2026 Presidents Cup: Scottie Scheffler to Lead Off U.S. on Day 1

Following a week dominated by media briefings and speculation, the 2026 Presidents Cup is slated to begin this Thursday on Course No. 3 at Medinah Country Club. A highly favored United States squad is looking to capture its 11th consecutive crown and boost its historic record to 14-1-1 in this event, while the visiting International squad hopes to defy the history books and stun the Americans.

While disclosing his last six player choices for the roster, American captain Brandt Snedeker revealed that the starting round will utilize the four-ball format, pushing the foursomes matches to Friday, which leads into a dual-format Saturday schedule preceding the final singles session on Sunday. 

Deciding to pass on the first selection, Snedeker countered the pairing of Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im selected by International captain Geoff Ogilvy with his own tandem of Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns to initiate the tournament’s 16th staging. The top-ranked player globally will link up with his close partner in hopes of bringing his stellar singles form into the team framework. They represent two of the strongest competitors in the lineup, with the U.S. team fielding eight of the world’s top eleven golfers on their roster.

The second pairing pits Players Championship victor Cameron Young and double major winner Xander Schauffele against Japanese representatives Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune. This matchup highlights Hisatsune as the inaugural debutant from either squad to tee off during this event.

Additional newcomers will take the course shortly after, as 21-year-old debutant Jackson Koivun gets paired alongside the most seasoned American veteran, Justin Thomas. They find themselves in a highly promising matchup for the United States in the third match, going against Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria.

A total of four major winners clash in the fourth matchup, where Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa face off against Adam Scott—embarking on his 12th Presidents Cup campaign—and reigning Open Champion Ryan Fox. The opening day wraps up with the Internationals’ strongest pairing of Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim taking on Patrick Cantlay and Chris Gotterup. 

Make sure to track all the action from Thursday through Sunday using the CBS Sports’ 2026 Presidents Cup broadcast times and viewing manual so you catch every key moment.

2026 Presidents Cup Pairings: Day 1 (Thursday)

All times EST

Round 1 — Four-ball

With five matches scheduled, the International squad aims to secure an opening-round victory for just the fifth time across the history of the event. Historically, an initial session victory for the Internationals leads to a much closer contest, which was last demonstrated in 2019 at Royal Melbourne when the home team carried an advantage into Sunday’s singles matches.

Looking at the rosters, the talent margin strongly favors the host nation, particularly in the initial three matches. The outcome of the final two pairings may ultimately decide if this edition of the tournament becomes highly competitive. The Americans previously dominated the four-ball play with an 8-1-0 showing at Royal Montreal in 2024, which featured an undefeated 5-0 start in the first session.

For the Thursday matchups, the U.S. team will rest Jacob Bridgeman and Russell Henley, whereas the International squad will leave Nick Taylor and Christiaan Bezuidenhout on the sidelines.