The Presidents Cup is an extremely unique event that was conceived by the PGA Tour in 1994.
The best American players compete against the best international players outside of Europe. The US side has been extremely dominant in the event’s 30-year history, having only failed to win on two occasions.
Heading into the 2026 event, the United States are the defending champions, after an 18.5-11.5 victory at Royal Montreal Golf Club. Team USA is unbeaten since 1998, where the International Team took their only victory at Royal Melbourne. Medinah Country Club, the site of the 2012 Ryder Cup and the ‘Miracle at Medinah’, is host this year.
In 2026, the 12-man sides will compete across four days of exciting team match play, which is arguably the most exciting format for players to play and for fans and spectators to watch.
Geoff Ogilvy is leading the International side and Brandt Snedeker is leading the American side. We almost have the event mapped out here, but we have some answers below to the most-asked questions online about the Presidents Cup.
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Presidents Cup preview 2026
Where is the Presidents Cup?
The Presidents Cup is being played at Medinah Country Club, Illinois, United States, from September 24 to September 27. Medinah No.3 has hosted three US Opens, two PGA Championships and the 2012 Ryder Cup since its opening in 1928. The course was designed originally by Tom Bendelow and has a curse record of 61, shot by Justin Thomas in the 2019 BMW Championship.
When is the next Presidents Cup and where will it be held?
The next Presidents Cup will be held in Australia in 2028, with Kingston Heath Golf Club, Melbourne hosting the tournament. Australia has held the Presidents Cup three times, but this marks the first edition of the event not hosted by Royal Melbourne.
In 2030, the tournament will be back in the United States, at Bellerive Country Club, Missouri. The venue has hosted five major championships alongside the 2026 BMW Championship.
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Who is playing in the Presidents Cup?
12 American players and 12 International players are teeing it up this year at Medinah. Similar to the Ryder Cup, both teams have six automatic qualifiers, while captain’s Brandt Snedeker and Geoff Ogilvy round out their teams with six captains picks. The 24 players selected by the two teams are listed below:
Team USA: Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Russell Henley, Collin Morikawa, Chris Gotterup, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Jackson Koivun and Jacob Bridgeman.
Internationals: Si Woo Kim, Hideki Matsuyama, Ryan Fox, Tom Kim, Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott, Sungjae Im, Nico Echavarria, Corey Connors, Nick Taylor, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Ryo Hisatsune.
Amongst the two teams, a third of the players are major champions, with Wyndham Clark and Ryan Fox reigning winners of the US Open and the Open respectively. World number one Scottie Scheffler will lead the US team on the back of his second FedEx Cup title, while 21-year-old phenom Jackson Koivun is one of three US debutants, despite only turning professional in July.
Adam Scott will make a record 12th Presidents Cup appearance and sits only one behind Phil Mickelson in all time matches played in the tournament, with 54. Geoff Ogilvy has four rookies in his team for 2026
How does the tournament work?
On day one, there are five fourball matches where each team plays in pairs. Therefore, there are five points up for grabs in the first session. Session two begins on day two where there are five foursomes matches.
On day three, there is a set of four foursomes matches in the morning and four fourball matches in the afternoon. On the final day, like the Ryder Cup, there are 12 singles matches.
How many points to win the Presidents Cup?
There are 30 points up for grabs throughout the week, so the Presidents Cup is essentially a race to 15.5 points.
Can LIV players play?
PGA Tour members who have moved to LIV Golf were suspended by the tour. As the Presidents Cup is a PGA Tour event, the suspensions have essentially slammed the door on players who moved to LIV Golf and their prospects of competing in the event.
This will leave the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann unable to compete at Medinah. For DeChambeau, he will have to wait until next year’s Ryder Cup at Adare Manor for a chance to represent the United States.
How often is the event?
The Presidents Cup is played every two years in even years. This was the case from its opening tournament in 1994 until 2002, where it was pushed back a year following the postponement of the 2001 Ryder Cup. The Covid-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the 2020 Ryder Cup, pushing the Presidents Cup back into even-numbered years, where it remained from 2022 onwards.
What countries play in the event?
It goes without saying that American players play for Team USA. The Internationals team is where things get interesting. European players aren’t eligible, so that leaves any other country. The Internationals have had players compete from several different nations such as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Korea, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Fiji, Argentina, Zimbabwe, Paraguay, Thailand, China, Colombia, Chile, Chinese Taipei and Venezuela.
This year’s International team will feature players from seven nations: Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and Colombia.
NOW READ: Which players are headed to Medinah for the 2026 Presidents Cup?
NOW READ: Where to watch the Presidents Cup: A TV Guide to the action at Medinah Country Club
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