Assessing Home-Field Advantage in the Presidents Cup: Impact on Competitive Balance and Team Perform

Music City Center 

The Presidents Cup provides a unique setting to analyze home-field advantage (HFA) in a two-team competition with zero-sum scoring. Our analysis confirms a statistically significant HFA of 2.065 points for the home team, translating to a 4.13-point swing in differential. While the event alternates host locations, HFA does not fully offset the overall point differential when controlling for ability differences, suggesting that other contextual factors-namely team cohesion on Team United States-may influence competitive balance.
Controlling for HFA and ability differences, we estimate that Team United States holds a significant 3.235-point edge over Team International, corresponding to a 6.47-point swing in differential. These findings underscore the consistent impact of HFA in the Presidents Cup and provide insights into how venue effects shape team-based golf competitions. Additionally, they offer evidence that team chemistry and leadership play a significant role in team performance.

golf

home field advantage

team dynamics

sport analytics

presidents cup

tournament 

Section on Statistics in Sports