Presidents Cup 2026 Preview: Everything to Know Before Medinah
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The 2026 Presidents Cup arrives at Medinah Country Club in Chicago from September 24–27, bringing together 24 of the world’s best golfers for four days of intense match play between the United States and International Team.
The Americans are looking to continue their remarkable dominance, while the International Team will attempt to claim the trophy for only the second time outright. With a redesigned Medinah, two experienced captains and several of golf’s biggest names in the field, this year’s contest has plenty of intriguing storylines.
A New-Look Medinah
Medinah Country Club is familiar territory for major championship golf, having hosted three U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships, the 2012 Ryder Cup and the 2019 BMW Championship. But the course hosting this Presidents Cup is significantly different.
Course No. 3 was extensively redesigned by Ogilvy Cocking Mead (OCM), the Australian firm co-founded by International captain Geoff Ogilvy. The renovation introduced three new holes, increased the number of bunkers from around 70 to 117, and expanded the total bunker area to approximately 204,000 square feet.
The Presidents Cup layout measures around 7,548 yards and plays to a par of 70, with the routing also adjusted for the match-play format.
Ogilvy’s involvement adds an unusual twist: the International captain knows the new course from a designer’s perspective, while U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker has a personal connection to Medinah after playing on the American Ryder Cup team there in 2012.
Team USA: Scheffler Leads the Way
The United States arrives with a deep roster led by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who will make his third Presidents Cup appearance.
The automatic qualifiers are Scheffler, Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Russell Henley and Collin Morikawa. Captain Brandt Snedeker selected Chris Gotterup, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Jackson Koivun and Jacob Bridgeman as his captain’s picks.
There is plenty of Presidents Cup experience in the group. Schauffele has never lost a Singles match in the competition and owns a 4-1-0 Foursomes record. Thomas is also a proven team player, having gone 6-0-0 in Presidents Cup Four-ball.
At the other end of the experience spectrum, Koivun, Gotterup and Bridgeman will make their Presidents Cup debuts. Bridgeman arrives with particularly strong momentum after winning the Biltmore Championship Asheville on September 20 for his second PGA TOUR title of 2026.
International Team: Experience Meets Youth
The International Team combines veteran Presidents Cup players with an intriguing group of newcomers.
The automatic qualifiers are Si Woo Kim, Hideki Matsuyama, Ryan Fox, Tom Kim, Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott. Geoff Ogilvy’s captain’s picks are Sungjae Im, Nico Echavarria, Corey Conners, Nick Taylor, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Ryo Hisatsune.
Scott is making his remarkable 12th Presidents Cup appearance, while Matsuyama will play in his seventh.
One of the most interesting debuts belongs to Ryan Fox, who arrives as the reigning Open Champion after winning the 2026 Championship. Fox has also collected three Tour victories over the past 17 months.
The International Team has four rookies in total: Fox, Echavarria, Taylor and Hisatsune.
Can the International Team End the American Run?
The United States has won 13 of the 15 Presidents Cups, including the last 10 editions. Its only outright defeat came in 1998 at Royal Melbourne, while the 2003 contest ended in a tie.
The Americans also won the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal 18.5–11.5, although the International Team showed its potential by recovering from an opening-session sweep to level the match after Friday.
That makes the opening sessions at Medinah particularly important. With every match worth one point and the first team to reach 15.5 points declared champion, momentum can change quickly.
The Pairings Could Make the Difference
Unlike regular stroke-play tournaments, the Presidents Cup is as much about partnerships as individual performances.
Four-ball rewards players capable of producing birdies, while Foursomes demand consistency, strategy and complementary games. The American pairing of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay will be one to watch after building a 4-1-0 Presidents Cup Foursomes record together.
The International team’s combinations are less predictable, with experienced players such as Scott, Matsuyama and Si Woo Kim potentially paired with younger stars including Min Woo Lee and Tom Kim.
The first pairings will provide the first real indication of how both captains intend to approach the week.
How the Presidents Cup Works
The competition features 30 matches over four days.
Thursday opens with five Four-ball matches, followed by five Foursomes matches on Friday. Saturday features four Foursomes and four Four-ball matches, while Sunday concludes with 12 Singles matches.
Every match is worth one point, with half a point awarded for a tied match. If the overall score finishes 15-15, the Presidents Cup is shared.
What Makes 2026 Special?
The 2026 Presidents Cup is more than another chapter in the United States–International rivalry. It is also the first major test of a completely redesigned Medinah.
With Scottie Scheffler leading a strong American lineup, an International team featuring major champions and experienced veterans, and Geoff Ogilvy competing on a course he helped redesign, there are plenty of variables to watch.
For four days, Medinah will provide a very different test from the course remembered from previous championships — and the world’s best team golfers will be the first to discover exactly how the new layout changes the Presidents Cup.
