A Kiwi and a Korean to head up International challenge
RYAN Fox’s victory at the Open Championship has thrust him into the spotlight, while the high level of play delivered by South Korean Si Woo Kim over the past two years has the pair atop the team rankings and in line to lead the International charge at the 16th Presidents Cup.
To be played at Medinah Country Club in Chicago, the Internationals will need arguably their two most inform players to take the challenge to a formidable Team USA line up, one set to feature world number one Scottie Scheffler, US Open champ Wyndham Clark and the world’s third-ranked played Cameron Young.
At the time of print, Min Woo Lee appeared to be the only Australian guaranteed to a part of the International squad, with Adam Scott and Jason Day to rely on Geoff Ogilvy to include them as Captain’s picks.
Hideki Matsuyama, a six-time International team member will be involved in the bi-annual matches for a seventh time, while fellow Japanese professional Ryo Hisatsune, who had made 21 consecutive cuts on the PGA Tour before failing to progress to the weekend at the Wyndham Championship, certainly wouldn’t look out of place in International Team blue.
South Korean Si Woo Kim led the points list for the International Team for the 2026 Presidents Cup.
Tom Kim, the young Korean who jumped up the points list with his win at the Scottish Open and strong showing at the US Open, seems assured of automatic selection, however from there, the final make-up of the International team is anyone’s guess.
Ogilvy could opt for youth with his team selections, with the likes of Nico Echavarria, Casey Jarvis and Aldrich Potgieter all captain’s pick options for what would mark their Presidents Cup debuts.
However, whatever team Ogilvy is able to assemble, they will again have their work cut out against a star-studded 12-man American squad.
The six automatic qualifiers for Team USA were to be determined following the BMW Championship (August 23), while the cut off for the International Team was after the Tour Championship (August 30).
The US have won 13 of the previous 15 Presidents Cup’s, the Internationals one, with one tie in South Africa in 2003.
Tournament Format
The 2026 Presidents Cup features a four-day match-play format, consisting of 30 total matches
Thursday, September 24: Round 1 – 5 Team Matches
Friday, September 25: Round 2 – 5 Team Matches
Saturday, September 26: Rounds 3 & 4 – 8 Team Matches (Foursomes and Fourball split)
Sunday, September 27: 12 Singles Matches
Statistical Breakdown
Of the 482 total matches played throughout the previous 15 Presidents Cup matches, the statistical breakdown across format disciplines stands as follows:
Including halved matches the points total stands at 268 points for Team USA to 214 points for the International Team.
The last time they met
The United States Team won the 2024 Presidents Cup by defeating the International Team with a final score of 18.5 to 11.5 at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Quebec, Canada.
This victory marked the 10th consecutive win for Team USA and their 13th overall triumph in the history of the event.
Keegan Bradley secured the winning point for Team USA on Sunday with a 1-up victory over Si Woo Kim, while the matches featured two historic session sweeps.
On the opening day the US team swept Thursday’s session 5–0, only for the International Team to counter with their own historic 5–0 sweep on Friday.
The US squad was captained by Jim Furyk, while Canadian Mike Weir led the International side on his home soil.
