The United States took a 3-2 lead over the International team after the opening day of the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club, surviving a strong challenge in Thursday’s four-ball session. The pivotal result came in the opening match, where world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns defeated Sungjae Im and Min Woo Lee, 1 up, after the International pair had several opportunities to seize control late in the match.
Scheffler and Burns started quickly with birdies on the first four holes, but the match remained level after Lee and Im birdied Nos. 2 through 5. Im moved the Internationals ahead with a birdie on the par-3 13th after Scheffler missed a short putt, but Burns immediately answered with a birdie on the 14th. The Americans then won the 17th with pars and closed out the match when Lee and Im failed to birdie the 18th. “Sam hit probably the shot of the match there on 14,” Scheffler said. “He stepped up when we needed him to.”
Justin Thomas and Presidents Cup debutant Jackson Koivun gave the United States its first point with a 4-and-3 victory over Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria. Thomas remained unbeaten in Presidents Cup four-ball play, improving his record to 7-0-0, while Koivun contributed despite some inconsistent stretches. Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune responded for the International team with a 3-and-1 win over Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele, but Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa restored the American advantage by beating Ryan Fox and Adam Scott, 3 and 2.
The final match also went to the Internationals, as Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim defeated Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay, 3 and 2. The Korean pair took control by winning the 13th and 14th holes, with Tom Kim nearly holing his tee shot on the par-3 16th before the Americans conceded. International captain Geoff Ogilvy called the 2-3 session “not too bad,” noting that his players had “a round under their belt,” while acknowledging that winning the opening match would have created significant momentum.
Friday’s action switches to foursomes, or alternate shot, with five points available. Scheffler and Burns will face Conners and Nick Taylor in the opening match, while Koivun sits out and Jacob Bridgeman makes his Presidents Cup debut alongside Russell Henley. The International team will look to capitalize on Medinah’s demanding opening holes, where a wooden out-of-bounds fence hugs the left side of the first three holes and forced several players into defensive decisions during Thursday’s matches.