International team captain Geoff Ogilvy may have redesigned the course for this week’s Presidents Cup, but Medinah’s famous No.3 course is almost unrecognisable right now to the 2006 US Open champion.

Ogilvy’s company OCM Golf under took the project at the Chicago venue to make the host of the 2012 Ryder Cup, and of five major championships, more like the iconic Melbourne Sandbelt.

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Ogilvy and his crew wanted to see the golf ball bouncing and running forward.

Pitch marks on the greens and the target golf so common on the PGA Tour would be sacrilegious.

But that is exactly what is in store when play in this year’s Presidents Cup begins on Friday morning Australian time.

“Unfortunately, it’s playing soft. We’re not going to see the real test I think that they built this week,” Australian veteran Adam Scott told reporters at Medinah on Tuesday.

Adam Scott of Australia speaks to the media during a press conference prior to the Presidents Cup 2026 at Medinah Country Club on September 22, 2026. (Photo by Luke Hales / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP

Ogilvy agreed with his countryman in his own press conference.

“I mean, look, from an architecture standpoint, I would love to see it play firm. We built it to play firm, and golf courses play their best when the ball rolls a little bit when it lands. It’s a bit more interesting,” he said.

In both the Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup, the host team has the chance to work with the greenkeepers to set up the golf course how they believe will best suit their team.

The Americans were widely ridiculed last year for taking the teeth out of New York beast Bethpage Black by widening the fairways, softening the greens and taking whipper snippers to the notoriously thick rough.

This time around, even though the softer conditions undoubtedly suit the Americans, they cannot be completely to blame.

Chicago has copped downpour after downpour in recent times.

The Windy City endured its wettest summer in eight years.

“It would take a drastic dry-out to see this place get to the intention of the design. The intention of this design was to have a ball run in the fairways, into the greens, bouncing around and kind of letting these slopes do their thing,” US team captain Brandt Snedeker told reporters at Medinah on Tuesday.

“With the amount of rain we’ve had the last ten days, it’s going to be really difficult for this golf course to dry out. It’s going to be a really hard barometer of a week of how difficult this golf course can play.”

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Adam Scott of Australia and the International Team plays his shot from the first tee prior to the Presidents Cup 2026 at Medinah Country Club on September 22, 2026. (Photo by Michael Reaves / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP

Despite the disappointment of the weather gods not playing ball, the Internationals are not letting the course conditions dampen their spirits.

Ogilvy is hoping for the sun to come out, but believes right now there are still several nuances where his insider knowledge can give the underdogs a leg up.

“Look, I think it’s going to firm up. There’s a fair bit of drainage out there. It took two-and-a-half inches (of rain) on the weekend, so it’s going to take a while,” Ogilvy said.

“It played very long, and with the cold temperatures, the cooler temperatures it’s not cold for Chicago, but cooler – it played very long and a little bit soft. I think it will firm up.

“The greens are very quick, and I think where you miss it’s going to still be very important. Some of the stuff we built out there is still going to have some interest, I think, when it’s soft.”

Captain Geoff Ogilvy of Australia and the International Team speaks to the media during a press conference prior to the Presidents Cup 2026 at Medinah Country Club on September 22, 2026. (Photo by Luke Hales / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP

While Scott is certainly optimistic as he chases a breakthrough triumph in a record 12th Presidents Cup appearance.

“I think it’s going to present really well anyway,” he said of the course.

“And in fairness it’s held up really well considering how much rain it’s had. I think it’s going to be exciting because there’s a lot of birdie opportunities with it playing soft like this.”

Scott is well-placed to unleash a birdie barrage on Medinah.

The 46-year-old enjoyed an ideal tune-up on the other side of the Atlantic last week by sharing second place at the DP World Tour’s flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in England.

Scott finished two shots back from winner J.J. Spaun, who was curiously left off the US team, and finished 15-under par across 72 holes.

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Match play is a sprint, not a marathon, however, and the 2013 Masters champion showed that he can catch alight with a run of eight birdies in ten holes during his second round.

“Yeah, look, I feel like my game has been in good shape throughout the year and I played reasonably well in the (FedEx Cup) playoffs recently. But of course coming in off a good week last week at Wentworth is nice for the confidence, that’s for sure,” Scott said.

“I still feel my game’s in good shape and makes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday here a little more stress-free for me, just doing what I, you know, need to do to keep loose and not really searching for too much. Because I’ve been in that position too and there’s stress and anxiety leading up to Thursday and I feel like I’ve got that under control this week.”

Scott cannot go a Presidents Cup press conference without the topic of the Internationals’ infamous drought being raised.

Their only win in the biennial event came at Royal Melbourne in 1998.

Scott debuted in a famous tie in South Africa in 2003, but has been on the wrong side every other occasion since.

Assistant captain Trevor Immelman of South Africa and the International Team and Adam Scott of Australia and the International Team walks on the second green prior to the Presidents Cup 2026 at Medinah Country Club on September 22, 2026. (Photo by Michael Reaves / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP

The current crop of Internationals, including the likes of Australia’s Min Woo Lee, are motivated to finally deliver a victory for Scott and fellow veteran, and green jacket winner, Hideki Matsuyama.

This is the 34-year-old’s seventh Presidents Cup appearance and during a dinner with Scott in his home country in 2024, the pair had to talk about one big thing on their minds.

“I remember two years ago soon after Canada — actually, we were in Japan and we had dinner and we talked about how much we want to win this together. Hideki has kind of been like my little brother,” Scott said with a laugh.

“In this event since 2013 we’ve been playing together. For both of us I think a victory would be so sweet. It’s been some difficult close calls and some really tough weeks in the Presidents Cup, but like I said before, I mean, this is such a great opportunity for both of us this week, another chance to win the Presidents Cup. I know we’ll both be trying so hard to win some points.”