The 16th Presidents Cup began Thursday outside Chicago with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler leading off for the United States.
The 2026 Presidents Cup began Thursday on the No. 3 Course at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago, opening the tournament with five four-ball matches between the United States and the International team. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns led off for the Americans against South Korea’s Im Sung-jae and Australia’s Min Woo Lee.
The biennial event pits 12 American golfers against 12 players representing the rest of the world excluding Europe. Half of each 24-man roster qualified automatically before captains Brandt Snedeker and Geoff Ogilvy locked in their remaining pairings. The U.S. team entered the week seeking an 11th consecutive victory, having lost only once since the tournament debuted in 1994, though an AFP report noted the Internationals are chasing their first win since 1988.
Scheffler, a four-time major winner and PGA Tour FedEx Cup playoff champion, entered the competition trying to improve his record in team golf. Scheffler said he believes excess effort might be hurting his results in the format. No golfer on the current American roster has lost more Presidents Cup matches than Scheffler, though Snedeker insisted before play that it’s important not to burden Team USA’s talisman. Burns, his opening partner, finished as the runner-up at the U.S. Open.
The American lineup also features Jackson Koivun, who made his team debut as the youngest player on Snedeker’s roster. Teammate Xander Schauffele said before the matches that his personal mission was trying to make Koivun laugh during the week. Meanwhile, two-time U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark was scheduled to tee off at 1:29 p.m. alongside Collin Morikawa. Clark, who damaged two lockers at Oakmont during the 2025 U.S. Open and received a ban from that club, posed in Chicago before the event with girlfriend Emily Tanner beside the 28-pound tournament trophy, which is crafted in 24-carat gold vermeil over sterling silver.
