Presidents Cup: It’s a match, so far

Writing from Medinah, Illinois

Thursday, September 24, 2026

Any questions about the thirst of the golf fans of Chicago for big-time competition were answered before noon at Medinah Country Club on this slightly blustery day.

Spectators by the thousands first packed the first tee grandstand for the opening ceremony and first pairings in the 16th Presidents Cup, then strung out along the fairways for the five first-day matches.

If a menu that thin brought out a multitude estimated by this correspondent at about 18,000, imagine the weekend, when there will be a pair of sessions on Saturday and a full run of singles on Sunday.

The interest in the competition was the big question entering the week. The question then became whether or not the International squad could make it competitive.

So far, the answer is yes. The Americans hold a 3-2 lead going into Friday’s alternate shot competition, and it was nearly a 2.5-2.5 tie but for a late rally by the first pair out, Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns. Each birdied the par-4 17th – the third hole in the regular rotation on No. 3 – while Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im each bogeyed.

The teams of Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun, by 4 and 3 over Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria, and Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa by 3 and 2 over Ryan Fox and Adam Scott, also scored American victories.

The Internationals collected points in the 3 and 1 victory of Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune over Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele, and the 3 and 2 success of Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim over Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay.

The quality of play was high. Lee birdied the second through fifth holes and scored 4-under 66 – with the usual concessions – on the par-70 layout. Scheffler countered with a 65, his last birdie coming on the 14th hole. That was the only match to go the distance.

The margin was music to the ears of International captain Geoff Ogilvy, who recalled the last opening day in Montreal, a 5-0 American sweep.

“I saw a lot of good golf out there,” Ogilvy said. “Two-three their way is not too bad. We had a couple of really good solid matches there, and we had a match go up to 18, which would have been nice if it went the other way, but 2-3, we'll take that. The boys have a round under their belt now.

“It sounds like the course played a little tougher today than they were expecting, a little bit firmer. So we'll just get a plan for tomorrow and look forward to that.”

“We just did our best to stay in it,” Scheffler said of his match. “I felt like both teams got off to pretty hot starts today and we cooled off a little bit off that.”

Burns’ quality approach to 14 from 173 yards to inside three feet won that hole to square the match, and Scheffler’s 33-footer to tap-in range on the 17th put the U.S. duo ahead.

For American captain Brandt Snedeker, the opening session was a decent start.

“I saw those guys competing their asses off out there,” Snedeker said. “These guys know what they're doing, best golfers in the world. We're just going to get them in a position that we think they can be successful in and make sure they get plenty of rest. It's going to be a long week.”

Longer, perhaps, than those in the American contingent expected.

Kim-Kim combo clicks

The question Tom Kim had after his 3 and 2 win with Si Woo Kim was whether they would be paired together again.

“We've played in very high-pressure stakes before, and we've pulled off some and we've lost some,” Tom Kim said. “I think having that chemistry really works. Who knows if I'll see him again, but it's whatever Geoff really wants for us. I think him and I are very, I would say, easy to play with. Whoever we play with, as long as we trust them, we're just going to go along with the flow.

“If I get to see him tomorrow or maybe even Saturday, great. If I don't, then it's fine; I'm going to wish him the best, and we're going to do pretty well.”

Around Medinah

Unlike the 2012 Ryder Cup, when the opening ceremony flyover was cancelled because of an easterly wind affecting O’Hare flight paths, this time there was a flyover – with the same wind. Using Army helicopters at 250 feet instead of F-16s made it possible. … Jim Cornelison was in voice for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and with the sound system on the first tee, you could hear him in Lombard. … The inevitable online complaints from viewers about the television coverage, whether it was a missed shot or too many commercials, began to appear before the last foursome was off the first tee.

– Tim Cronin