is pouring the champagne before sunset.

Shane uncovered the origin of the practice and how over the years captains who have ignored it have suffered the consequences (see Mark James at the 1999 Ryder Cup, Davis Love III at the 2012 Ryder Cup and even Angela Stanford recently at the 2026 Solheim Cup).

The team match-play strategy every captain needs to follow

It's called 'loading the boat' and come Sunday singles, captains who don't put their best pros out first in the lineup do so at their own risk

By Shane Ryan

What You Need to Know

Alex Myers

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