MEDINAH — Chicago's own Bill Murray carried the Presidents Cup trophy to the first tee at Medinah No. 3 on Thursday to open the 16th edition of the biennial contest between a 12-man U.S. team and a 12-man International team, and for four days it played like Groundhog Day. The U.S. eventually won 17-13 at Medinah for an 11th straight victory, a scoreline that suggests comfort but required a Sunday comeback to avoid an embarrassing defeat on home soil.
The result is being framed as a springboard toward next year's Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland, but the week was another warning the Americans have not solved underlying problems. The International team, undermanned on paper and playing in one of America's great sports cities, pushed the United States to the brink, and the narrow escape allowed those issues to remain hidden rather than examined.
Captain Brandt Snedeker had bright moments, following his gut to give rookie Jackson Koivun a chance with Justin Thomas as a mentor. Koivun was the only player in the competition without a defeat, going 2-0-1 including an upset of Si Woo Kim in Sunday singles after Kim had been a menace all week. But Snedeker also left questions. He leaned on the explanation that the Internationals simply made more putts while not using Jacob Bridgeman — arguably the best putter on the PGA Tour this season and fifth in birdies — in either four-ball session, a mistake he later acknowledged. It also took too long to pair rookie Chris Gotterup with Cameron Young after debuting Gotterup with veteran Patrick Cantlay, a duo that should be inked into 2027 Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk's Day One plans. And after world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler struggled with Sam Burns, Snedeker sat Scheffler instead of finding a new partner, even though Scheffler did not need rest to beat Nico Echavarria, who had played only one match in the first three days. Snedeker later conceded International captain Geoff Ogilvy schooled him in the snake draft, putting Scheffler out first so Ogilvy could match his weakest link.
On Saturday night Snedeker took responsibility and admitted he had not lived up to his end as captain, a self-awareness that carried into the winner's press conference. When asked about Snedeker saying he had not done his job, Xander Schauffele deadpanned, "One hundred percent agree with him." Schauffele then added, "No, we love Sneds. He wears his heart on his sleeve. We knew where he was mentally all week, and we played hard for him today. That's all we could do, regardless of the outcome. I think every one of us took it personally, and we played our asses off." Moments after prevailing, Snedeker told PGA Tour Radio, "This team is going to be a problem in Ireland," bulletin-board material that recalled Keegan Bradley, the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain, predicting two years ago the U.S. would go to Bethpage and "kick Europe's ass." The broader context is sobering: across the last four Cups the U.S. record stands at 37 losses, 26 wins and five halved matches in 68 team matches, and Europe already knows the U.S. can be vulnerable at home after winning 15-13 at Bethpage. Luke Donald and the Europeans are not shaking in their spikes. The scrutiny of Scheffler's week follows Scheffler's conceded putt after a fan yell at Medinah earlier in the competition.
The comeback changed the scoreboard but not the questions. Why were most par 3s set up at the one distance where the International team held a statistical advantage? Why were players allowed to check out after the Tour Championship and arrive unprepared? Why did the captain sign off on staying in downtown Chicago, nearly an hour from Medinah with a police escort, requiring 4 a.m. buses and returns to the hotel at 8:45 p.m. after marathon days? At Adare Manor all players will stay on site, and Furyk appears to have the ear of the PGA's new leadership and a willingness to shake things up without a press release.