The 2026 Presidents Cup field is set, with International captain Geoff Ogilvy leaving Jason Day off the roster because of the former world No. 1’s lingering back injury. Day, a five-time Presidents Cup participant, withdrew before the 3M Open and Rocket Classic and ultimately missed the FedEx Cup Playoffs for the first time in 18 years.
Ogilvy said he was unwilling to gamble on Day being able to withstand four days of competition at Medinah Country Club later this month. “It just didn’t feel [like a] 100 percent guarantee that he could make it through four days of the Presidents Cup,” Ogilvy told reporters. “It was a bit risky.” The captain said last year’s Ryder Cup incident involving Viktor Hovland, who could not play Sunday singles because of a neck injury, also influenced the decision.
That incident revived debate over the injury-envelope rule, which allows a captain to designate a player who will sit out if an opponent is unable to compete. Hovland’s scheduled match with Harris English was halved after Hovland withdrew, and the rule—used only twice previously in the Ryder Cup—has never been applied in the Presidents Cup. Ogilvy said he wanted to avoid a similar situation in the International team’s matches at Medinah.
Ogilvy selected Corey Conners, Sungjae Im, Ryo Hisatsune, Nick Taylor, Nico Echavarria and Christiaan Bezuidenhout as his captain’s picks. Bezuidenhout, ranked 96th in the world, was the most unexpected selection, but Ogilvy pointed to his 3-1-0 Presidents Cup record, strong putting and iron play. The Americans will bring a heavily favored lineup led by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who closed the season by winning the Tour Championship at East Lake and collecting the $10 million prize after securing the $23 million FedEx Cup bonus the previous week. The United States is 13-1-1 all-time in the Presidents Cup and has never lost on home soil.