- The US won the opening four-ball session 3-2 at the Presidents Cup.
- Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns beat Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im 1-up in the opening match.
- Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun recorded the largest victory of the session, winning 4&3.
The United States took a 3-2 lead in the 2026 Presidents Cup after winning three of Friday’s five opening four-ball matches at Medinah.
Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns secured the first point before Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun produced the widest victory of the session. Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa supplied the other American win.
The International Team stayed close through Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune, while Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim closed the session by beating Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay.
Scheffler and Burns finish strongly
Scheffler and Burns defeated Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im 1-up after a match featuring several changes of control.
The Americans moved ahead with a birdie at the 1st, but Lee levelled the contest at the 5th. Seven consecutive holes were then halved from the 6th before Lee and Im edged in front with a birdie at the par-3 13th.
Burns responded immediately. His approach from 173 yards at the 14th finished two feet five inches from the hole, setting up the birdie that brought the match back to all square.
Lee missed a 12-foot putt at the 17th, allowing the United States to regain the lead. Scheffler then struck his approach to six inches at the last to secure the point.
The wait is over 🙌
— PGA Tour (@PGATour) September 25, 2026
After going 0-3-1 as partners, Sam Burns and Scottie Scheffler finally broke through for their first point together @PresidentsCup. pic.twitter.com/eS1qo6q0r2
Matsuyama and Hisatsune answer
Matsuyama and Hisatsune earned the International Team’s first point with a 3&1 victory over Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele.
Young and Schauffele won the second with a birdie, only for the International pair to answer at the par-5 3rd. Four halved holes followed before Matsuyama and Hisatsune took control by winning the 8th and making birdie at the 9th.
Seven more halves kept the Americans at arm’s length. Hisatsune’s birdie putt at the 15th strengthened the International position before another birdie at the 17th completed the win.
Thomas and Koivun build a commanding lead
Thomas and Koivun beat Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria 4&3, giving the United States its most comfortable result of the session.
The Americans moved ahead at the 3d and strengthened their position at the 5th, where Thomas holed out for birdie. Another birdie at the 6th extended their advantage.
Conners and Echavarria reduced the deficit with a birdie at the par-3 7th, but six consecutive halves from the 8th prevented them from applying further pressure. Thomas and Koivun then won the 14th and 15th with birdies to close the match.
Koivun, one of three American rookies selected by captain Brandt Snedeker, entered the competition only months after turning professional. His route into the side followed a three-shot victory over Scheffler at the 3M Open.
Clark drives third American point
Clark and Morikawa defeated Ryan Fox and Adam Scott 3&2 after winning five holes in their match.
Clark birdied the opening hole and helped the Americans reach 3-up through six. Fox pulled one back with a birdie at the 7th, but Clark answered at the 8th to restore the cushion.
Four consecutive halves followed before the International pair won the 13th. Clark and Morikawa responded with a birdie at the 15th and completed the victory one hole later.
Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim close the gap
Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim prevented the United States from taking a two-point advantage into the next session, beating Gotterup and Cantlay 3 &2.
The International pairing won the first two holes and remained ahead despite an American birdie at the fourth. Si Woo Kim’s tee shot to four feet one inch at the 7th helped preserve their control before five straight holes were halved from the 8th.
Gotterup birdied the 12th to keep the match within reach, but Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim won the next two holes and closed out the contest at the 16th.
The International Team won the 13th in three matches, while the United States won the sixth in three.
The one-point margin leaves the contest much closer than the opening session at Royal Montreal in 2024, when the United States swept all five first-day four-balls.
Thursday Four-ball 2-3 |
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| Match | International | vs. | US | ||
| 1 | Min Woo Lee / Sungjae Im | 1 Up | > |
Scottie Scheffler / Sam Burns
|
|
| 2 | Hideki Matsuyama / Ryo Hisatsune | < | 3&1 |
Cameron Young / Xander Schauffele
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| 3 | Corey Conners / Nico Echavarria | 4&3 | > |
Justin Thomas / Jackson Koivun
|
|
| 4 | Ryan Fox / Adam Scott | 3&2 | > |
Wyndham Clark / Collin Morikawa
|
|
| 5 | Tom Kim / Si Woo Kim | < | 3&2 |
Chris Gotterup / Patrick Cantlay
|
|
Format
• The Presidents Cup is a four-day, match play event with 30 total matches, comprised of a 12-person US Team and 12-person
International Team
• All matches are worth one point, for a total of 30 points; there are no playoffs, with each side receiving a half point if a match is
tied after 18 holes
• In a change inspired by the events of the 2003 Presidents Cup, if the match is deadlocked at the end of Singles play, the
competition will be deemed a tie and the teams will share the Presidents Cup
• The team that earns the most points after four days of competition wins the Presidents Cup
– Thursday: Five matches total, Four-ball (best ball)
– Friday: Five matches total, Foursomes (alternate shot)
– Saturday: Eight matches total, Four-ball (morning) and Foursomes (afternoon)
– Sunday: Twelve matches total, Singles
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Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.