The 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah

Championship golf returns to the Chicago area this September as Medinah Country Club prepares to host the 2026 Presidents Cup. Scheduled for September 24 through September 27, the biennial match play competition features a formidable United States squad against an increasingly competitive International team. While the historical dominance of Team USA in this event is undeniable, this particular iteration introduces a fascinating layer of intrigue. Geoff Ogilvy, the captain of the International side, has spent the last few years completely transforming the very turf on which the matches will be contested.

Medinah has hosted legendary moments, including Tiger Woods staring down Sergio Garcia in 1999 and the dramatic European comeback during the 2012 Ryder Cup. However, the venue the players step onto this fall will look and play fundamentally differently than the course of the past.

2026 Presidents Cup

Reimagining Course No. 3: Strategic Width Replaces Penal Depth

For decades, Medinah Course No. 3 built its reputation as a classic American championship layout designed to punish errors. The design philosophy focused on narrow fairways, thick rough, and elevated features meant to restrict low scoring. That identity reached a breaking point during the 2019 BMW Championship, when Justin Thomas tore the course apart with a third-round 61 on his way to winning at 25 under par. It became evident that modern distance and equipment had rendered the old defenses obsolete.

In response, Medinah hired the Australian design firm OCM Golf, led by Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Cocking, and Ashley Mead. The course closed in late 2022 and reopened in the summer of 2024 after a radical overhaul that rejected the trend of simply adding more length.

Instead, OCM restored the Golden Age scale of Tom Bendelow’s original 1928 layout, focusing on strategic width and short grass around the greens. Fairways have been widened significantly, expanding to 40 or 50 meters across. The strategy shifts from forcing players to hit straight lines to forcing them to choose the correct angle off the tee to attack specific pin positions. Hundreds of trees were cleared, opening expansive sightlines across the property and restoring it to a savannah-style feel.

The most dramatic changes occur over the final six holes around Lake Kadijah. Previously, the lake was used primarily for repetitive par-3 shots directly over the water. OCM completely rerouted the closing stretch. The par-3 13th now runs parallel to the water. The 16th has been transformed into a short, drivable, Cape-style par-4 playing diagonally across the lake. The 17th is now an angled par-3 playing diagonally across the hazard, and the 18th has been restored to its original historical corridor. By incorporating short-grass runoff areas instead of heavy rough around the expanded green complexes, the course will reward creativity and precision, elements that excel in match-play.

2026 Presidents Cup

Team USA Bubble Watch: Snedeker’s Selection Dilemmas

United States Captain Brandt Snedeker oversees a standings list anchored by world number one Scottie Scheffler, who sits comfortably at the top of the points list. Joining Scheffler in the projected automatic top six are Cameron Young, Russell Henley, Ben Griffin, J.J. Spaun, and Collin Morikawa.

However, the real drama lies just outside the automatic cutoff line. Because the qualification period runs through late August, several prominent names are currently on the bubble and fighting for their spots.

Chris Gotterup and Jacob Bridgeman represent the younger guard pushing hard for an automatic berth, sitting at seventh and tenth in points, respectively. Meanwhile, major champions and seasoned team match play veterans find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Justin Thomas sits at eighth, needing a strong summer push to guarantee his spot without relying on a captain’s pick. Xander Schauffele, currently ninth, and Patrick Cantlay, languishing further down at fifteenth, are both under pressure to elevate their game.

Snedeker will have six captain’s picks to round out his 12-man squad, but if players like Thomas and Cantlay do not show consistent form, the captain will face difficult decisions about whether to trust historical match-play pedigrees or ride the hot hands of younger players.

International Team Bubble Watch: Ogilvy’s Inside Knowledge

On the International side, Geoff Ogilvy will look to leverage his deep understanding of the renovated course to field a highly tactical lineup. The top of the International standings features reliable stars like Si Woo Kim, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee, and Jason Day. Rising star Nico Echavarria and the evergreen Adam Scott round out the current top six automatic spots.

The bubble battle for the Internationals is equally fierce. Canadian star Corey Conners sits just outside the top six at number seven, aiming to solidify his place and bring his elite ball-striking to Chicago. Right behind him are New Zealand’s Ryan Fox at eighth and Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune at ninth.

Perhaps the most glaring name on the bubble is Nick Taylor, currently holding the tenth spot, alongside South Korea’s Sungjae Im at twelfth. Im has historically been a reliable engine for the International team, but his current positioning means he will either need a spectacular summer finish or rely on Ogilvy to use one of his six wildcards. Given that the newly designed course prioritizes angles and short-game ingenuity, Ogilvy might favor accurate ball-strikers and creative scramblers over pure power.

2026 Presidents Cup Betting Landscape: USA Favored, Value on the Visitors

Oddsmakers expect the historical trends to hold, opening the United States as a heavy favorite to retain the cup. The Americans have lost only once in the event’s history, back in 1998, and their depth remains unmatched on paper.