What is the Presidents Cup in golf?

Sep 23, 2026, 12:14 PM ET

Golf is an individual sport, but every two years, some of the sport's best players come together as a team to compete in the Presidents Cup.

The 2026 Presidents Cup takes place this week at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois.

Here is everything to know about the competition:

What is the Presidents Cup?

The Presidents Cup is a biennial team golf competition featuring 12 players from the United States taking on 12 players making up an International team. The International team includes players from countries around the world, excluding golfers who are eligible to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup.

The competition alternates between venues in the U.S. and countries outside of Europe.

What is the format of the Presidents Cup?

Both teams are made up of six automatic qualifiers and six players selected by the team's captain. The U.S. automatic qualifiers are determined by FedEx Cup points, while the International team uses the Official World Golf Ranking to determine its six automatic spots.

The match-play competition includes 30 matches spread out over four days.

▪︎ Thursday: Five matches, four-ball (best ball) or foursomes (alternate shot)

▪︎ Friday: Five matches, foursomes or four-ball (the opposite of Thursday's format)

▪︎ Saturday: Eight matches, four-ball and foursomes split the morning and afternoon

▪︎ Sunday: 12 head-to-head singles matches

Pairings are chosen for the Day 1 matches the night before. The captain of the defending team will choose who goes first to start the draw. The captains will alternate for the remaining sessions. Captains set their lineups for each session one match at a time, alternating in a snake format. Each player is required to play a minimum of one match before Sunday's singles session.

What is match play?

Match play is a head-to-head competition where players or teams compete hole by hole, and the winner is determined by who wins the most individual holes rather than the total number of strokes taken, which is stroke play.

How do foursomes differ from four-ball?

Foursomes in golf is a form of play where two partners compete by playing one ball in alternating order on each hole. Four-ball is a form of play where two partners compete together, with each player playing their own ball. A team's total for a hole is the lower score of the two partners on that hole.

How does scoring work in the Presidents Cup?

The golfer or team with the lowest score on a hole wins that hole. If both sides make the same score, the hole is tied. Matches continue until one team leads by more holes than are left to play.

Each match is worth one point. If a match is tied after 18 holes, each team receives half a point. The team that accumulates the most points over the four days wins the Presidents Cup.

How much prize money is at stake?

The Presidents Cup has no purse or prize money. Players are not paid for their participation, but each competitor allocates an equal portion of the funds generated to charities of their choice.

When was the first Presidents Cup?

The first Presidents Cup was held in September 1994 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia.

Who leads the all-time series?

Historically, the United States has dominated the Presidents Cup, leading the all-time series 13-1-1.

Which players will compete in the 2026 Presidents Cup?

U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker will lead the Americans against Geoff Ogilvy and the International team.

United States

Automatic qualifiers

▪︎ Scottie Scheffler

▪︎ Cameron Young

▪︎ Wyndham Clark

▪︎ Sam Burns