The Skechers World Champions Cup supporting Shriners Children’s returns this week as one of the most unique international team events in golf. For the first time, Feather Sound Country Club in Clearwater, Florida, will host the three-day competition featuring Team USA, Team Europe and Team International.

Jim Furyk’s Team USA enters as the defending champion following a narrow two-point victory over Team International at The Concession in 2023. The event resumes its three-team format with 24 nine-hole sessions across Six Ball, Scotch Sixsomes and Singles play.

Mike Weir again captains Team International, while Darren Clarke leads Team Europe. All three captains bring veteran leadership and intensity to an event designed for global bragging rights and charitable impact through its support of Shriners Children’s.

The competition will be played Thursday, Friday and Sunday, with a pro-am scheduled for Saturday.

Meet the teams

TEAM USA

Team USA enters with depth, experience and an established winning pedigree. Furyk is supported by Vice Captains Billy Andrade and Steve Flesch, with both serving in non-playing roles unless injury forces them into action.

Roster:

• Captain Jim Furyk
• Stewart Cink
• Jerry Kelly
• Justin Leonard
• Steve Stricker
• Jason Caron (earned through PGA TOUR Champions performance)

TEAM EUROPE

Darren Clarke leads a loaded European side filled with Ryder Cup legends. Vice Captains Jesper Parnevik and Søren Kjeldsen help anchor a leadership group with more than 50 combined professional wins.

Roster:

• Captain Darren Clarke
• Thomas Bjørn
• Miguel Ángel Jiménez
• Bernhard Langer
• Colin Montgomerie
• Alex Cejka

TEAM INTERNATIONAL

Weir’s roster delivers global representation and a mix of power, creativity and short-game flair. Supported by a deep lineup, including Vice Captains Ricardo Gonzalez and Charlie Wi, Team International looks to avenge its runner-up finish in 2023.

Roster:

• Captain Mike Weir
• Steven Alker
• Angel Cabrera
• K.J. Choi
• Mark Hensby
• Y.E. Yang

How it works

FORMAT

The Skechers World Champions Cup uses a distinctive scoring system across three formats, with all teams competing in every session.

• Six Ball (Best Ball): Each player plays his own ball; the lowest team score counts.
• Scotch Sixsomes (Modified Alternate Shot): Both players hit tee shots, the team selects one, and Alternate Shot begins from that point.
• Singles: All players compete in paired groups on Sunday morning and afternoon.

SCORING

• In every group, all nine holes of competition will be played. No nine-hole competition will feature close-outs.
• A total of three points will be awarded on each hole of every nine-hole group during Thursday and Friday’s team competition as well as for Sunday’s morning and afternoon Singles groups.
• The team with the lowest score on each hole will receive two points. The team with the second-lowest score on a hole will receive one point. The team with the highest score will receive no points.
• Whenever teams finish with the same score on a hole, those teams will be awarded the same number of points.
• If two teams finish with the lowest score on a hole, each team will receive one and a half points.
• The third team, finishing with the highest score, will receive no points.
• If one team finishes with the lowest score on a hole and the other two finish with the same (higher) score, the team with the lowest score will receive two points, with the other two teams receiving a half point.
• If all three teams finish with the same score on a hole, each team will receive one point.
• For Singles, every player from each team will play in both the morning and afternoon sessions, and each group will use the same scoring format as above.

SCHEDULE

• Thursday, Dec. 4
  • Morning session: Six Ball (three groups, nine holes each)
  • Afternoon session: Scotch Sixsomes (three groups, nine holes each)
• Friday, Dec. 5
  • Morning session: Six Ball (three groups, nine holes each)
  • Afternoon session: Scotch Sixsomes (three groups, nine holes each)
• Sunday, Dec. 7
  • Morning session: Singles (six groups, nine holes each)
  • Afternoon session: Singles (six groups, nine holes each)

How to follow

Television:

• Round 1 (Thursday): 8:30 a.m.-noon, ESPN+; noon-4 p.m., ESPN
• Round 2 (Friday): 8:30 a.m.-noon, ESPN+; noon-4 p.m., ESPN
• Final Round (Sunday): 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., ESPN+; 1-5 p.m., ABC