Few stages in American golf possess the history and presence of Medinah Country Club. This week, that storied setting outside Chicago adds another chapter when the 2026 Presidents Cup brings 24 of the world’s finest players together for four days of match-play golf, national pride and the unmistakable tension of team competition.
The United States and International Team will meet on Medinah’s famed Course No. 3 . It is the 16th playing of the Presidents Cup, and for the Americans, the objective is familiar: keep a remarkable winning tradition alive. The U.S. has captured the last 10 Presidents Cups, including an 18½–11½ victory at Royal Montreal in 2024.
MEDINAH, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 23: Captain Brandt Snedeker of the U.S. Team stands with the trophy for the team photo prior to the Presidents Cup 2026 at Medinah Country Club on September 23, 2026 in Medinah, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Captain Brandt Snedeker arrives at Medinah with an American roster rich in both star power and match-play experience. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler leads a group that also includes Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Cameron Young and Russell Henley. There is youth as well, with Chris Gotterup, Jacob Bridgeman and Jackson Koivun making their Presidents Cup debuts.
Across the aisle, International captain Geoff Ogilvy has assembled a team that combines experience with an intriguing collection of emerging talent. Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, Sungjae Im, Tom Kim, Si Woo Kim and Min Woo Lee provide a formidable foundation, while 2026 Open champion Ryan Fox brings major-championship credentials to Medinah. Corey Conners, Nick Taylor, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Nico Echavarria and Ryo Hisatsune complete a team representing seven countries.
MEDINAH, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 23: Captain Geoff Ogilvy of Australia and the International Team looks on in front of the President’s Cup Trophy prior to the Presidents Cup 2026 at Medinah Country Club on September 23, 2026 in Medinah, Illinois. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
For Scott, the week carries particular significance. The Australian is making his 12th consecutive Presidents Cup appearance, a remarkable run that stretches back more than two decades. Yet the International veteran is still searching for his first outright team victory in the event.
Then there is Medinah itself. Course No. 3 has long been associated with golf’s grandest occasions. Tiger Woods won PGA Championships here in 1999 and 2006, and the club staged the unforgettable 2012 Ryder Cup, when Europe produced its historic Sunday comeback. Now measuring 7,548 yards as a par 70, the course has undergone a dramatic transformation since it last hosted the PGA Tour at the 2019 BMW Championship. The redesign was led by the Australian-based OCM team of Ogilvy, Mike Cocking and Ashley Mead — giving the International captain an unusually intimate connection with the course on which this Presidents Cup will be decided.
MEDINAH, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 22: A general view of the 18th hole prior to the Presidents Cup 2026 at Medinah Country Club on September 22, 2026 in Medinah, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
That redesigned Medinah could become one of the central characters of the week. Match play rewards aggression, imagination and calculated risk, and a course capable of presenting players with difficult choices can create dramatic swings in momentum. In this format, one inspired approach, one lengthy birdie putt or one costly mistake can turn an entire match.
Thursday begins with five four-ball matches, and the opening pairings immediately provide intrigue. Scheffler and Burns lead off for the United States against Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im. Young and Schauffele follow against Matsuyama and Hisatsune, while Thomas partners rookie Koivun against Conners and Echavarria. Clark and Morikawa face Fox and Scott, before Cantlay and Gotterup close the session against Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim.
MEDINAH, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 23: (Front row L-R) Chris Gotterup, Jacob Bridgeman, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Collin Morikawa, Jackson Koivun, Russell Henley (Back row L-R) Xander Schauffele, Assistant captain Jim Furyk, Assistant captain Gary Woodland, Assistant captain Webb Simpson, Captain Brandt Snedeker, Assistant captain Keegan Bradley, Sam Burns, Wyndham Clark, Cameron Young of the U.S. Team pose for a team photo prior to the Presidents Cup 2026 at Medinah Country Club on September 23, 2026 in Medinah, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Friday shifts to foursomes, Saturday offers two sessions, and Sunday brings the competition to its traditional conclusion with singles. Thirty matches will ultimately determine which side lifts the Cup. For the International Team, the challenge is unmistakable. Its only outright Presidents Cup victory came in 1998, while the 2003 competition ended in a tie. Every other edition has belonged to the Americans.
But team golf has never been played entirely on paper. Momentum matters. Partnerships matter. Crowds matter. And at a venue with Medinah’s history, the atmosphere can become part of the competition itself. The International side arrives knowing that ending the American streak would instantly rank among the defining achievements in Presidents Cup history. The United States, meanwhile, carries the expectations that accompany more than two decades of dominance.
MEDINAH, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 23: (Back row L-R) Tim Clark of South Africa, Trevor Immelman of South Africa, Camilo Villegas of Colombia, Corey Conners of Canada, Tom Kim of South Korea, Si Woo Kim of South Korea, Nico Echavarria of Colombia, Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa, Captain Geoff Ogilvy of Australia, Adam Scott of Australia, Min Woo Lee of Australia, Nick Taylor of Canada, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, Ryan Fox of New Zealand, Ryo Hisatsune of Japan, Sungjae Im of South Korea, and Taylor Pendrith of Canada pose with photo with the Jr. Presidents Cup Team prior to the Presidents Cup 2026 at Medinah Country Club on September 23, 2026 in Medinah, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
That contrast should provide the week with its defining tension: an American team determined to protect its legacy against an International squad eager to create one of its own. Medinah has witnessed unforgettable golf before. Beginning Thursday, 24 players will have the opportunity to give this grand old club another chapter worth remembering.