The 2026 Presidents Cup is played Thursday, September 24 through Sunday, September 27 at Medinah Country Club’s Course No. 3 outside Chicago, with practice days on Tuesday and Wednesday of event week (September 22–23). The United States, captained by Brandt Snedeker, defends a record ten straight wins against Geoff Ogilvy’s International Team. NBC and Golf Channel carry the matches, with Peacock streaming coverage, and the twelve-man rosters were completed with captain’s picks announced September 1.
Key Takeaways
- Competition days: Thu Sept 24 – Sun Sept 27; gates open 9 a.m. Thursday, 6:30 a.m. Sunday
- Venue: Medinah Country Club, Course No. 3, Medinah, Illinois (about 25 miles west of downtown Chicago)
- Captains: Brandt Snedeker (USA) vs. Geoff Ogilvy (International)
- Format: 30 matches over four days — foursomes, four-ball, and Sunday singles
- History: USA leads 13-1-1 and has won ten in a row; 2024 result was 18.5–11.5 in Montreal
- TV: Golf Channel and NBC; Peacock for streaming
Day-by-day schedule and tee times
| Day | Session | Gates | First tee (Central) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Sept 22 | Team practice | 9:00 a.m. | Practice times TBA |
| Wed, Sept 23 | Team practice | 9:00 a.m. | Practice times TBA |
| Thu, Sept 24 | Round 1 — five matches, opening ceremony 30 min before first tee | 9:00 a.m. | 11:35 a.m. – 12:47 p.m. |
| Fri, Sept 25 | Round 2 — five matches | 10:00 a.m. | 1:05 p.m. – 2:01 p.m. |
| Sat, Sept 26 | Rounds 3 and 4 — eight matches (morning and afternoon) | 6:30 a.m. | 7:02 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. |
| Sun, Sept 27 | Twelve singles matches | TBA | Morning start, TBA |
Times come from the tournament’s published schedule of events and are Central Daylight Time; add one hour for Eastern. Sunday tee times are typically confirmed Saturday evening once the singles draw is set. Round 1 and Round 2 are played in the afternoon, which is why the Thursday and Friday sessions run into East Coast prime time.
How to watch: TV and streaming
- Golf Channel carries the bulk of Thursday and Friday afternoon coverage and the early windows on the weekend.
- NBC takes the main weekend windows on Saturday and Sunday. Because NBC is broadcast over the air, weekend coverage is available with an antenna in most U.S. markets without a pay-TV subscription.
- Peacock streams NBC’s coverage and typically adds featured-group and featured-hole feeds; the tournament-specific Peacock schedule is published by NBC Sports the week of the event.
- Live-TV streaming services that include Golf Channel and NBC — see our Sling TV comparison for the cheapest route; note that Golf Channel sits in Sling’s sports add-on rather than the base plans.
- Lead-in programming: the three-part “Road to the Presidents Cup” series premieres Saturday, September 5 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, with later episodes on September 19 and 20, all also on PGA Tour’s YouTube and FAST channels.
The teams
Each side has twelve players: the top six on its points list after the FedExCup Playoffs, plus six captain’s picks. On the International side the automatic qualifiers were Si Woo Kim, who topped the standings for his fourth Presidents Cup, Ryan Fox making his debut, Hideki Matsuyama, Tom Kim, Min Woo Lee, and Adam Scott. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler led the U.S. points list for a third consecutive appearance. Both captains announced their six picks live on Golf Channel on Tuesday, September 1, and the full rosters are posted on the PGA Tour’s Presidents Cup pages. Ogilvy’s team draws heavily from South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand; the U.S. side is again built around the players who dominated the 2026 majors and playoffs.
Format explained
- Thursday — five foursomes (alternate shot). Two-man teams play one ball, alternating shots. Historically the format the Internationals have found hardest to win.
- Friday — five four-ball (better ball). Each player plays his own ball; the better score on each hole counts.
- Saturday — four foursomes in the morning, four four-ball in the afternoon. The heaviest day, with eight matches and 16 of 24 players on the course in each session.
- Sunday — twelve singles. Every player plays. The first team to 15.5 points wins; a 15–15 tie means the cup is shared, which has happened once (2003).
Unlike the Ryder Cup, captains submit pairings and singles lineups in a “blind” draw the day before, adding a tactical layer that Ogilvy, who helped redesign the host course, has said he intends to use.
Medinah Course No. 3: what’s different
Medinah has hosted three PGA Championships, two U.S. Opens and the 2012 Ryder Cup, remembered for Europe’s Sunday comeback. The course was substantially rebuilt ahead of this event by OCM, the design firm co-founded by International captain Geoff Ogilvy, which removed trees, widened corridors and reworked greens to create more risk-reward options for match play. Expect the closing stretch around the lake to decide the Saturday afternoon and Sunday sessions, and expect the Internationals to argue they know the layout better than anyone.
Tickets and getting there
- Tickets are sold through the official Presidents Cup site as daily grounds passes and upgraded hospitality; weekend days sell out first, and Thursday–Friday passes are the value option.
- Getting there: Medinah is about 25 miles west of the Loop. Metra’s Milwaukee District West line stops at Medinah station, roughly a mile from the club; the tournament typically runs shuttles from designated parking lots. Driving on weekend mornings means leaving before 6 a.m. for Saturday’s 7:02 a.m. start.
- What to bring: phones are permitted on silent; large bags, coolers, and outside food are not. Check the official policies page for the current bag size limit.
- Weather: late September in Chicago averages highs in the low 70s and lows near 50°F, with a real chance of rain; layers and a compact rain jacket are the standard advice.
Why the Internationals think this year is different
Ten straight losses is a hard record to spin, but three things favor the visitors more than usual: a captain who literally redesigned the course, a core of players (Matsuyama, Scott, Si Woo Kim, Tom Kim) with multiple Presidents Cups of experience, and a U.S. team that will be adjusting to a new captain in Snedeker. The Americans counter with depth — the U.S. points list was so strong that several major winners needed captain’s picks — and with the fact that every home Presidents Cup since 1994 has ended in a U.S. win. The betting markets still price the U.S. as a clear favorite, but the margin is expected to be closer than Montreal’s seven-point gap.
FAQ
Is the Presidents Cup the same as the Ryder Cup?
No. The Ryder Cup pits the U.S. against Europe in odd years; the Presidents Cup pits the U.S. against an International team of non-European players in even years. The formats are similar but the Presidents Cup plays 30 matches to the Ryder Cup’s 28.
Is there prize money?
No purse is paid to players. Each competitor and captain directs a charitable contribution to causes of their choosing, and the event funds projects in the host community.
Can I watch for free?
Weekend coverage on NBC is free over the air with an antenna. Thursday and Friday coverage on Golf Channel requires a pay-TV or live-streaming subscription.
What time does it start on the East Coast?
Thursday’s first match tees off at 12:35 p.m. ET, Friday’s at 2:05 p.m. ET, and Saturday’s morning session at 8:02 a.m. ET.
Sources
- PresidentsCup.com — schedule of events, tickets, and team pages
- PGA Tour — Presidents Cup Selection Special and captain’s picks coverage
- Golf Channel — broadcast schedule announcements
Tee times and broadcast windows are subject to change; this page is updated as NBC Sports and the PGA Tour publish final schedules. Last updated September 3, 2026 · InfoBrief Staff
