International team captain Geoff Ogilvy revealed that his Presidents Cup wish to have the likes of Australian LIV pair Cameron Smith and Lucas Herbert take on the Americans at Medinah later this month was once again denied.
With LIV Golf’s future in a state of flux, Ogilvy asked the question of the PGA Tour hierarchy after having done so “two years ago and last year” as well, but did not receive the answer he was looking for.
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“Yeah I asked it a few times,” the 2006 US Open champion, who also announced that he will play this summer’s Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship, told Australian media on Tuesday morning.
“I asked it two years ago when this job started – ‘is there going to be any chance?’. ‘Well, it’s not going to be no chance but we have to see it how it unfolds’.
“I guess it just hasn’t unfolded to the point where they’re ready to, sort of, let that happen.”
Elvis Smylie, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith and Lucas Herbert of Ripper GC pose for a team photo with their LIV Team trophies during day four of LIV Adelaide at The Grange Golf Club on February 15, 2026 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Unlike the Ryder Cup, where Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton all featured in New York last year because it is co-owned by the PGA of America and the DP World Tour, the Presidents Cup is owned by the PGA Tour and therefore LIV golfers are prohibited.
This will be the third edition of the battle between the International team and the US team since LIV Golf emerged and significantly weakened the former given half the team from the 2019 edition at Royal Melbourne jumped ship to LIV.
Australia’s Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee are on Ogilvy’s team, but the 49-year-old would have loved to have had Smith and Herbert at his disposal, particularly after the latter shoot a record equalling 62 on his way to a tied sixth finish at The Open in July.
Ogilvy is hopeful that when the Presidents Cup returns to Australia at Kingston Heath in 2028 more of the nation’s stars will be eligible for selection.
Team U.S.A. Captain, Brandt Snedeker, and Team International Captain, Geoff Ogilvy of Australia, hold the Presidents Cup together at Medinah Country Club on April 28, 2025, in Medinah, Illinois. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)Source: Supplied
“Trevor Immelman’s year (as captain), 2022 in Charlotte, he got very, very unlucky,” Ogilvy said.
“That was a month before the tournament we lost three or four guys who would have been in the team.
“I feel like our side, the Internationals, got hurt a little harder than the US team did.
“I mean they lost some good players as well, but it wasn’t an option this year.
“It’s a great unknown LIV’s future at this point. So, in the future, it’d be great to see whatever comes out of it at the end of this that every International player, and every US player to be fair, is available to play this tournament.
“Because it’s a great tournament and it would be great if you had the whole pool of talent to pick from.”
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Ogilvy, whose company did the redesign of this year’s host course Medinah, also revealed that fellow Australian Jason Day rejected his offer to become a player’s assistant after injury cruelled his hopes of playing in a sixth Presidents Cup.
The former world No.1 withdrew midway through the opening round of this year’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills with a back injury.
The 2015 PGA Championship winner battled through three more events for the PGA Tour season, including a missed cut at The Open at Royal Birkdale, in last ditch attempt to keep his 17-year streak of making the FedEx Cup playoffs alive.
Ogilvy thought now would be the perfect time to bring Day into the fold behind the scenes, but the 38-year-old has opted to instead take the time to focus on his rehabilitation.
“I actually asked Jason if he would like to and he said he’d rather focus on his rehab of his back,” Ogilvy said.
“So, I certainly thought he could bring a lot of value to the team because of his experience and who he is.
“But yeah, he’s just chosen to look after himself, which is good, as he should. He needs to get himself squared away.”
NEWTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA – MAY 12: Jason Day of Australia looks on during a practice round prior to the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on May 12, 2026 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
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Earlier in the year, Day appeared a certainty to gain one of the six automatic qualifying spots, or at least a captain’s pick – which were announced last week.
But Ogilvy revealed the toll of Day’s back issue, which led to his fall out of the world top 150 as recently as 2022, was too great to take part in a playing capacity.
“It was tough. I started speaking to Jason probably in June when he’d first pulled out of a couple of tournament, or I think he pulled up lame from the US Open,” Ogilvy said.
“He played the week after and didn’t play very well. He sought of limped through for a couple of months. He teed it up a couple of times. He was chasing the playoffs and he was chasing the Presidents Cup team.
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“Ultimately, I chatted to him three or four times through that stretch and I was pretty clear that I would love him to be fit because Jason Day is obviously a world-class player. Really impressive in the match play format and he was great in Montreal in ‘24.
“Ultimately, he needs to do a genuine rehab on his back and it’s very difficult to go into a tournament like this because you need all 12 players to play the singles.
“It’s a long week and it’s tiring, and if he’s half way through his rehab, I didn’t want to jeopardise his rehab, and it’s very risky to have a player who can’t really go out and play in the singles.
“You can’t nurse the guy through this week. It was tough. We talked a lot about it. He’s disappointed, but he’s mostly disappointed about it not looking after him like he wanted to because he was playing great.
“He had a great week at The Masters and it was all looking pretty good.”