Mandatory Credit: Jerod Ringwald-Imagn Images
Sep 27, 2026; Medinah, Illinois, USA; Member of the U.S. Team celebrates the match victory by Jackson Koivun on the 18th green during the final round of the Presidents Cup.
After a disastrous start that saw them get swept in Friday’s foursomes session and fall behind 7-3, Team USA rebounded to win the 2026 Presidents Cup, 17-13, thanks in large part to an historic Sunday singles session.
In the final season, the Americans beat the Internationals by a record-setting score of 9.5-2.5 to come away with a 17-13 victory in the competition.
There were plenty of takeaways from the competition heading into next year’s Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland, where the U.S. will look to win the Cup for the first time since 2021.
The most glaring over those takeaways is that Team USA is still a disaster in the foursome, alternate shot format that has plagued them in the past in team competitions.
However, there were also some positive takeaways. Thanks to Data Golf, we now have a good idea of what Team USA could and should look like come next year in Ireland.
Final Presidents Cup SG numbers. What are your takeaways? pic.twitter.com/QatiNAHBr6
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterNS) September 28, 2026
Who Will Be On Team USA For The 2027 Ryder Cup?
Under the current selection format, points will be awarded from The American Express Championship in January until the BMW Championship in August.
At that point, the top six players will earn an automatic spot on the team, while captain Jim Furyk will make six additional selections.
While anything can happen, it stands to reason that world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is a guarantee to make the team. So, it appears, is world No. 3 Cam Young, who went 3-2-0 in the Presidents Cup but led the field in total strokes gained by a significant margin.
Oddly, Wyndham Clark was the third-ranked player in strokes gained behind Young and Sungjae Im. However, the reigning U.S. Open champion and world No. 5 went just 1-4 on the week. Still, it’s hard to imagine Clark not making the team unless he has a disastrous 2027 season.
Other likely selections include Chris Gotterup, who went 3-1-0 and was the fourth-ranked American in strokes gained, and Xander Schauffele, who went just 2-2 and lost strokes to the field, but rolled in the final singles match with Ryan Fox.
Which Players Are Fighting For Spots?
This is where things get interesting. Justin Thomas is largely considered a must-pick given his success in team events previously. But Thomas was last among all American players with 5.10 strokes lost to the field, and he’s been wildly inconsistent on the PGA Tour in recent years.
What about rising star Jackson Koivun? Koivun went 2-0-1, making him the only American who did not lose at Medinah, and he came up with a momentous singles win over Si Woo Kim. Is the 21-year-old a must-take to Adare Manor?
And then there’s Sam Burns. Widely regarded as the best putter on the PGA Tour, Burns seems to struggle mightily to hit putts when the pressure is on. That doesn’t bode well for the Ryder Cup. However, Burns is also Scheffler’s best friend on Tour, even if the two have a putrid record together in team events.
The next list of veterans includes Colin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, and Russell Henley, each of whom had up-and-down weeks at Medinah.
They’ll be in contention for spots with players Jacob Bridgeman and J.J. Spaun, as well as potential LIV Golf returnees Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed. Throw young players such as Michael Brennan and Akhshay Bhatia into the mix, and it’s clear Furyk will have some tough decisions on his hands come next year.