The International Team arrive at Medinah this week as substantial underdogs in their bid to snap an 11-year losing streak against Team USA, but history suggests that being written off on paper counts for little in team golf.
Geoff Ogilvy's squad will attempt to draw inspiration from Team Europe's remarkable Ryder Cup comeback at the same Illinois venue 14 years ago, when the continent's players staged a historic final-day rally to claim glory. Now, with gates opening on Wednesday, September 23 at 9 a.m., the International Team hope to replicate that European magic and finally end American dominance in this biennial contest.
The United States have claimed every Presidents Cup title since 2005, with their only defeat coming before seven of the 24 competitors in this year's event were even born. All conventional wisdom suggests that streak will extend further in Illinois, yet Ogilvy refuses to accept that narrative.
Team USA arrive as clear favourites based on world rankings and PGA Tour pedigree, with the International Team fielding four rookies and just three players ranked inside the world's top 30. The American side, meanwhile, carry the weight of expectation following their humbling home Ryder Cup loss 12 months ago, where a singles comeback prevented an even heavier defeat.
Captain Brandt Snedeker has made clear that nothing short of victory will suffice for his team.
It's the elephant in the room you have to address. Just because these last Presidents Cup teams have been successful, doesn't mean we're going to be successful. We have to reset the bar for our team, tell them we have a standard to play to and we're 0-0. These 12 guys have accomplished nothing and we're going to hammer that into them.
Yet the Ryder Cup provides a compelling template for how underdogs can overcome superior talent on paper. Team Europe have won nine of the last 12 editions despite routinely entering as outsiders, a pattern that has not gone unnoticed by observers of team golf.
Analyst Brandel Chamblee highlighted the European model when speaking to Golf Channel.
These team events are so compelling of what Europe has done. Europe have shown that a cohesion of a team can overcome a huge talent gap. Almost every time it is played, you are the underdogs and just thrash the United States. Many people will think a massive victory for the United States is a foregone conclusion and they're a massive favourite, but sport loves an underdog.
Ogilvy, who was involved in the course redesign at Medinah, believes the competitive gap between the two teams continues to narrow. Team USA required a final-day comeback to prevail in 2019 and were swept in foursomes during the 2024 edition, suggesting vulnerability despite their overall dominance.
Clearly winning something for the first time - the first time in a very long time - it's probably more difficult than if you're winning all the time. But we're getting closer all the time.
International Team's diverse challenge
Seven different nationalities comprise the International Team, with players from outside the United States and Europe competing under a black and gold shield introduced by Ernie Els in 2019 to foster unity.
The squad includes recent PGA Tour winners in Nico Echavarria, who claimed the Cognizant Classic, and Tom Kim, victor at the Genesis Scottish Open. Both players travelled to Chicago after strong showings on the DP World Tour at the BMW PGA Championship, alongside Adam Scott and Ryan Fox.
Fox, the reigning Champion Golfer of the Year, spoke at Wentworth about drawing lessons from Europe's team culture.
I think we can learn a lot from Europe, just not being intimidated by it. I feel like we know a lot of the European players really well and if these guys can do it, we can do it, too. We can definitely emulate them and take a little bit out of how they get together as a team. I think the European Team has done a really good job of that over probably the last decade, maybe even longer, just having one collective goal. I feel like we're getting pretty close to that as an International Team - certainly feels like that this year. I think that's the way we win: have that collective goal, all buy into it, and it will be an exciting week for us.
Europe currently hold both the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup following victories in New York and the Netherlands respectively. Masters champion Rory McIlroy, speaking at Wentworth, expressed his hope that the International Team could complete a clean sweep of major team events.
All we need now is the Internationals to do it - that would be great.
Schedule and competition format
The 2026 Presidents Cup runs from September 24-27, 2026 at Medinah Country Club Course No. 3. According to the official schedule, two practice days on September 22-23 precede opening ceremonies and Round 1 on Thursday, September 24, with Round 5 singles concluding on Sunday, September 27.
McIlroy's wish for an International Team triumph remains unlikely, yet far from impossible. The coming four days promise passion and drama regardless of whether this proves to be the week the International Team finally end their losing streak against the Americans.
