The 2026 Presidents Cup begins this week at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago, with the United States seeking to extend its overwhelming dominance over the International team. The Americans lead the all-time series 13-1-1, with their only defeat coming at Royal Melbourne in 1998 and the 2003 contest ending in a tie. The four-day competition will feature 12-player teams, six automatic qualifiers and six captain’s picks, with Brandt Snedeker leading the U.S. and Geoff Ogilvy captaining the Internationals.
The American roster includes Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Russell Henley and Collin Morikawa among the automatic qualifiers. Snedeker’s captain’s picks are Chris Gotterup, Jacob Bridgeman, Patrick Cantlay, Jackson Koivun, Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas. The U.S. team has three rookies, while Cantlay, Schauffele and Thomas bring substantial Presidents Cup experience. Cantlay owns a 10-4-0 record, while Schauffele is 10-4-0 and Thomas is 10-3-2.
The International side combines veteran leadership with four rookies. Si Woo Kim, Ryan Fox, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee, Tom Kim and Adam Scott qualified automatically, while Corey Conners, Nico Echavarria, Sungjae Im, Ryo Hisatsune, Nick Taylor and Christiaan Bezuidenhout were selected by Ogilvy. Matsuyama, a seven-time participant, has a 9-13-5 record, while Scott is making his 12th appearance with a 20-28-6 mark. Fox and the other newcomers will be asked to provide depth around the team’s established leaders.
Several players enter Medinah under particular scrutiny. Thomas has recorded only two top-10 finishes in 2026 and has struggled since June, while Cantlay’s recent form has been considerably stronger, including a runner-up finish and a third-place ranking in approach play. For the Internationals, Matsuyama and Scott must improve their previously modest Presidents Cup records if the underdogs are to challenge the Americans. Scheffler also faces pressure to reverse a 3-5-1 Presidents Cup record and translate his individual dominance into team-match success.