United States Complete Comeback To Retain Presidents Cup At Medinah

On Sunday at Medinah, Illinois, the U.S. squad rallied to clinch the Presidents Cup title for an 11th straight time, according to the BBC and the PGA Tour.³⁶

A late deficit

The Internationals held a three-point lead heading into the last day of play, according to AFP, having swept the foursomes session and split points in fourballs on Saturday, according to Sky Sports. The Guardian reported the United States trailed 10.5-7.5 entering Sunday, though the BBC's account did not confirm that breakdown.⁷⁵²³

According to ESPN, this was only the fourth time since the competition began in 1994 that the Internationals had led going into the final day's singles matches, and the largest such lead since 2003, when the tournament in South Africa ended in a tie, a result confirmed by both ESPN and AFP.¹⁷

The singles turnaround

The United States dominated Sunday's singles session, according to the BBC, winning nine of the 12 matches. According to AFP, no singles session in the tournament's history had ever been so one-sided, with the Americans claiming nine points and drawing another for a final tally listed as 17-13 by both the Guardian and AFP, though the BBC did not report a final score.³⁷²

Jacob Bridgeman secured the clinching point with a 1-up win over Min Woo Lee, according to the Guardian and the PGA Tour. AFP reported additional victories for the U.S. side from Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Chris Gotterup, Collin Morikawa, Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele, while Patrick Cantlay sank a lengthy birdie putt on the 16th hole to beat Adam Scott.²⁶⁷

Jackson Koivun, aged 21, won his singles match against Si Woo Kim after trailing by two holes through ten, and finished the week unbeaten, according to AFP and Sky Sports. During the round, a spectator's shout during Nico Echavarria's backswing caused him to drop his driver; Scheffler was reported by AFP to have rebuked the fan and conceded a 30-foot putt to Echavarria in response.⁷⁵

A political presence

President Donald Trump attended the trophy presentation as honorary chairman, according to AFP, and had earlier addressed American fans in an effort to inspire the comeback, according to the Independent. According to the Independent, this marked Trump's fourth trip to a golf event in 2026, and the Guardian noted he had also been present at last year's U.S. Ryder Cup defeat as well as other major sporting events in 2026, including the World Cup final and the NBA finals.⁷⁴²

U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker said Trump deserved credit for the victory, according to the Guardian. Snedeker also praised his players' composure, saying: "Is it a record in singles? such consistency, he said, requires an exceptional group of players, and that his team fit the bill. adding that he was deeply proud of how the team pulled together."²⁷

History and what comes next

According to ESPN, the Internationals have won the Presidents Cup only once in its history, and teams trailing entering the singles session are now 1-12-1 all-time. Adam Scott, playing in his 12th Presidents Cup, has yet to win the title, according to the PGA Tour and AFP.¹⁶⁷

International captain Geoff Ogilvy said his side's opportunity faded as the day wore on, describing much of the contest as having hung in the balance. He explained that sinking a few putts at key moments and adding more scoreboard momentum could have kept the crowd's influence at bay, but said the contest gradually slipped away from his squad in the closing hours.⁷

Medinah was also the site of Europe's Ryder Cup comeback in 2012, described by the Guardian as the 'Miracle at Medinah', though AFP's account of this year's event did not repeat that description. The next Presidents Cup will be held at Kingston Heath in Australia in two years, according to AFP.²⁷