Presidents Cup: Five Players to Watch at Medinah No. 3 in Chicago

The 2026 Presidents Cup gets underway with four-ball matches on Thursday at Medinah No. 3 just outside Chicago, and the course will present some unique challenges to the field.  None of the players on either team has played Medinah in competition since it reopened in 2024 following a renovation that dramatically changed how the course looks and plays.

Once a heavily tree-lined course, Medinah No. 3 has shifted to a more open concept with wider fairways, more bunkering, fescue rough and even the reintroduction of an out-of-bounds fence guarding the 6th, 7th and 8th holes. The green complexes were redesigned and feature more dramatic contouring, providing what they hope to be a championship-caliber test again after PGA Tour stars laid siege to it at the 2019 BMW Championship -- Justin Thomas won with a score of 25 under.

The renovation was done by OCM Golf, an Australian course architecture firm with International captain Geoff Ogilvy serving as one of the partners and designers. Ogilvy won the 2006 U.S. Open at Medinah and hopes his intimate knowledge of the course, having had his hands in the redesign and renovation, can give the International squad a bit of a leg up.

That'll be important for a squad that is a huge underdog and has lost 10 straight Presidents Cup competitions, but for all the institutional knowledge Ogilvy has about the course, it seems to be a better fit for Brandt Snedeker's United States squad, which boasts the bigger hitters.

Medinah is, in Snedeker's words, "a big ballpark." It's set to play at 7,548 yards this week as a par 70, with seven par 4s set to play at over 475 yards. That will present a challenge for some of the shorter hitters in the field, but it will create opportunities for those who can send it.

So, who should thrive on the new-look Medinah No. 3 this week? These five players fit the bill.

1

Cameron Young Young can send it off the tee when he really lets it go, and with wide fairways, he ought to feel comfortable letting it fly this week. He was one of the few bright spots for the U.S. at the Ryder Cup last fall -- proving he's got the game and mentality for team golf -- and he can handle a big, meaty golf course like Bethpage Black. That performance seemed to provide Young a boost into a career year in 2026, and he'll try to cap that off by proving he's ready to be a stalwart for the U.S. for years to come.  2

Chris Gotterup Gotterup matches distance off the tee with accuracy about as well as anyone. He is also as good as there is in windy conditions, which may come in handy in the ... Windy City. This will be Gotterup's debut as a member of the United States squad in a team competition, and he could quickly endear himself to the American faithful with a strong showing this week. After his own career year in 2026, when he picked up three wins, Gotterup won't be hurting for confidence.  3

Min Woo Lee By far the biggest hitter on the International squad, Lee is going to be extremely important for the International's chances at an upset. He showed flashes of brilliance in 2026 and put together his best season on the PGA Tour, and he seems to have taken a leap from an intriguing prospect to a legitimate rising star. With OCM designing the course by drawing inspiration from the Australian sandbelt, Lee ought to find some quick comfort with the style of golf demanded by the new-look Medinah.  4

Adam Scott A big course with wide fairways, challenging green complexes and the potential for windy conditions? That sounds a bit like what Clark tamed at Shinnecock Hills to win his second U.S. Open. Clark has distance, the ability to flight the ball and can get hot with the flat stick. He should be a weapon for the United States this week, and he will hope to prove he's got staying power heading into 2027. 5

Sam Burns Burns is sneaky long off the tee, and with his short-game and putting abilities, he could be a huge X-factor for Snedeker's bunch. Burns took home the unfortunate title of "best player not to win in 2026," but he was the runner-up to Clark at the U.S. Open, contended at the Masters and The Open and generally played some of the best golf of anyone on the PGA Tour over the course of the season. His improvement tee-to-green was the catalyst for that jump into being one of the game's elite, but the short-game and putting are what can ignite his team and the crowd at Medinah this week by getting it rolling on the greens.

Add CBS Sports on Google Join the Conversation comments

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/presidents-cup-2026-five-players-to-watch/)._