On Sunday, the 2026 PGA Tour season concluded as Scottie Scheffler claimed the FedEx Cup at East Lake Golf Club following a thrilling comeback win at the Tour Championship. Now that Scheffler has secured his title, the final major highlight on the U.S. men’s professional golf schedule is the fast-approaching Presidents Cup, set to take place at Medinah Country Club from September 24 to 27.
Having locked in his position quite some time ago, Scheffler is set to lead the roster alongside Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Russell Henley, and Collin Morikawa, who all clinched their places as automatic qualifiers for the U.S. team captained by Brandt Snedeker.
The tournament at East Lake offered a final piece of crucial performance data for Snedeker to evaluate prior to finalizing his lineup with six captain’s selections, a narrowing-down process that promises to be incredibly challenging given the depth of American talent.
If the rankings alone dictated the final choices, the subsequent six competitors would be Chris Gotterup, Ben Griffin, Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, Justin Thomas, and Jacob Bridgeman; however, Snedeker has openly stated his intention to evaluate a broader group, mentioning prior to the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs that about “20-22 guys have a chance of making this team right now.”
Regarding his strategy for selecting the six wildcards to round out the squad at Medinah, Snedeker intends to prioritize actual on-course performances rather than speculative projections.
“You analyze their recent performances, their maximum potential, their absolute worst-case scenarios, and determine your direction from those factors,” he remarked.
The selection process became significantly more complicated following the Tour Championship, where Ryan Gerard put himself firmly in the conversation with a strong third-place showing, while intrigue persists around Jackson Koivun, the standout former top-ranked amateur who captured a victory and qualified for the postseason in a mere six starts on the PGA Tour.
Although Snedeker is scheduled to announce his final roster on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 5 p.m. ET, CBS Sports is taking the opportunity beforehand to spotlight the six candidates Snedeker should select to fill out the American team at Medinah.
Snubs
Should this specific group of six be selected, it inevitably leaves behind several notable players who would have genuine cause for disappointment at being left off the team.
