A 21-year-old rookie, raw talent instead of veteran experience – Brandt Snedeker dropped a bombshell for his US Presidents Cup team, nominating Jackson Koivun. With the 21-year-old Koivun, three debutants are set to participate, as Snedeker announced his final lineup on Tuesday.
The mega-event, where a dozen US golfers compete against an International Team from the rest of the world (Europe is, of course, excluded), will take place from September 24th to 27th at the legendary Medinah Country Club near Chicago.
World Number One Scottie Scheffler had already secured his spot, based on his season performance. Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Russell Henley, and Collin Morikawa also earned automatic qualification. Snedeker used one of his six Captain’s Picks for world No. 70 Koivun, the reigning Amateur Champion, who even kept Scottie Scheffler in check at the 3M Open in July and won in only his third PGA Tour event as a professional. That’s quite a statement!
Chris Gotterup and Jacob Bridgeman also make their debut. Snedeker’s remaining picks: Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, and Justin Thomas – that's some serious firepower. However, there were also notable absences: the 2025 US Open Champion, JJ Spaun, and 2025 Ryder Cup pick Ben Griffin are missing. And, of course, LIV Golf stars like Bryson DeChambeau were ineligible anyway.
On the opposing side, International Team Captain Geoff Ogilvy relies on his Australian compatriots Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee, who also automatically qualified. Also automatically included: South Korean stars Kim Si-woo and Tom Kim, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, and the 2026 British Open winner, Ryan Fox from New Zealand. Ogilvy used his picks to bring in two Canadians – Corey Conners and Nick Taylor – as well as South Africa's Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Colombia's Nico Echavarria, Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune, and South Korea’s Im Sung-jae to his team. Quite a diverse group is ready to play.
As is customary, the President of the host nation, Donald Trump, will serve as the honorary chairman of the tournament. “I look forward to being there and welcoming all these fantastic athletes from both teams,” Trump announced via social media last weekend.
The USA thoroughly dominates the Presidents Cup: They have won the last 10 editions and a total of 13 out of 15 titles to date. A true display of power! Europe, by the way, is excluded, as the golfers from the continent already duel with the Americans in the venerable and traditionally fiercely contested Ryder Cup. The formats of both competitions are largely similar – match play in various facets. However, the Presidents Cup runs over four days, while the Ryder Cup 'only' lasts three days.
