Although late autumn in Chicago is traditionally reserved for gridiron action, a completely different spectacle arrives in town this week as the 16th Presidents Cup descends upon Medinah No. 3. Here, the United States and International teams will square off once again. While the American squad has regularly dominated recent matchups, making lopsided results the norm, golf is famously unpredictable, and shocking upsets are always a possibility.
Under the leadership of captain Brandt Snedeker, the American roster boasts seven of the globe’s top 10 competitors, with a total of ten golfers ranked within the top 25 of the Official World Golf Rankings. The only US players sitting outside of that elite bracket are Patrick Cantlay and Jackson Koivun.
Conversely, the International lineup, captained by Geoff Ogilvy, includes a mere pair of players from the top 25: Ryan Fox and Si Woo Kim. Kim stood out as one of the PGA Tour’s premier players who failed to capture a victory this year, whereas Fox secures his spot on the roster after claiming the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale earlier in the summer.
Fox is the standout name among four International debutants, a group that also features Nico Echavarria, Ryo Hisatsune, and Nick Taylor. On the U.S. side, Snedeker balanced his wild-card selections between veteran presence and fresh faces, calling up Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, and Cantlay alongside rookies Jacob Bridgeman, Chris Gotterup, and Koivun.
Adam Scott is poised to match Phil Mickelson’s record for the most appearances in Presidents Cup history as he prepares for his 12th outing. Meanwhile, top-ranked Scottie Scheffler hopes to replicate Mickelson’s historic performance levels, given that Mickelson remains the event’s all-time leading point scorer.
In terms of cumulative accolades, the members of the U.S. roster have captured 12 major titles and 91 PGA Tour tournaments, averaging 30 years of age. Conversely, the International team members hold a combined total of three major championships and 49 PGA Tour trophies, with a slightly older average age of 32.
On paper, the statistics suggest a heavily skewed contest, but when a sport is played outdoors on natural turf, unpredictable elements have a habit of leveling the playing field—especially in team match play, where underdogs are notorious for fighting to the bitter end.
Stage set for Scheffler
When examining Scheffler’s highly decorated career, his major triumphs stand out—as does the glaring absence of a U.S. Open title. However, there is another notable blemish on the world number one’s resume: his performance in team match play events.
For all his absolute dominance across traditional 72-hole stroke play tournaments, Scheffler has looked surprisingly vulnerable when the format shifts to the intense pressure of 18-hole foursomes or four-ball matchups.
Among top-tier players who have won multiple majors and competed in several Presidents Cups since the turn of the millennium, Scheffler is uniquely situated as the sole golfer with a sub-.500 record, currently standing at 3-5-1. While this comparison includes legends like Tiger Woods and Mickelson, it is worth noting that Scheffler’s record comes from just two previous appearances, having made his event debut only four years ago at Quail Hollow.
Notable U.S. player records in the Presidents Cup
|
Phil Mickelson |
55 |
26-16-13 |
|
Tiger Woods |
43 |
27-15-1 |
|
Jordan Spieth |
19 |
13-5-1 |
|
Dustin Johnson |
18 |
10-6-2 |
|
Justin Thomas |
15 |
10-3-2 |
|
Xander Schauffele |
14 |
10-4-0 |
| Scottie Scheffler | 9 | 3-5-1 |
While a limited number of matches can skew these figures, the American team desperately needs Scheffler to perform at his usual world-class level in this format. Though Woods and Mickelson enjoyed great success in the Presidents Cup, they struggled significantly in the Ryder Cup, posting lifetime records of 13-21-3 and 18-22-7, respectively. Scheffler himself holds a subpar 3-6-3 record across three meetings with Europe, securing only a single win in partner play.
Elite athletes must deliver when the stakes are highest, and this week offers Scheffler the perfect platform to do exactly that. He must quiet the opposing crowds, sustain the brilliant form he showed during the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and signal to future European opponents that his history of struggling in team play is officially over.
International cornerstones
A frequent narrative surrounding recent Presidents Cups has been that the defection of players to LIV Golf gutted the depth of the International squad. This is undeniable; nobody would argue otherwise. The 2019 team at Royal Melbourne featured stars like Louis Oosthuizen, Abraham Ancer, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann, and Byeong Hun An, who have all since spent time with the rival league.
However, this talking point has obscured a far more critical issue. Much like the United States team in the Ryder Cup, the International side relies heavily on its marquee players, only to be repeatedly let down. Adam Scott is gearing up for his 12th Presidents Cup appearance but has managed a winning record just once in his career—a feat he achieved all the way back in 2005 as a 25-year-old.
Notable International player records in the Presidents Cup
|
Adam Scott |
54 |
20-28-6 |
|
Ernie Els |
40 |
20-18-2 |
|
Vijay Singh |
40 |
16-15-9 |
|
Retief Goosen |
29 |
14-12-3 |
| Robert Allenby | 28 | 8-17-2 |
|
Hideki Matsuyama |
27 |
9-13-5 |
|
Mike Weir |
24 |
13-9-2 |
Scott’s overall career record stands at 20-28-6, with his struggles in four-ball matches (5-12-4) representing a major weak spot. Yet he is far from the only underperforming star; Hideki Matsuyama has also provided minimal relief, entering his seventh appearance with an overall record of 9-13-5. Matsuyama has struggled in both match types, including a lackluster 2-4-1 record when paired alongside Scott.
It is easy to assume that such struggles are simply par for the course for the International team’s top players, but historical records prove otherwise. Legends like Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, and Mike Weir all concluded their careers with winning records in this event. The key difference is that unlike Scott and Matsuyama, those icons were not expected to carry the entire team while sitting at 52nd and 26th in the world rankings.
The Koivun(der)
The Presidents Cup often struggles to generate the same level of intensity as the Ryder Cup, but introducing a highly requested selection is an excellent way to boost excitement. That is precisely the path Snedeker chose, selecting 21-year-old Jackson Koivun to make his United States debut after a season in which he played only seven professional tournaments.
Koivun’s transition to the professional ranks has been spectacular; he held off Scheffler to win the 3M Open, qualified for the postseason in just a handful of starts, and recently placed in the top five at the Biltmore Championship, where fellow debutant selection Bridgeman earned his second career title.
“We spent a great deal of time analyzing all the players who were on the bubble, but what Jackson achieved at the 3M Open, during his amateur days, and the unique skills he brings to the table made him a player we couldn’t ignore, so we chose him,” Snedeker explained. “I have immense respect for this young man. He adds great energy to the team room and gives us excellent flexibility with pairings. I know what he can accomplish, I know what he will bring to our squad, and I am thrilled to introduce him to the golf world.”
Youngest U.S. players in the Presidents Cup
|
2013 |
Jordan Spieth |
20 |
|
2026 |
Jackson Koivun |
21 |
|
2015 |
Jordan Spieth |
22 |
|
1998 |
Tiger Woods |
22 |
Because of his status as an incredibly hyped prospect, Koivun faces much more intense scrutiny than the other rookies on the squad. His outstanding amateur and collegiate career stands up to almost any in history and prepared him perfectly for the PGA Tour. To this point, no stage has appeared too grand for him.
“I will absolutely experience some pre-match jitters, but I have always believed that nerves are a positive indicator because they show how much I care,” Koivun stated. “I am just incredibly excited to get out on the course at Medinah and play my game.”
Another miracle at Medinah?!
Medinah has not historically been a comfortable venue for the Americans, particularly given their history of team match-play heartbreak here. Having surrendered a commanding 10-6 lead to Europe during the final day of the 2012 Ryder Cup, the U.S. team will look to secure a more comfortable victory this time around, reminiscent of the recent Presidents Cup triumphs of 18.5-11.5 and 17.5-12.5.
Coincidentally, Snedeker and three of his vice-captains—Jim Furyk, Keegan Bradley, and Webb Simpson—were active players on that devastated 2012 U.S. Ryder Cup roster.
The Americans have dominated this event with ten consecutive victories and an overall record of 13-1-1. The sole International victory occurred back in 1998, with a dramatic tie taking place in 2003. Given this history, what must the International squad do to keep the competition close?
Any hope of an upset must begin with the tandem of Tom and Si Woo Kim.
Following a memorable debut that generated plenty of viral moments, Si Woo has responded with an impressive 5-3-0 record over his last two appearances, which features two match wins against Scheffler. This success coincided with Tom’s emergence in the event, where his high-energy celebrations paired perfectly with Si Woo in three matches, yielding a 2-1-0 record.
Importantly, Si Woo holds a perfect 3-0-0 lifetime record in four-ball matches, which will be critical for holding off the Americans in a discipline they usually dominate.
While the Internationals will lean heavily on the Kims, Scott, Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee, Sungjae Im, and Open Champion Ryan Fox, they will need support from the rest of the roster. Exceptional performances from players like Corey Conners, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Echavarria, Taylor, and Hisatsune are essential if the team hopes to pull off another historic upset.
Team turnover
During the previous Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal, then-captain Jim Furyk chose to simply select the top 12 players from the points list. By avoiding controversial captain’s picks, Furyk fielded a formidable squad that consisted entirely of players ranked inside the world’s top 25.
Two years later, five of those twelve players are missing from this year’s lineup. While analysts often track roster changes on a year-to-year basis between international team events, a two-year gap provides a clearer window into which players have maintained their form and which have fallen off.
Bradley, Max Homa, Brian Harman, Tony Finau, and Sahith Theegala are the five players from the 2024 team who failed to earn a spot this year. Physical ailments, a drop-off in form, and the natural regression of aging careers all played a role in their absences.
Indeed, it briefly appeared that Wyndham Clark might suffer the same fate, but the two-time major winner recovered his form during the final six months of the selection window to preserve his spot on the team.
This turnover is not meant to criticize those who missed out on Medinah, but rather to highlight how fleeting these team roster spots can be. Just when a player seems to have mastered the game, two years pass, and unexpected challenges emerge. It is a natural cycle, much like the regular dominance of the American team in this event.
