Seven—that’s how many Presidents Cups the American Team has won in a row. In some ways it is hard to fathom—after all, those teams contained many of the best players in the world, including the likes of Adam Scott and Jason Day. But in recent years, the status of the International Team has declined—the team’s highest-ranked player is Scott at No. 18 in the world—and the dominance of the American crew has continued. Even with some strong play by Canada’s Adam Hadwin and home field advantage at Royal Melbourne in Australia, it would appear another American thrashing could be in the works.

The Format: Very similar to the Ryder Cup, though it is played in four days. The tournament consists of 30 matches—five four-ball matches on Thursday, five foursome matches (alternate shot) on Friday, four four-ball matches on Saturday morning and four foursomes on Saturday afternoon. The event concludes with 12 singles matches. In all, 30 points are on the line. In the event of a tie, the teams share the Cup.

Here’s what you need to know for this week’s event:

The Course: Royal Melbourne

One of Australia’s great golfing gems, Royal Melbourne is a sand belt masterpiece, created, at least in part, by Alister MacKenzie, the designer behind Augusta National. Fast and firm, with breathtaking bunkering, Melboune will be as big a star as any of the golfers at the Presidents Cup.

Tiger’s Tale

When he was named captain of the American team, it wasn’t clear what state Tiger’s game would be in when the Presidents Cup was played. It turns out he’s now back in the Top 10 in the world, and is among the game’s most exciting players once again. It didn’t come as a massive surprise when Woods announced he’d use one of his captain’s picks so he could play in the event. He squared off against Ernie Els in South Africa at the 2003 Presidents Cup, making for one of the most compelling versions of the team-based event to date. Perhaps as playing captain he’ll bring more of that drama to Australia?

Canuck Time

Adam Hadwin returns to the Presidents Cup for the second time in his career. Hadwin, who only scored a half-point in his Presidents Cup debut in 2017, said that he thought language barriers, among other factors, had played a role in the challenges the International Team has faced. But he added that Captain Els has taken a lot of effort to try to overcome any barriers.

No Brooks

World No. 1 Brooks Koepka is out, and Rickie Fowler is in. Koepka, after reinjuring a nagging knee, announced he’d take the week of the Presidents Cup off to recover, leaving the door open for Fowler to take his spot. Fowler hasn’t been particularly sharp as of late, so it’ll be interesting to see how this impacts the American’s efforts.

Ernie’s Efforts

Ernie Els is a legend, and the veteran of eight Presidents Cups. He’s not playing in this one, but his captain’s picks—Australian Jason Day, Canadian Adam Hadwin, Sungjae Im of South Korea and Joaquín Niemann of Chile—could play massive roles in the potential success of the International Team.

Team Summary
U.S. Team

Captain: Tiger Woods

Assistant Captains: Fred Couples, Zach Johnson, Steve Stricker

Player Roster: Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, Matt Kuchar, Xander Schauffele, Webb Simpson, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Cantlay

Captain’s Picks: Tony Finau, Gary Woodland, Patrick Reed, Tiger Woods

International Team

Captain: Ernie Els

Assistant Captains: K.J. Choi, Trevor Immelman, Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Weir

Player Roster: Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen, Marc Leishman, Abraham Ancer, Haotong Li, Cameron Smith, C.T. Pan

Captain’s Picks: Sunjae Im, Jason Day, Joaquín Niemann, Adam Hadwin