When the International Team arrives at Medinah Country Club, Captain Geoff Ogilvy will be navigating familiar territory. Having assisted in the course redesign of Medinah No. 3, Ogilvy now leads a 12-man roster tasked with disrupting decades of American dominance in the Presidents Cup. The visitors have not lifted the trophy since their 1998 victory at Royal Melbourne—the very Sandbelt turf where Ogilvy developed his game—and face an American side stacked with global star power.
Ogilvy finalized his squad by announcing six captain's picks on Golf Channel: Canadians Corey Conners and Nick Taylor, South Korea's Sungjae Im, Colombia's Nico Echavarria, Japan's Ryo Hisatsune, and South Africa's Christiaan Bezuidenhout. They complete a lineup featuring automatic qualifiers Si Woo Kim, Hideki Matsuyama, Ryan Fox, Tom Kim, Min Woo Lee, and Adam Scott.
Ogilvy’s Sandbelt Vision Meets Medinah No. 3
Building a squad capable of unseating Team USA on host soil requires a deliberate balance between strategic continuity and immediate scoring volatility. Ogilvy’s selections highlight ball-striking stability and specialized matchplay traits over pure world-ranking metrics.
Corey Conners and Sungjae Im represent critical components of that blueprint. While Conners weathered a challenging overall season, his iron play remains among the most repeatable on the PGA Tour. Im, meanwhile, brings proven durability, having played all five sessions in each of his previous three cup appearances.
Corey’s experience in this competition and his consistent performance and stable mentality are undeniable traits that make him a standout member of the International Team,
Ogilvy noted during the roster unveiling. On Im's role, Ogilvy added: Sungjae is invaluable to the International Team. He’s a birdie machine.
The captain also injected late-round composure by adding Nick Taylor and Nico Echavarria. Taylor, making his cup debut after missing selection in 2024, brings proven closing ability. Echavarria, a two-time PGA Tour winner since the last cup cycle, offers laid-back demeanor paired with fierce competitive drive.
Roster Architecture: Chemistry Against World-Ranking Firepower
The operational challenge for the International side is clear when evaluating the opponent. Team USA features world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler—fresh off his Tour Championship victory—alongside heavyweights Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Russell Henley, and Chris Gotterup, all ranked inside the global top 10. The American squad also incorporates 21-year-old phenom Jackson Koivun as one of three US rookies.
By contrast, Si Woo Kim enters as the highest-ranked International player at 13th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Kim was the emotional heartbeat of the 2024 team in Montreal, famous for his energetic celebrations and strategic versatility. Meanwhile, 39-year-old rookie Ryan Fox, the 2026 Open Champion, provides major-winning credential to the visiting locker room.
The institutional core remains grounded in Adam Scott. Making his 12th Presidents Cup appearance, the Australian veteran enters the week just one match behind Phil Mickelson’s all-time competition record of 55 matches played. Scott’s leadership provides essential stability for a team featuring four tournament debutants in Fox, Echavarria, Taylor, and Hisatsune.
| Player | Selection Type | OWGR | Key Dynamic / Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Si Woo Kim | Automatic | 13th | Top-ranked International; emotional session anchor |
| Hideki Matsuyama | Automatic | 26th | 7th straight appearance; major-winning credentials |
| Ryan Fox | Automatic | 25th | 2026 Open Champion; 39-year-old rookie |
| Adam Scott | Automatic | 51st | 12th appearance; 1 match shy of Mickelson's 55-match record |
| Corey Conners | Captain's Pick | 54th | Elite ball-striker; two blowout match wins in 2024 |
| Sungjae Im | Captain's Pick | 80th | Five-session workhorse; 6-7-2 lifetime Cup record |
| Christiaan Bezuidenhout | Captain's Pick | 96th | 3.5 points in 5 career matches; 2-0-0 in Singles |
The Historical Shadow: Foursomes Volatility and the 1998 Quest
To end a winless streak that stretches back to 1998, the Internationals must navigate a grueling schedule at Medinah: five fourball matches on Thursday, five foursomes (alternate shot) matches on Friday, a double session of four fourballs and four foursomes on Saturday, and 12 single matches on Sunday.
Alternate-shot foursomes have historically been a swing format in team matchplay. During the 2024 contest at Royal Montreal—where Mike Weir led the Internationals against Jim Furyk's American team—the International side produced a stunning 5-0 Friday foursomes sweep to equalize the match at 5-5 after dropping Thursday's opening session 5-0. That historic session included Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im delivering a 7-and-6 win over Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, matching the shortest match record set in 2011 by Adam Scott and K.J. Choi.
Although Team USA ultimately pulled away in Montreal to preserve their unbroken streak, Ogilvy hopes his deep understanding of Medinah's strategic angles—combined with Hisatsune's high birdie conversion rates and Bezuidenhout's 2-0-0 career record in singles—will create the tactical edge needed in Chicago.
Sources
These sources formed the evidence pack for this article. Links open the original publisher; inclusion does not imply endorsement.
- pgatour.com original
- golfmagic.com original
- techradar.com original
