The International Team takes a 10.5-7.5 lead into Sunday Singles at the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club, following a resilient International comeback during Saturday’s foursomes. Captain Geoff Ogilvy’s squad needs just five points on the final day to secure their first victory since 1998.
Medinah Country Club Hosts Historic 16th Playing of the Presidents Cup
The prestigious Medinah Country Club, specifically Course No. 3, serves as the battleground for the 16th playing of the Presidents Cup. The venue carries a rich championship history, having previously hosted the Ryder Cup in 2012, two PGA Championships, and three U.S. Opens. This week, however, a hungry group of Internationals arrived in Illinois looking to accomplish something that has eluded them throughout the history of the event: defeating the American side on home soil.
The stakes are exceptionally high as the event reaches its final day. The United States has historically dominated the biennial competition, owning a 13-1-1 record prior to this week and winning 10 consecutive editions. Yet, the current standings put the American team in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable position, staring down a three-point deficit heading into Sunday action.
Saturday Foursomes and Four-Balls Shift the Momentum
For the second straight session on Saturday, the American side held early advantages across the board only to watch the Internationals claw their way back. During the morning four-ball matches, the U.S. secured a narrow 2.5-1.5 win, but the afternoon foursomes told a different story of resilience from the visiting team. The Americans put all red on the board
early in every afternoon match, mirroring the script from earlier in the day, but the Internationals managed a crucial 2-2 split to preserve their overall lead.
International captain Geoff Ogilvy praised his squad’s ability to withstand the pressure while speaking about the tense Saturday sessions.
Today, both sessions, having all red on the board, down in every match, and to come back and get one and a half points out of this morning we felt like was a little victory because we were down everywhere. Then this afternoon the same thing happened. The U.S. team played so well all day. They played some really high-level foursomes, especially this afternoon. For the boys to somehow come back and pinch two points out of that and split the session was amazing.
Geoff Ogilvy, International Team captain
Key matches defined the afternoon turnaround. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele secured a 2-1 victory over Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim, handing the previously undefeated International duo their first loss of the week. Meanwhile, the all-Canadian pairing of Corey Conners and Nick Taylor pulled off a stunning comeback against Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman. After falling behind 3 down early, Conners and Taylor capitalized on late American errors on Nos. 14 and 15, with Conners sinking a clutch 6-footer on the final green to seal a 1-up win.
Captain Brandt Snedeker Reshuffles Lineup for Sunday Singles
Faced with a 10.5-7.5 deficit, U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker made strategic adjustments, notably benching world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler for the Saturday afternoon foursomes to give him some much-needed rest
ahead of the decisive singles matches. Snedeker addressed the media about his team’s mindset and his own accountability as the American squad prepares for a difficult final day.
I challenged the guys this afternoon to go out there and be that team that we need them to be and got Scottie (Scheffler) some much-needed rest, so he can go out there tomorrow and be the Scheffler that we know he is.
Brandt Snedeker, Team USA captain
Snedeker deployed a top-heavy strategy for Sunday’s 12 singles matches, sending out Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Justin Thomas, and Scottie Scheffler in the opening four matches to generate early momentum. Overall, the United States needs to secure 7.5 points on Sunday to retain the cup, or 8 points to pull off a complete comeback victory.
The Mathematical Reality of the Final Day at Medinah
A total score of 15.5 points is required to clinch the Presidents Cup.
The Internationals find themselves in uncharted territory, carrying a lead into Sunday singles while playing on foreign soil for the first time in event history. Needing just five points across the 12 singles matches to secure their first tournament win since 1998, Ogilvy chose to scatter his star players throughout the lineup rather than front-loading them, trusting his team’s depth to close out a victory.