The 2026 Presidents Cup begins Thursday at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago, with the United States seeking to extend its dominance over the International team. The Americans lead the all-time series 13-1-1 and have won the last 10 editions, including a seven-point victory in Canada two years ago. The International team’s only win came in 1998 at Royal Melbourne, while the sides last tied in 2003.
The United States team, captained by Brandt Snedeker, includes world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Cameron Young, Sam Burns, Russell Henley, Chris Gotterup, Jackson Koivun and Jacob Bridgeman. Bridgeman arrives after winning the PGA Tour’s fall-series opener for his second victory of the year. The International side, led by Geoff Ogilvy, features Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, Si Woo Kim, Tom Kim, Ryan Fox, Min Woo Lee, Sungjae Im, Corey Conners, Nick Taylor, Nico Echavarria, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Ryo Hisatsune.
The competition will feature 30 points, with the first team to reach 15½ winning. Thursday begins with five four-ball matches, followed Friday by five foursomes matches. Saturday brings eight matches across two sessions before the event concludes Sunday with 12 singles. Matches will be played on Medinah’s restored Course No. 3, where trees were removed, bunkering was revised and five holes were redesigned. A five-foot collar of intermediate rough was added around the fairways at Snedeker’s request, with the primary rough raised to four inches to punish inaccurate drives and create difficult approach-shot lies.
The revised layout is expected to place a premium on driving and match-play strategy. “The likelihood of heavy lies and fliers for approach shots following wayward drives” has increased, according to a PGA Tour preview, reflecting Snedeker’s belief that the U.S. team can gain an advantage through greater accuracy. Scheffler owns a 3-5-1 Presidents Cup record, while the International team will rely on proven performers such as Matsuyama, the Kims and Scott to withstand the American depth. Coverage begins Thursday from 12:30 to 7 p.m. ET on Golf Channel, with NBC carrying Saturday and Sunday’s closing sessions.