Medinah Country Club, home to this year’s Presidents Cup, is where we’ll see if Team International can win for only the second time ever and for the first time since Royal Melbourne in 1998.
The International Team has always had the deck stacked against them, but even more so now after losing a few prominent players to LIV Golf, who are ineligible to compete in the Presidents Cup.
It feels like this event is on its last legs and that a fresh change is needed to reenergize it and bring it back to life. A close event would do wonders for it, but right now it feels like a real David vs. Goliath scenario, and I’m not so sure about the likelihood of the International Team keeping it close this year, especially on away soil.
Anyways, below are the 12 players I would have on Team USA and Team International as of right now. There’s still a lot of golf left to be played, including two major championships that have the ability to drastically change these lists, but at this moment these are my 24 guys.
I’ll be going off the points lists for both sides for the top six, as those players automatically qualify.
Team USA:
Automatic Six: Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Russell Henley, Ben Griffin, J.J Spaun, Collin Morikawa
My Captain’s Picks: Chris Gotterup, Xander Schauffele, Akshay Bhatia, Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Ryan Gerard
First man out: Jacob Bridgeman
Team International:
Automatic Six: Si Woo Kim, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee, Jason Day, Nico Echavarria, Adam Scott
My Captain Picks Right Now: Ryo Hisastune, Corey Conners, Nick Taylor, Sung Jae Im, Ryan Fox, Aldrich Potgieter
First Man Out: Jayden Schaper
USA Insight:
Agree with it or not, but I think the U.S. should use the Presidents Cup as a testing ground for potential future Ryder Cuppers the following year.
Obviously, the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup aren’t perfect comparisons, and you can’t replicate a home Presidents Cup with an away Ryder Cup, but it at least gives some of these newer guys a taste of a team environment and match play reps, something that no longer exists during the PGA Tour season.
If this were a Ryder Cup year, these would not be my exact 12. For me, I know what a Patrick Cantlay or Sam Burns brings to the table in team competition, and the seasons they have on paper right now aren’t seasons where I feel obligated to pick them. They aren’t forcing my hand at the moment. I’d rather choose some fresh blood that has shown potential in 2026 and see what they bring to the table in a team setting.
That’s where the likes of Chris Gotterup, Akshay Bhatia, and Ryan Gerard come into play. Of this group, I think Gotterup is the only lock at this point, but the other two have both shown bursts of serious potential this year.
Also, unfortunately for Jake Knapp, he’s been dealing with a wrist injury that has kept him out since the RBC Heritage. Otherwise, I would have had him on the team. Before the injury, in seven of the eight events where he made the cut, his worst finish was T11. His form and results prior to the injury were exactly the type that made me want him on the team, so hopefully he’s able to return this year and pick up where he left off. If he does, he could easily play his way back onto the team.
As for Bhatia, he’s the only younger American who has consistently performed and won over the last couple of seasons. The stretch from the Waste Management through THE PLAYERS, which included a win at the API, was seriously impressive golf. Although the majors have been a huge disappointment to this point and he’s cooled off over the last couple of months, I still think it’s important to recognize what he showed earlier in the season.
Bridgeman is a name who has played himself off the team over the last month. Since the Valspar, the form and results have been rough. The good news for him is that the run he had earlier in the season was excellent and will be hard to ignore when it comes time to make selections. If he shows any signs of resurgence, it’ll be difficult to leave him off.
Ryan Gerard, after a hot start followed by a disappointing middle portion of the season, is starting to showcase his serious talent again. I’m a firm believer that he’ll be in the running for a Ryder Cup spot in the future, so let’s give him an early taste of team competition at the Presidents Cup.
And get Patrick Reed on the team. He’ll be eligible to be picked come fall, and for me it’s a must.
Longshots right now, but if Jackson Koivun turns pro and competes right from the jump, or if Thorbjornsen breaks through for a win and starts stringing together consistent week-to-week results along with some solid Sunday performances, it won’t take much to convince me to throw them on the team.
International Insight:
A lot of different directions you can go with the captain’s picks for Team International, especially the final few spots, but…
Ryo Hisatsune, the 23 year old from Japan, has started to announce himself on Tour over the last two seasons. He’s yet to win, but it feels like his name is appearing near the top of the leaderboard more and more often throughout the week. He seems like a lock for the team this year.
The Canadians haven’t been great this season, especially Corey Conners, which has been shocking because last year Conners showed up at a lot of the biggest events on the calendar. So far in 2026, his best finish is a T13. Still, with the lack of depth and options available to Team International, even if Conners continues his poor form, I think he’s on the team.
Nick Taylor, who has yet to win in 2026 but won in each of the previous three seasons, was left off the 2024 team. He also hasn’t been super sharp this year, but he’s starting to trend in the right direction. He was right in the thick of it on the back nine at the PGA before imploding, and he’s just put together a nice opening round at the Memorial as I’m typing this.
He’s proven he has what it takes to win, especially when it comes down to the wire in playoffs, and he continues to improve his play in majors. I think he’s very deserving of a pick this time around.
The Kiwi, Ryan Fox, is a must on this team. He’ll grind his way through every match, guaranteed.
There are a lot of opinions on the game of young South African Aldrich Potgieter, but why not give him his first taste of the Presidents Cup? He appears to be a guy who’s going to be around the game for a long time and will probably be on plenty of future teams.
With lots of golf left on the year there are plenty of opportunities for guys to enter or completely remove themselves from the conversation still.
