Snedeker wants Americans to feel
they're starting over in a Presidents Cup they always win
[September 22, 2026]
By DOUG FERGUSON
MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) — The Americans broke into three groups on a
light day of practice Monday at Medinah, all of them looking
comfortable and trading occasional barbs. The Presidents Cup always
seems to feel like a happy occasion, and for good reason: They
almost never lose.
There was that one loss in Australia when the matches were so late
in the year that the U.S. players spent most of their time online
shopping for the holidays until they realized they were in a hole so
deep there was no way out except to suffer a big loss.
That was 26 years ago. Three of the 24 players in this Presidents
Cup weren't even born the last time — the only time — the
Internationals won.
Should anyone expect Medinah to be different?
“It's the elephant in the room you have to address,” U.S. captain
Brandt Snedeker said. “Just because these last teams have been
successful doesn't mean we're going to be successful. We have to
reset the bar for our team, tell them we have a standard to play to
and we're 0-0. These 12 guys have accomplished nothing. We're going
to hammer that into them.”
Each edition of the Presidents Cup brings new hope for the
Internationals, a team that draws players from every continent
except Europe. The depth favors the Americans, with all but two of
their players inside the top 25 in the world ranking.
The exceptions are Patrick Cantlay (No. 28), who has proven to be
their best clutch player in these team competitions; and Jackson
Koivun, the 21-year-old who three months ago was helping Auburn to
another NCAA title.
Koivun, the No. 1 amateur in the world, won in his third start on
the PGA Tour as a pro and Snedeker found him too compelling to pass
up. Koivun becomes the first player since Jordan Spieth in 2013 to
start a year without a PGA Tour card and end it with the Presidents
Cup.
The thinking was similar to when Europe chose Ludvig Aberg, who went
from college to the Ryder Cup without ever having played in a major.
Europe figured he would be part of every team for years to come and
it was good to give him a taste.
Snedeker bristled at the idea that the Presidents Cup would be a
good experience for Koivun for the Ryder Cup in 2027 and beyond.
“Our job as captain and vice captains for the Presidents Cup it put
the best 12 players on the field,” Snedeker said. “To sit there and
think this is a training session is laughable. I've worked 14 months
for this opportunity. I'm not going to put somebody in a situation
that's not going to help our team win. I feel he gives us a better
chance to win.”
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USA teams' Scottie Scheffler practices on the fifth hole prior to
the start of the Presidents Cup golf tournament against the
International team at Medinah Country Club, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026,
in Medinah, Ill. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
The highest-ranked player for Geoff Ogilvy's team
is Si Woo Kim, who rose to No. 14 in the world by becoming the first
player to earn $10 million in a PGA Tour season without winning.
Among the four rookies on his team is 39-year-old Ryan Fox, the New
Zealander who showed his mettle when he won the British Open with a
birdie on the last hole.
And then there's Adam Scott, who ties a Presidents
Cup record held by Phil Mickelson by playing for the 12th time. The
Australian has yet to be on the winning side. His debut in 2003 was
in South Africa when it ended in a tie.
“I've been given another chance. It might be the last one,” the
46-year-old Scott said. “I'm more excited this year than
previously.”
The biggest hurdle for Ogilvy, the 2006 U.S. Open champion, and his
International team is history. It came down to the final match in
South Korea in 2015, and in Virginia in 2005. Far too often it has
been an American runaway.
“Clearly winning something for the first time — the first time in a
very long time — it's probably more difficult than if you're winning
all the time,” Ogilvy said. “But we're getting closer all the time.”
Perhaps one advantage for the Internationals is playing at Medinah.
They have never won on American soil, but it was Ogilvy's design
company (OCM) that was chosen to renovate the course.
Nine players this week were at Medinah for the 2019 BMW
Championship. Snedeker and three of his assistants were at the 2012
Ryder Cup. But this is an entirely different Medinah, and no one
knows it better than the guy who designed it.
“We have an advantage right now,” Ogilvy said two weeks ago when he
announced his captain's picks. "By the time we get to Thursday
morning, I think the advantage will be gone. Professional golfers
are very good at learning a golf course.
“Hopefully there will be a little advantage. The boys will get a
little shot of confidence because their captain built the course,”
he said. “It could be more psychological than real. But we'll see.”
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