Getty Image
The Presidents Cup officially kicked off in Montreal on Thursday, and Mackenzie Hughes did what he could to get the crowd in his native country revved up for the tournament by dropping to his knee and crushing a beer on the first tee.
2024 marks the 15th installment of the Presidents Cup, which still has plenty of work to do when it comes to matching the prestige of the Ryder Cup but has nonetheless become a fairly anticipated event on the golf calendar since it was held for the first time in 1994.
As is the case with the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup features a team from the United States facing off against foes from around the world, but the key difference is Europeans aren’t eligible to earn a spot on the International Team.
One reason the Presidents Cup has failed to drum up the same amount of excitement as its nearly century-old predecessor is the fact that it’s historically been a very one-sided affair; America has won the tournament 12 times, while the International Team’s lone victory came all the way back in 1998 (the two teams tied in 2003).
The second squad headed into the 2024 Presidents Cup hoping to prevent the United States from securing the trophy for the 10th consecutive time, and they theoretically have home-course advantage when you consider it’s being held at Royal Montreal Golf Club (which previously hosted the showdown in 2007).
It’s only natural that Mike Weir was selected to serve as the captain of this year’s International Team, and the Ontario native is overseeing a 12-man squad that includes some fellow countrymen in the form of Taylor Pendrith, Corey Conners, and Mackenzie Hughes.
Hughes wasn’t tapped to take part in the quintet of four-ball matches that comprised the first day of play, but he was still front and center during the opening introductions and took advantage of his day off by popping open a can of Stella Artois and chugging it in front of a crowd that seemed to appreciate the move.
Mackenzie Hughes gets the crowd fired up with a quick beer chug on the 1st tee! 😂🇨🇦
📺 Golf Channel 📱 NBC Sports app | #PresidentsCup pic.twitter.com/r3Y0FULpyX
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 26, 2024
The fifth and final round of the Presidents Cup is slated to wrap up on Sunday.