The 2026 Presidents Cup is this week at the Medinah Golf and Country Club in Chicago, famous as the Miracle at Medinah in 2012 when the International Team posted a miracle finish on the final day to beat the U.S.
While this is a competition of two teams, it could be a stage for some players, notably rookies in this event, to advance their confidence and careers.
One player, in particular, who benefitted from last year’s Ryder Cup in terms of how much confidence he gained is American Cam Young (Titleist Pro V1x Double Dot prototype).
It seemed to take forever for Young to record his first PGA Tour victory. It happened in the 94th event of his career in the Wyndham Championship. He was selected for the U.S. team for the Ryder Cup, going 3-1-0 on his native New York soil. Though the Americans lost, the Ryder Cup became a stepping stone for Young. He won The Players Championship and Cadillac Championship this year and also had a second and two third-place finishes.
There will be several rookies on the American team that I am curious to see how they fare. Chris Gotterup (Bridgestone Tour B X) had a strong season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him do well with his driving and accuracy. He broke through last year winning the Scottish Open and then placed third in The Open Championship. He opened the 2026 season winning the Sony Open and won twice more. He also had fourth-place finishes in his final two starts, the BMW Championship and Tour Championship. To start off strongly and finish strongly says something about his consistency. There was no noticeable drop. He only missed two cuts.
I was surprised by the section of Jackson Koivun (Titleist Pro V1), who won only one start in his brief rookie season straight out of college and then tailed off. I get the fact the 21-year-old is considered an up-and-coming talent and this may be a way to get him some experience, but I think he is being pushed way too soon on the international stage.
Jacob Bridgeman (TaylorMade TP5x) is another curious choice. He won twice this season, the Genesis Invitational, though I don’t place much stock in his recent victory in the Biltmore Championship Asheville, which is one of those tournaments after the Tour Championship is over for players trying to save their PGA Tour card for the following season. Koivun tied for fifth in it. I think Bridgeman earned a spot on the U.S. team with a ninth-place finish in the BMW Championship and fourth-place finish in the Tour Championship.
The omission of J.J. Spaun (Srixon Z-Star Diamond) may haunt the U.S. If it’s because he had to bow out of the Tour Championship with an injury, I get it. But he just won the BMW PGA Championship. I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry.
I’m sure the U.S. will be banking on world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1). Then again, he has posted a record of 3-5-1 in the last two Presidents Cup tournaments, so he either improves on that or shows he’s not really a lock to play well in this tourney.
As I indicated in an earlier blog, I still think not selecting Ryan Gerard (Titleist Pro V1) was a mistake. Even though he didn’t win this season, he played fairly steadily. He placed second to Gotterup in the Sony Open and then tied for third next time out in The American Express won by Scheffler. He also placed second in a playoff in the Memorial Tournament and third in the Tour Championship. I would have taken him over Koivun and definitely Justin Thomas(Titleist Pro V1x), who hasn’t won in two years on the PGA Tour but has proven success in international play.
U.S. Captain Brandt Snedeker (Bridgestone Tour B) will succeed or fail with Thomas. He won on this course in the 2019 BMW Championship. I guess I’m a doubting Thomas. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that pun.
The International Team has several rookies: Ryan Fox (Srixon Z-Star XV), Nico Echavarria (Srixon Z-Star Diamond), Nick Taylor (Titleist Pro V1x) and Ryo Hisatsune (TaylorMade TP5x). Fox clearly became a Captain’s pick after winning The Open Championship. Echavarria won the Cognizant Classic, which is a somewhat non-descript win that had a weak field. Taylor really struggled this season. Hisatsune has yet to win a tournament. I think he has potential but should have been bypassed.
Some people have said not including Sudarshan Yellamaraju (Titleist Pro V1) was a mistake. He finished 59th on the FedExCup standings, but if you look at his overall season he had some good finishes in the first half of the season then tailed off. That said, he finished above Canadian countrymen Corey Conners (Titleist Pro V1) and Taylor. Conners and Taylor have history in the Presidents Cup. I’m a Canadian, so either my countrymen will like what I’ve written or accuse me of turning my back on my country. Oh, Canada, please don’t hate me.
