The 16th Presidents Cup Set to Tee Off at Medinah Country Club

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Top golfers from the United States and around the world, except Europe, are gathering in Chicago’s northwest suburbs for the 16th Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club. This event, held biennially, features a team match-play format between the United States and the International team, which includes players from countries outside the U.S. and Europe.

Event Overview

The Presidents Cup debuted in 1994. It alternates yearly with the Ryder Cup between the U.S. and Europe. Historically, the U.S. has hosted the Presidents Cup every four years, with previous venues including Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia, Harding Park in San Francisco, Muirfield Village in Ohio, Liberty National in New Jersey, and Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina. International hosts have included Australia, South Africa, Canada, and South Korea.

Historical Performance

The U.S. has excelled in the Presidents Cup, holding a commanding 13-1-1 record. Unlike the Ryder Cup, where Europe has won 11 of the last 15 competitions since 1995, the U.S. dominates the Presidents Cup. The Americans have won ten straight editions and have never lost on home soil. The lone International victory occurred in 1998 at Royal Melbourne, Australia. In 2003, the South African matches ended in a tie after a playoff between Tiger Woods and Ernie Els was halted due to darkness.

Competition Format

The event involves two-man matches: foursomes (alternate shot) and fourball (best ball), culminating in singles matches. Each match awards one point. To win the cup, a team needs at least 15½ points. In total, 30 matches occur: nine foursomes, nine fourballs, and 12 singles. Notably, if the contest ends in a 15-15 tie, the Presidents Cup is shared, unlike the Ryder Cup, where the reigning champion retains the cup in the case of a tie.

In match play, scoring hinges on holes won. A team or player wins when ahead by more holes than remain. Matches all square through 18 holes share points equally.

Schedule and Event Timing

Host captain Brandt Snedeker selected the match format order. Day 1 features five fourball matches, succeeded by Day 2 with five foursomes matches. Day 3 includes four foursomes and four fourball matches. The final day has all 12 players in singles.

Tuesday: Practice rounds, start at 9 a.m.
Wednesday: Practice rounds, start at 9 a.m.
Thursday: Gates open at 9 a.m., opening ceremony at 11 a.m., Round 1 matches at 11:35 a.m.
Friday: Gates open at 10 a.m., Round 2 matches start at 1:05 p.m.
Saturday: Gates open at 6:30 a.m., Round 3 starts at 7:02 a.m., Round 4 matches at 1:15 p.m.
Sunday: Gates open at 9 a.m., Round 5 matches at 11:02 a.m., closing ceremony post-final match

Team Captains

U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker, aged 45, boasts 14 professional victories, including 10 PGA Tour wins. Known for his putting prowess, Snedeker participated in two Ryder Cup teams and one Presidents Cup team. His career highlights include a third-place tie at the 2008 Masters and 2012 British Open. His team includes assistant captains Keegan Bradley, Jim Furyk, Webb Simpson, and Gary Woodland.

International captain Geoff Ogilvy, aged 49, won the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. Ogilvy’s career features 12 professional victories, including eight PGA Tour wins. A successful match play competitor, Ogilvy founded a golf course design firm that renovated Medinah’s No. 3 course for the Presidents Cup. Assistant captains Tim Clark, Trevor Immelman, Taylor Pendrith, and Camilo Villegas join him.

United States Team

The U.S. team consists of the top six FedEx Cup point earners, with six additional captain’s picks.

Scottie Scheffler (Ridgewood, NJ): Age 30, ranked 1, with 27 worldwide wins, including 4 majors; national teams: 3 Presidents, 3 Ryder Cups.
Cameron Young (Scarborough, NY): Age 29, ranked 3, with 7 worldwide wins; national teams: 2 Presidents, 1 Ryder Cup.
Wyndham Clark (Denver, CO): Age 32, ranked 5, with 6 worldwide wins, 2 major championships; national teams: 2 Presidents, 1 Ryder Cup.
Sam Burns (Shreveport, LA): Age 30, ranked 9, with 6 worldwide wins; national teams: 3 Presidents, 2 Ryder Cups.
Russell Henley (Macon, GA): Age 37, ranked 6, with 9 worldwide wins; national teams: 2 Presidents, 1 Ryder Cup.
Collin Morikawa (Los Angeles, CA): Age 29, ranked 11, with 8 worldwide wins, 2 major championships; national teams: 3 Presidents, 3 Ryder Cups.
Jacob Bridgeman (Inman, SC): Age 26, ranked 29; national team: 1 Presidents.
Patrick Cantlay (Long Beach, CA): Age 34, ranked 27, with 9 worldwide wins; national teams: 4 Presidents, 3 Ryder Cups.
Chris Gotterup (Easton, MD): Age 27, ranked 7, with 6 worldwide wins; national team: 1 Presidents.
Jackson Koivun (San Jose, CA): Age 21, ranked 65; national team: 1 Presidents.
Xander Schauffele (San Diego, CA): Age 32, ranked 10, with 13 worldwide wins, 2 major championships; national teams: 4 Presidents, 3 Ryder Cups.
Justin Thomas (Louisville, KY): Age 33, ranked 22, with 18 worldwide wins, 2 major championships; national teams: 4 Presidents, 4 Ryder Cups.

International Team

The International team has six automatic qualifiers by world ranking and six captain’s picks.

Si Woo Kim (South Korea): Age 31, ranked 13, with 5 worldwide wins; national teams: 4 Presidents.
Ryan Fox (New Zealand): Age 39, ranked 24, with 20 worldwide wins, 1 major championship; national team: 1 Presidents.
Hideki Matsuyama (Japan): Age 34, ranked 26, with 21 worldwide wins, 1 major championship; national teams: 7 Presidents.
Min Woo Lee (Australia): Age 28, ranked 30, with 5 worldwide wins; national teams: 2 Presidents.
Tom Kim (South Korea): Age 24, ranked 31, with 13 worldwide wins; national teams: 3 Presidents.
Adam Scott (Australia): Age 46, ranked 52, with 33 worldwide wins, 1 major championship; national teams: 12 Presidents.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa): Age 32, ranked 97, with 10 worldwide wins; national teams: 3 Presidents.
Corey Conners (Canada): Age 34, ranked 54, with 2 worldwide wins; national teams: 3 Presidents.
Nico Echavarria (Colombia): Age 32, ranked 60, with 7 worldwide wins; national team: 1 Presidents.
Ryo Hisatsune (Japan): Age 24, ranked 66, with 4 worldwide wins; national team: 1 Presidents.
Sungjae Im (South Korea): Age 28, ranked 59, with 7 worldwide wins; national teams: 4 Presidents.
Nick Taylor (Canada): Age 38, ranked 81, with 6 worldwide wins; national team: 1 Presidents.

Presidential Attendance

Traditionally, the host country’s leader is the honorary chairman of the Presidents Cup. U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to attend the matches. In 2017 at Liberty National, he was the first sitting president to present the cup to the winning team.