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The 2026 Presidents Cup Is This Weekend. Here Is How to Run Your Own
The 16th Presidents Cup gets underway September 24–27 at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago, with Brandt Snedeker leading the U.S. team against Geoff Ogilvy's International squad. Twelve-man rosters, three days of team sessions, and a Sunday singles finale to close it out. It's the same big-event format that makes the Ryder Cup so watchable, just with a different opponent.
You don't need Tour pros or a green-and-gold leaderboard to get that same energy out of a weekend with your own group. Here's what to watch this week, how the format actually works, and how to borrow it for your next golf trip using CupTracker's team event tools.
What Is the Presidents Cup, Exactly
The Presidents Cup is golf's other big team event. Where the Ryder Cup pits the United States against Europe every odd year, the Presidents Cup pits the United States against an International team drawn from every golfing nation outside Europe. This year's International side alone represents seven different countries. It's played in even years, so it fills the gap between Ryder Cups.
How it differs from the Ryder Cup
- Opponent is an International team, not Europe
- Held in even years, alternating with the Ryder Cup
- No official prize money: both teams play for the Cup and a charitable donation
- Same match play scoring: four-ball, foursomes, and singles
This Week at Medinah: What to Watch
Brandt Snedeker captains a U.S. team anchored by Scottie Scheffler, with Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, and Patrick Cantlay rounding out a deep, experienced lineup. Geoff Ogilvy's International team leans on Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, and Tom Kim to try to end a losing streak that has followed the side since the format's modern era began.
Matches run Thursday through Sunday, with live coverage on NBC, Golf Channel, and Peacock. Check your local listings for exact tee times each day. If you only catch one session, make it Sunday singles, when every match is worth a full point and the tightest team battles usually come down to the last few groups.
How the Format Actually Works
Like every Presidents Cup since 2019, this year's event is worth 30 total points across the week: five four-ball matches, five foursomes matches, and 12 singles matches. Whichever team reaches 15.5 points first wins the Cup outright.
Team sessions that build toward a points target, capped off by singles. That's exactly the format CupTracker was built around, and it's the easiest way to make a golf trip with friends feel like a real event instead of just a few rounds with a side bet.
Run the Same Format With Your Own Group
You do not need 24 players or a TV deal. The same team-session-into-singles structure scales down cleanly to a buddy trip of 8 to 16 players. Pick two captains, draft sides, and spread the same three formats across your weekend:
Weekend version
Full three-day version
Set a points target at roughly half the total available, just like the real event's 15.5-of-30, so the last few matches on the final day still decide the outcome.
Follow It Live, Not Hole by Hole on a Group Text
The best part of watching the Presidents Cup is the constantly updating team score ticking across the bottom of the screen. CupTracker gives your own event the same thing. Players enter scores from their phones, the leaderboard updates instantly for the whole group, with handicap strokes applied automatically to every match.
No one has to leave their group to find out how close the overall score is. Everyone just checks their phone, same as you refreshing the Presidents Cup leaderboard this weekend.
Watching the Pros Is Fun. Running Your Own Is Better.
Set up a Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup style event for your own group in minutes. Teams, handicaps, and a live leaderboard, all included.
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