Scheffler to Compete as International Team Seeks to End Drought at Presidents Cup 2026 in Chicago

This time of year is meant for football in Chicago, but an entirely different show will stroll into town this week as the 2026 Presidents Cup heads to Medinah No. 3, where the United States and International squads face off in the 16th edition of the team event. In recent years, blowouts have become commonplace as the red, white and blue have been near-unbeatable, but let's never forget: This is golf, and upsets are never too far away.

The American team, led by captain Brandt Snedeker, features seven of the top 10 players in the world with 10 total sitting inside the top 25 of the Official World Golf Rankings. Only Jackson Koivun and Patrick Cantlay are outside that mark.

Meanwhile, the International team, led by captain Geoff Ogilvy, has only two players inside the top 25: Si Woo Kim and Ryan Fox. Kim was one of the best players on the PGA Tour to not win this season, while Fox makes his team debut after raising the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale this past summer.

Fox headlines a group of four International rookies, including Nick Taylor, Ryo Hisatsune and Nico Echavarria. The U.S. split their captain's picks between experience and debutants with Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and Cantlay earning the nod alongside newcomers Chris Gotterup, Jacob Bridgeman and Koivun.

Adam Scott is set to tie Phil Mickelson in terms of most appearances in the Presidents Cup with No. 12 on the horizon, while world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler hopes to mirror Phil Mickelson's performance in this event, as the latter presently stands as the all-time points leader.

In total, U.S. team members have won 12 major championships and 91 PGA Tour events; their average age is 30. Meanwhile, the International team has combined to claim three major championships and 49 PGA Tour wins; its average age is a tad older at 32.

Numbers paint a lopsided picture, but in a sport played on grass and in the elements, variables have a funny way of creeping in, especially in these team events where underdogs never quit barking.

Stage set for Scheffler

When sifting through Scheffler's résumé, eyes gravitate towards the majors and the one missing (U.S. Open), but there is another hole in the world No. 1's reign up to this point: His play in team competitions.

For as dominant as Scheffler has been when the format is 72 holes of stroke play, he has looked just as beatable when the screws get turned and either four-ball or foursomes is the poison of choice over 18 holes.

Of notable players to win multiple majors and appear in multiple Presidents Cups since 2000, Scheffler is the only one to have a record under .500 at 3-5-1. Mind you, this includes two of the all-time greats in Tiger Woods and Mickelson, and it only comes in two prior Presidents Cup appearances for Scheffler, who made his debut just four years ago at Quail Hollow.

Notable U.S. player records in the Presidents Cup

Player Matches Record

Phil Mickelson

55

26-16-13

Tiger Woods

43

27-15-1

Jordan Spieth

19

13-5-1

Dustin Johnson

18

10-6-2

Justin Thomas

15

10-3-2

Xander Schauffele

14

10-4-0

Scottie Scheffler 9 3-5-1

A small sample size can be blamed, but it is important for the U.S. at large that Scheffler looks, well, like Scheffler in these competitions. For as much success Woods and Mickelson had in the Presidents Cup, they respectively went 13-21-3 and 18-22-7 in their Ryder Cup careers. Scheffler stands at 3-6-3 in three bouts against Europe with only one match win in four-ball or foursomes.

Stars need to play like stars when the lights are on them, and for Scheffler, this week represents an opportunity to do just that. He needs to take the oxygen out of the competition, continue the momentum he garnered through the FedEx Cup Playoffs and even show Europe, Hey, the days of losing every team match in a Ryder Cup are in the past.

International cornerstones

There has been a convenient talking point when discussing the last few editions of the Presidents Cup: LIV Golf decimated the bottom half of the International team. It's true; no one is here to tell you otherwise. The team at Royal Melbourne in 2019 featured Louis Oosthuizen, Abraham Ancer, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann and Byeong Hun An, all of whom now (or did?) call LIV Golf home.

But this topic has brushed another more pressing matter under the rug. As with the U.S. in the Ryder Cup, the International team looks to its top players and is often left dumbfounded. Scott is set to make his 12th Presidents Cup appearance and has only achieved a winning record one time! Once! And that came back in 2005 when he was … 25 years old!

Notable International player records in the Presidents Cup

Player Matches Record

Adam Scott

54

20-28-6

Ernie Els

40

20-18-2

Vijay Singh

40

16-15-9

Retief Goosen

29

14-12-3

Robert Allenby 28 8-17-2

Hideki Matsuyama

27

9-13-5

Mike Weir

24

13-9-2

Scott is 20-28-6 overall with his four-ball performances (5-12-4) causing most of the pain. But he is not alone, as Hideki Matsuyama has not been much help as he enters his seventh Presidents Cup with a 9-13-5 all-time record. He has been poor in both foursomes and four-ball with a 2-4-1 record when paired with Scott.

It would be easy to say, well, that always happens to the top players from the International side , but that is not true. Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen and Mike Weir all have career winning records. The difference is that they were not expected to lead the team when, respectively, ranked No. 52 and No. 26 in the OWGR, unlike Scott and Matsuyama.

The Koivun(der)

The Presidents Cup lacks juice compared to the Ryder Cup, but one way to inject some is to make a pick most fans have been calling for. That is what captain Snedeker did when he called upon the services of 21-year-old Koivun to make his U.S. team debut in a season where he has made only seven starts as a professional.

So far so good for Koivun as a professional as he held off Scheffler to win the 3M Open, punched his ticket into the postseason in limited tries and recently finished top five at the Biltmore Championship, where his fellow first-time captain's pick, Bridgeman, claimed his second career victory.

"I think we took a long, hard look at all of these guys who are close, but Jackson, what he did at 3M, what he did in his amateur career, what he brings to the table, I think is something we wanted to take a hard look at, and we'll be going with him," Snedeker said. "I'm so impressed by this young man. I think he brings a lot to our team room. He brings a lot to us in terms of pairings. I know what this guy is capable of. I know what he's going to bring to us, and I'm excited to show him to the world."

Youngest U.S. players in the Presidents Cup

Year Player Age

2013

Jordan Spieth

20

2026

Jackson Koivun

21

2015

Jordan Spieth

22

1998

Tiger Woods

22

For Koivun, though, the spotlight is a little brighter than what will be on his fellow newcomers because -- to steal a moniker from "Game of Thrones" -- he is the prince who was promised. A decorated collegiate and amateur career that can be stacked against most others has seamlessly led to the PGA Tour. There has yet to have been a moment that seemed too big for him.

"I'm definitely going to feel some nerves, but I've always told myself nerves are a good thing because that means I care," Koivun said. "I'm just really excited to step up at Medinah and go play some golf."

Another miracle at Medinah?!

Medinah is not necessarily a happy hunting ground for the U.S., given its history in team events at this golf course. Booting away a 10 to 6 lead to the Europeans in Sunday singles at the 2012 Ryder Cup, the U.S. will hope to keep this one less interesting like the last two editions of the Presidents Cup that have featured winning margins of 18.5 to 11.5 and 17.5 to 12.5.

Funny enough, Snedeker and three of his assistant captains -- Webb Simpson, Keegan Bradley and Jim Furyk -- were on that losing U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2012.

The U.S. has won 10 straight Presidents Cups with an overall record of 13-1-1. The lone International win came in 1998, with the cup being shared five years later in 2003. We touched on the top of the International team, but what can they do to make this more interesting?

It will have to start with the Kims -- Si Woo and Tom.

After a debut that was remembered most for a soundbite --  Si Woooo shaking …  -- he has bounced back with a record of 5-3-0 in his last two Presidents Cups, which includes a 2-0-0 record against Scheffler. This has coincided with Tom's introduction to the competition, where, between fiery celebrations, he has teamed up with his fellow Kim three times, with a record of 2-1-0.

Si Woo is a perfect 3-0-0 in four-balls in his career, which will be vital to stave off the Americans in a format they typically thrive in.

The Kims, Scott, Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee, Sungjae Im and Champion Golfer of the Year Ryan Fox will be trotted out again and again, but other contributions are needed. From the group of Taylor Hisatsune, Echavarria, Corey Conners and Christiaan Bezuidenhout, moments of brilliance must be had for another miracle to transpire.

Team turnover

In the last Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal, then-captain Jim Furyk decided to take the top 12 players in the standings. Not ruffling any feathers with his captain's picks, Furyk trotted out a team that featured 12 players inside the top 25 of the OWGR.

Of those 12, five are not on this year's team. While most look year to year at team turnover between the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup, a two-year period allows more time to figure out what went wrong for some and what went right for others.

Bradley, Sahith Theegala, Tony Finau, Brian Harman and Max Homa are the five who were on the 2024 roster and did not threaten a selection for this year. Injuries, a retreat from the peak of their powers and perhaps the beginning of the end can all be considered culprits.

Heck, it looked like Wyndham Clark was going to join them, but in the 24 months between the two competitions, the two-time U.S. Open champion found his footing in the final six months to make sure the turnover was not an even 50%.

This is not to stomp on those who are not present at Medinah this week, but rather to remind all that these team competition appearances are not guaranteed. Right when someone looks to have it all figured out, two years go by, and something unforeseen rises to the surface. It's inevitable, much like the U.S. team in this event.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/presidents-cup-2026-storylines-medinah/)._