{"id":854953,"date":"2026-09-21T02:30:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T02:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/854953\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T02:30:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T02:30:20","slug":"ranking-all-24-presidents-cup-competitors-at-medinah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/854953\/","title":{"rendered":"Ranking all 24 Presidents Cup competitors at Medinah"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 16th Presidents Cup gets underway Thursday at Medinah Country Club\u2019s No. 3 Course outside of Chicago.<\/p>\n

The Americans have had a stronghold on this biennial team competition, winning 13 of the previous 15 editions while losing only once.<\/p>\n

The Internationals have at least one edge, considering their captain, Geoff Ogilvy, was part of the team that redesigned this course a few years ago.<\/p>\n

Before its redesign, Medinah No. 3 was the prototypical PGA Tour venue \u2013 hit it far, find it, hit it close, make a putt. While there is no tournament data for the new layout, it\u2019s reasonable to expect more of a premium to be placed on driving accuracy to set up the right angles into the green, short game and lag putting, as one notable new feature is more expansive putting surfaces. Recent rain has reportedly softened the course considerably, so perhaps angles will matter less if the greens remain receptive.<\/p>\n

The U.S. has the advantage off the tee, with four players ranked in the top 11 in total driving this season. The top International in that category is Min Woo Lee, at No. 18.<\/p>\n

The Internationals, however, do stack up well in strokes gained: approach with Si Woo Kim leading the PGA Tour this past season in that stat. Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa were Nos. 2-4, though Tom Kim, Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama were also top 25.<\/p>\n

But where the Americans might have the biggest edge is on the greens, as they boast four players in the top 13 in strokes gained: putting, including No. 1 Jacob Bridgeman.<\/p>\n

Recent form also goes to the home side, as Data Golf\u2019s trend table features eight American team members among its top 10, with Sungjae Im (eighth) being the only International team member on that list.<\/p>\n

On paper, this is shaping up to be one of the more lopsided Presidents Cups, which will only amplify those wanting major tweaks to this competition to make it more competitive.<\/p>\n

If the Internationals are to pull the upset, they will need their top players \u2013 both Kims, Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott \u2013 to lead the way, along with likely a rookie or two to overcome what is a sizable depth issue for the visitors. The U.S., meanwhile, has plenty of paths to more points. But who will earn them?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s our ranking of who will be the most impactful players of this year\u2019s Presidents Cup, and who won\u2019t:<\/p>\n

24. Nico Echavarria: It\u2019s a minor miracle he found a place on this team considering he has just three top-25s since winning at PGA National in early March. He\u2019s below average in length and on approach, so it\u2019s very likely, with no previous experience, he plays just two sessions.<\/p>\n

23. Nick Taylor: It\u2019s surprising he hasn\u2019t received a Presidents Cup nod until now, though he probably wishes he was in better form for his debut. He owns no finish better than T-25 since mid-May, as he\u2019s especially struggled with the irons.<\/p>\n

22. Ryan Fox: He\u2019s failed to build on his Open Championship victory, and his inaccuracy with the driver \u2013 plus blazing fast pace \u2013 might keep him from playing foursomes.<\/p>\n

21. Corey Conners: It was a down year, particularly with the irons, as Conners finished 41st in strokes gained: approach. Combine that with a terrible 2-7 record, including 0-3 in fourballs, and Conners is a risky pick to earn points. My prediction is for the first time ever, Conners plays fewer than four sessions.<\/p>\n

20. Cameron Young: Went 1-2-1 in his only previous Presidents Cup, in 2022, and enters this week struggling with the irons and putter. He finished T-37 or worse in three of his final four starts. While he could reunite with Morikawa in foursomes, he will likely have a short leash with so many options at Brandt Snedeker\u2019s disposal.<\/p>\n

19. Jacob Bridgeman: He was probably off the team until a solo ninth at the BMW, which he followed with a T-4 at East Lake \u2013 and then on Sunday, a victory in Asheville. Considering the depth and talent of the U.S. squad, Bridgeman will likely be a three-session guy unless he has a strong first day.<\/p>\n

18. Ryo Hisatsune: Makes his debut on the heels of a T-12 at BMW. He\u2019s strong with the irons, and many will want to see the all-Japanese pairing of him and Matsuyama. If he can hitch his wagon to the stalwart, he may get a point or two out of it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"2024<\/p>\n

MONTREAL, QUEBEC – SEPTEMBER 26: Adam Scott of Australia and the International Team lines up a putt on the 16th green ahead of Min Woo Lee of Australia during Thursday\u2019s Four-ball matches on day one of the 2024 Presidents Cup at The Royal Montreal Golf Club on September 26, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

17. Min Woo Lee: Medinah should fit him better than most of the Internationals. He\u2019s long, chips it well and makes tons of birdies. That said, he played just two sessions in his debut two years ago (0-1-1) and might not crack the foursomes rotation again. His T-4 at East Lake snapped a run of three events finishing T-47 or worse.<\/p>\n

16. Wyndham Clark: Won three times this year behind much improved putting and approach play, and while he went 1-2-1 in Montreal, he didn\u2019t exactly have the best partners. He might not be needed in foursomes, as he sprays it off the tee more than what is ideal, but his birdie rate (second behind Scheffler) will get him the nod in fourballs; it just remains to be seen with whom.<\/p>\n

15. Christiaan Bezuidenhout: This is his third appearance, and he\u2019s been a pleasant surprise so far in this competition (3-1-1). He must play more, considering he\u2019s one of the best putters and chippers on the team. His form isn\u2019t amazing, but three finishes of T-21 or better in his last six starts isn\u2019t terrible either.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"GOLF:<\/p>\n

MONTREAL, QC – SEPTEMBER 29: Team USA golfer Collin Morikawa celebrates with the Presidents Cup trophy after the US won the 2024 Presidents Cup at The Royal Montreal Golf Club on September 29, 2024 at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, QC (Photo by Vincent Ethier\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n

14. Sam Burns: Fell victim to a rough week from Scheffler in 2022, but Burns bounced back to go 3-0-1 in Montreal. He seems to be a secondary foursomes option, which limits his points upside, but he\u2019s among the best putters on either team, and his three top-7s on major venues this year show he can ball-strike properly on elite tests as well.<\/p>\n

13. Chris Gotterup: He\u2019s second-best in the field in strokes gained: off the tee, and though he has a propensity to be a bit wild, I still give him the edge over the rookies, as well as Clark, Burns and perhaps even Young in terms of being able to contribute in both team formats. To me, Bridgeman is an intriguing foursomes partner, while Clark makes the most sense in fourballs.<\/p>\n

12. Jackson Koivun: Much will be expected of the young star, though like Bridgeman, there could be limited opportunity as a rookie. The promising news for Koivun is that Thomas needs a new partner, and Koivun seems like a great fit. As Thomas goes, so does Koivun in this scenario.<\/p>\n

11. Justin Thomas: He\u2019s never not played all five sessions in three previous appearances, compiling an impressive 10-3-2 record in the process. While he posted only two top-10s this year and failed to make it to East Lake, he was fairly consistent with just one missed cut (in his return from injury at Bay Hill) and a slew of top-25s (nine in his last dozen starts). He won the 2019 BMW here, and despite the significant changes, the revamp arguably transformed No. 3 into a more favorable course for Thomas, who led the PGA Tour in strokes gained: around the green this year. It\u2019s worth noting, however, that he\u2019s played 12 team sessions in this event, though zero with current teammates. Don\u2019t be surprised if Koivun becomes his new partner.<\/p>\n

10. Adam Scott: He\u2019s trending nicely with four straight top-16s coming into this event, and his 23 career points (20-28-6) have him third all-time, first among internationals. He\u2019s also gone five sessions in three straight Presidents Cups. Will that continue? The Matsuyama experiment looks to be over, and among Scott\u2019s 18 partners, Lee is the only one aside from Matsuyama on this team. But he probably still plays five times out of necessity unless one of the rookies breaks out.<\/p>\n

9. Russell Henley: Being Scheffler\u2019s partner of choice boosts Henley\u2019s stock considerably. But Henley finished the season strong with a T-4 at East Lake, one of four top-12s in his last six starts. Even if he won\u2019t play all five sessions, his 3-1 record from two years ago seems repeatable.<\/p>\n

8. Sungjae Im: He\u2019s heating up with five top-15s in his last six starts of the season. That stretch has seen much improved iron play, and the short game and putting are among the best on either side. He\u2019s gone 3-6-1 since his 3-1-1 debut in 2019 while pairing with seven different partners. Ranking 99th in birdie average isn\u2019t great, but he\u2019s still better than several teammates, and if he performs well the first two days, it may be hard for Geoff Ogilvy to sit him.<\/p>\n

7. Patrick Cantlay: Has been one of the best approach players on the planet this summer, and his T-8, T-12, runner-up stretch before the Tour Championship (T-21) locked up his fourth Presidents Cup appearance. He\u2019s played mostly with Schauffele, with whom he shares a 10-4 overall record in all formats, but he teamed with Burns to go 2-0 in fourballs two years ago.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"2024<\/p>\n

MONTREAL, QUEBEC – SEPTEMBER 28: Tom Kim of the International Team celebrates with teammate Si Woo Kim after a birdie on the 14th hole during Four-Ball matches on day three of the 2024 Presidents Cup at The Royal Montreal Golf Club on September 28, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Keyur Khamar\/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

6. Tom Kim: Yet to have a winning record in two Presidents Cup starts (3-5-1 overall), but he\u2019s showed great form since winning the Scottish Open and should reunite with Si Woo Kim, the International team\u2019s top player, perhaps for all four team sessions.<\/p>\n

5. Xander Schauffele: It\u2019s hard to argue he\u2019s still not one of the stars of the U.S. team. His ball-striking has been trending very nicely, even if he tailed off in the playoffs, culminating with a T-14 at the Tour Championship. The one area of concern is he\u2019s played 11 team sessions in his Presidents Cup career, nine with Cantlay and two with Tony Finau. If they struggle (Schauffele is 68th in birdie average, second-worst on U.S. team), perhaps both get sat a session, though Schauffele has sat just once in three appearances (10-4).<\/p>\n

4. Hideki Matsuyama: This will be his seventh Presidents Cup, and he\u2019s played five sessions in three of the previous six appearances, including each of the past two. He and Im appear to be a lock to team in foursomes, though there is still a question whom Matsuyama will play with in fourballs. He\u2019s a great fit for this golf course, particularly considering he\u2019s the best chipper in this field and can pair that with what could be an absurdly good ball-striking week.<\/p>\n

3. Si Woo Kim: He was the best approach player on the PGA Tour this year and ranked fourth in birdie average, the only international player ranked better than 25th. He\u2019s going to be leaned on \u2013 and likely alongside Tom Kim; the Internationals found something on that Saturday in Montreal, where the two Kims went 1-1 and generated a much-needed spark.<\/p>\n

2. Collin Morikawa: Had it not been for a springtime back injury, Morikawa might\u2019ve had more to show for this year. Still, he posted seven top-7s, including his Pebble win, and advanced to the Tour Championship. The iron play will need to be better than it was at East Lake if Morikawa wants to repeat his 4-1 performance from Montreal. If it is, he will likely go all five sessions as he\u2019s perhaps the most interchangeable partner on the U.S. team. He\u2019s also third in birdie average, which makes him a fourball threat, likely alongside Scheffler for one of the sessions.<\/p>\n

1. Scottie Scheffler: He bounced back from his disappointing Presidents Cup debut at Quail Hollow to go 3-2 in Montreal. There\u2019s little doubt the world No. 1 will go all five sessions again. He ranked eighth or better in each of the four major strokes-gained categories this year. With regular partner Henley in good form, too, expect at least 2.5 team points from Scheffler.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"2026<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The Presidents Cup tees off on Sept. 24 as the United States and the International squads go head-to-head at Medinah Country Club in the biennial competition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 16th Presidents Cup gets underway Thursday at Medinah Country Club\u2019s No. 3 Course outside of Chicago. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":854954,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[427,99],"class_list":["post-854953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=854953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854953\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/854954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=854953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=854953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=854953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}