Team USA opened the 2026 Presidents Cup with a narrow 3-2 advantage over the International Team, as Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns finally secured their first victory together in international team competition during Thursday’s fourballs at Medinah Country Club.
Brandt Snedeker’s American side won three of the five matches on the opening day, but the International Team ensured the contest remained finely balanced by claiming two important points of their own.
The United States are attempting to win the Presidents Cup for an 11th consecutive time, but Thursday’s session demonstrated that Geoff Ogilvy’s International Team are prepared to make the defending champions work for another victory.
The opening match provided one of the most dramatic contests of the day.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler partnered close friend Sam Burns against Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im, with the American pairing looking to end an unwanted record together.
Scheffler and Burns entered Medinah without a victory as partners in either the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup, carrying a 0-3-1 record from their previous matches.
That run finally ended on Thursday.
The contest remained close throughout the round, with neither pair able to establish a commanding advantage. The International Team moved one ahead after the 13th hole, only for Burns to respond with an excellent approach at the 14th that set up a birdie and immediately brought the match level again.
The decisive moment arrived late.
With the match tied heading towards the finish, Lee and Im both three putted the 17th, allowing Scheffler and Burns to move one ahead.
Scheffler then produced a superb approach at the 18th, sending his ball to within inches of the hole and effectively securing a 1 up victory for the Americans.
The result was particularly important for Scheffler and Burns given their previous struggles as a partnership.
Scheffler praised Burns afterwards for delivering several crucial shots, particularly his approach into the 14th immediately after the International Team had moved ahead.
Their victory gave Team USA the first point of the 2026 Presidents Cup and provided Snedeker’s side with early momentum.
The International Team responded strongly in the second match.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune defeated Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele 3&1, producing one of the most controlled performances of the opening session.
Young and Schauffele moved ahead early, but Matsuyama and Hisatsune quickly responded and gradually took control.
The Japanese pair established a two hole advantage around the turn and protected it through a long sequence of halved holes before another birdie at the 17th completed the victory.
Team USA reclaimed the advantage through Justin Thomas and Presidents Cup rookie Jackson Koivun.
The American pairing delivered the most convincing US victory of the day, beating Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria 4&3.
Koivun looked comfortable despite making his debut in the competition, while Thomas provided the experience expected from one of America’s most established match-play golfers.
The result ensured the 21 year old Koivun began his Presidents Cup career with a full point and justified Snedeker’s decision to pair the rookie with an experienced international competitor.
Another American point followed when Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa defeated Ryan Fox and Adam Scott 3&2.
Clark and Morikawa took control during the second half of their round before closing out the match on the 16th hole.
Their victory guaranteed that the United States would finish Thursday with at least a share of the opening session and temporarily moved the Americans into a commanding position.
The International Team, however, refused to allow the deficit to grow.
South Korea’s Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim defeated Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay 3&2 in the final match, reducing the overall American advantage to just one point.
The Korean pairing produced an impressive performance and spent much of the match in front.
Si Woo Kim delivered one of the important moments with an excellent tee shot at the par three seventh, while another long birdie at the 14th stretched their advantage.
Tom Kim then came close to a hole-in-one at the par three 16th as the International pair completed the victory with two holes remaining.
That final point left the overall score at USA 3, International Team 2 following the opening five matches.
It represents a positive start for the Americans, but far from the dominant beginning they have sometimes produced in previous editions.
The United States have led after the opening day in nine of the last 10 Presidents Cups, and their record in the competition remains extraordinary.
Team USA have won the previous 10 editions and entered Medinah with an overall Presidents Cup record of 13 wins, one defeat and one tie.
The International Team’s only victory came in 1998, meaning Ogilvy’s players are attempting to end one of the longest periods of dominance in international team golf.
Thursday’s performance gave them reasons for encouragement.
Matsuyama and Hisatsune looked particularly strong, while Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim demonstrated the type of energy and aggressive match-play golf that could become increasingly important as the competition develops.
For Team USA, Scheffler’s opening victory will be one of the most satisfying aspects of the first session.
The world No. 1 arrived at Medinah carrying huge expectations, and his partnership with Burns had already attracted attention because of their unsuccessful record together.
Securing their first full point as a pair removed that unwanted statistic and has convinced Snedeker to keep them together for Friday’s foursomes.
Scheffler and Burns are scheduled to face Corey Conners and Nick Taylor in the alternate shot format on day two.
Friday will feature five foursomes matches, where players on each team alternate shots using the same ball.
The format can produce dramatically different results from fourballs because mistakes become more costly and successful partnerships require players to understand each other’s games particularly well.
Snedeker has therefore made several changes to his combinations.
Koivun will sit out Friday despite winning alongside Thomas on Thursday, while Thomas will instead partner Cameron Young. Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman are also set to enter the competition after sitting out the opening session.
With 30 total points available across the four day competition, neither team will be overly concerned about a one point difference after the first session.
Five foursomes will be played Friday, followed by both fourballs and foursomes on Saturday before all 24 players compete in singles on Sunday.
A team needs 15.5 points to win the Presidents Cup, while a 15-15 tie would allow the United States, as defending champions, to retain the trophy.
After Thursday, Team USA have the early advantage.
But a 3-2 scoreline means the International Team remain firmly within striking distance.
For Scheffler and Burns, the opening session also delivered something more personal finally turning one of golf’s closest friendships into a winning Presidents Cup partnership.
With three more days of competition remaining at Medinah, their hard fought opening point could yet prove important in deciding whether the United States extend their remarkable winning streak or the International Team finally bring it to an end.
