[Photo: Sarah Stier]
Captains Brandt Snedeker and Geoff Ogilvy have announced their pairings for the opening session of the 2026 Presidents Cup.
On Wednesday night in Chicago, the leaders of the American and International squads rolled out the 10 players from their sides that will be competing on the opening day at Medinah Country Club. The first format is four-ball (best ball). Among the notable pairings are Justin Thomas taking breakout performer Jackson Koivun under his wing, friends Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns teaming up, and Cam Young and Xander Schauffele joining forces.
RELATED: Complete guide to the 2026 Presidents Cup
“Jackson being a young kid, I feel like he’s really kind of found his way on our team really quickly. I feel like he’s handled the adjustment really well. Justin is just a natural pairing for him,” Snedeker said. “He’s somebody he’s comfortable with. I think he’ll do a great job putting his arm around him and show him how USA golf is meant to be played. I know he’s excited to see him, but think we’re really excited about all these match-ups and put this line-up out.”
For the Internationals, they will be leaning on Adam Scott and Ryan Fox, with the duo of Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim hoping to provide a spark.
“These tournaments, I think everyone comes into these tournaments with optimism. They’re very momentum-based tournaments,” Ogilvy said. “I mean, Montreal [two years ago] was an amazing first two days. 0-5 was a disaster for us, and then 5-0 was a big success. You could never have predicted that, where it takes a long time to get to this stage. We’ve been thinking about this for a long time. So we’re just excited to get going.”
RELATED: ‘It’d be fantastic’: Adam Scott driving Presidents Cup tilt
Jacob Bridgeman and Russell Henley will be the two players sidelined for the United States, while Nick Taylor and Christiaan Bezuidenhout are on the bench for the Internationals.
The United States has lost just once in the 32-year history of the Presidents Cup, falling in 1998 in Melbourne. The Internationals were competitive at the 2015 and 2019 matches, yet the past two have been blowouts, with the Americans winning by five points in 2022 and seven points in 2024. The Yankees are again heavy favourites this week in Chicago thanks to the frontline power of world No.1 Scottie Scheffler, Cam Young and reigning US Open champion Wyndham Clark, with Russell Henley, Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns and Xander Schauffele also ranked inside the top 10 world ranking. The Internationals do have veterans in Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama and Si Woo Kim, with the man who captured the claret jug in Ryan Fox also in the mix, yet the team’s depth will be tested over the four-day competition.
Match 1: Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im vs Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns
What to watch: One International pairing had to serve as sacrificial lambs for the opening of this competition, and that task seemingly falls to Sungjae Im and Min Woo Lee. Two years ago in Montreal, the duo combined for all of 1½ points. Burns (3½) and Scheffler (3) each doubled that. Scheffler, the world No.1, and Burns (No.8) have been thought of as a “buddy” team, but they didn’t play one time together at Royal Montreal. And maybe that’s because they’re 0-3-1 in team international play. Crazy to think Snedeker is taking a chance here, but maybe? – Tod Leonard
Match 2: Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune vs Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele
What to watch: This is arguably the best Thursday pairing for the Americans. In 14 career Presidents Cup matches Schauffele has scored a whopping 10 points, while Young is coming off a career year that has him No.3 in the OWGR and the Medinah set-up should be tailored to his skills. Matsuyama is a workhorse for the Internationals, but getting paired with a rookie in Hisatsune – who is good, yet doesn’t do anything particularly great – against this US firepower might be too much to overcome. Managing a tie would be considered a monumental upset for the Internationals. – Joel Beall
OPINION: Prepare for another Presidents Cup shellacking
Match 3: Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria vs Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun
What to watch: Conners is one of the best ball-strikers in the world, but it hasn’t translated to the Presidents Cup, where he’s recorded just two points in nine matches. Echavarria has shown the ability to go low, however, so this might be a more formidable pairing than it looks on paper. This will definitely be the pairing to watch on the US front with the spotlight on Koivun. The fledging star was the talk of the sport during the northern summer, although he didn’t appear to have his best during Wednesday’s practice round, spraying some shots and struggling around the greens. Which makes it all the more imperative that he’s with Thomas, who (along with Schauffele) has been as dependable as it gets for the US. Expect this match to be closely contested. – Joel Beall
Match 4: Ryan Fox and Adam Scott vs Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa
What to watch: Fox pulled off one of the gutsiest performances of the year at Royal Birkdale and is coming off an impressive T-6 at the BMW PGA Championship. It’s exactly the type of player Adam Scott (a co-runner-up at the BMW) has desperately needed in his years in this event, where he’s still searching for his first victory. But this first match will be a challenge; Clark’s been one of the best players in golf in the past six months and despite managing a back issue for most of the year Morikawa was still ninth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained. For the Internationals to have any hope, this is a match they have to win. – Joel Beall
Match 5: Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim vs Patrick Cantlay and Chris Gotterup
What to watch: Not surprising that the Korean pair, who have teamed well in past Presidents Cups, are batting clean-up for the International team. Ogilvy is looking to score the last point of the day to perhaps build some momentum. Cantlay and Gotterup played together on Wednesday, and the stoic Cantlay will undoubtedly be a calming influence for the rookie. – Dave Shedloski
