Presidents Cup Preview
Will this be the year the International Team get their first win since 1998 at Royal Melbourne. Will an Ozzie Captain and his inside knowledge of the course be the key to success.
The Presidents Cup returns after a two-year wait, with the United States and International teams set to do battle at Medinah Country Club's Course No. 3 in Illinois from September 24-27. The Americans arrive chasing an 11th consecutive victory in the biennial contest, a run stretching back to the International team's sole triumph, at Royal Melbourne in 1998.
This year's edition carries an unusual subplot: the venue itself has been reshaped by the man leading the visiting team. Medinah's famed No. 3 Course, best remembered for hosting the "Miracle at Medinah" comeback at the 2012 Ryder Cup, underwent a $26 million redesign completed by design firm OCM, with International captain Geoff Ogilvy among those behind the project. The revamped layout was officially unveiled in July 2024, and by most accounts bears little resemblance to the course Europe conquered fourteen years ago. Ogilvy, making his Presidents Cup debut as a captain after three playing appearances, will be attempting to engineer a repeat of 1998 on a course he helped build — a genuine curiosity given he is walking it as the away captain despite having a hand in its shape.
Ogilvy's presence at the helm is itself notable for Australian golf fans. He grew up on the Melbourne Sandbelt, where the International team recorded its only win, and takes charge with two Ozzies and a Kiwi featuring prominently across the International ranks.
Adam Scott returns for his 12th Presidents Cup campaign, having qualified automatically and remaining a senior voice in the International team room. Min Woo Lee also qualified on points, bringing the power and aggression that has become his trademark, and will be looked to as a key contributor in the fourball sessions. Ryan Fox, the recent Open Champion, rounds out the Australasian contingent as an automatic qualifier, making his Presidents Cup debut after not getting a Captains pick in 2024.
The United States, by contrast, is led by Scottie Scheffler, the world number one and reigning FedEx Cup champion, who headlines a lineup built around continuity from recent Ryder Cup teams. Brandt Snedeker's captain's picks — Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay among them — give the Americans a depth of team-event experience that the International side, outside of Scott and Hideki Matsuyama, largely lacks.
The key matchups will likely centre on how Ogilvy deploys his Australasian trio against Scheffler's group. A Scott-Lee pairing carries obvious appeal, blending Scott's calm under pressure with Lee's firepower off the tee, and would be a logical fit for fourball sessions against the Americans' heavier hitters such as Cameron Young. Fox, meanwhile, projects as a strong foursomes option given his accuracy and putting form, and could be paired with Matsuyama or Si Woo Kim to nullify one of the U.S. pairings built around Schauffele or Morikawa.
Scheffler's singles opponent will be the match most will watch regardless of who it is, but for Australian and New Zealand interest, the tie to follow is whether Ogilvy sends one of Scott, Lee or Fox out early to set a tone, or holds them back for the closing stretch on Sunday. With the International team winless in this event for nearly three decades and playing on a course reshaped by their own captain, Medinah presents both motivation and unfamiliar territory in equal measure.
Images courtesy of Presidents Cup