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Presidents Cup captain's picks: Locks, bubble players and long shots
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- Presidents Cup captain's picks: Locks, bubble players and long shots
The 2026 PGA Tour regular season came to an end on Sunday with Scottie Scheffler winning his second FedEx Cup title .
With the regular season done and dusted, Scheffler will turn his attention to the 2026 Presidents Cup , which will be contested at Medinah Country Club in Chicago from Sept. 22-27. Scheffler was one of six players to automatically qualify for U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker's team , along with Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Cameron Young, Russell Henley and Collin Morikawa. Geoff Ogilvy's International team finished its qualification period on Sunday, with Adam Scott, Si Woo Kim, Tom Kim, Ryan Fox, Hideki Matsuyama and Min Woo Lee punching their ticket to Medinah.
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The captains will announce their six remaining picks at 5 p.m. ET Tuesday on Golf Channel.
But who are the picks? Let's break down the locks, bubble players, long shots and one burning question for each team.
Team USA Presidents Cup picks
Locks to be captain's picks
Chris Gotterup
Gotterup didn't make the 2025 Ryder Cup team despite coming on strong at the end, but there should be no question about his Presidents Cup status. He won three times in 2026 and looks like he'll be a part of American teams for the foreseeable future.
Xander Schauffele
It wasn't the best season for Schauffele, who went winless for the second straight year, but he's arguably the most talented of the non-qualifiers and has been a staple of American teams since 2019. Don't think Snedeker will pass him up.
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Justin Thomas
Even more so than Schauffele, Thomas has been at the center of American teams for the past decade. While he hasn't posted a top-10 finish since the PGA Championship , there's little reason to believe Snedeker will leave off the emotional leader for Team USA.
On the bubble
Ben Giffin
Griffin was in second place on the qualification list early in the year, but his game has dipped over the summer. He has just two top-10s since the PGA Championship and didn't make it to the Tour Championship. With more intriguing candidates in the pool, Griffin might not get an invite to Medinah.
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J.J. Spaun
The 2025 U.S. Open champion got back in the winner's circle in April but had just two top-10s since the PGA Championship and withdrew from the Tour Championship with an injury. Spaun enters Tuesday firmly on the bubble and probably on the outside looking in.
Patrick Cantlay
Cantlay's playoff run (T12, 2, T21) will likely be enough to put him on the roster to pair with good friend Xander Schauffele. Has a 10-4-0 record in three Presidents Cups. He's on the right side of the bubble.
Akshay Bhatia
He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and is a great ball-striker when he has it rolling. But he also missed the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship and Open Championship. He'll be on teams in the future, but I don't know if this is the year he makes his debut.
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Jackson Koivun
Koivun turned pro and won in his third start at the 3M . He didn't make it past the first round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, but he is a star in the making. Snedeker would be wise to give him a taste of team competition before the focus turns to Adare Manor in 2027. I think Koivun is in.
Ryan Gerard
Has come on strong at the end of the year, including a top 10 at the Open Championship and a third-place finish on Sunday at East Lake. He's 20th in Total Strokes Gained this season and plans to play on the DP World Tour next week to stay sharp and keep his membership there. Gerard deserves a serious look for Medinah.
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Long shots
Maverick McNealy
Feels like a guy who can eventually make several teams but needs to elevate from good to great to kick down the door. Koivun and Gerard are both better options given their recent play.
Michael Thorbjornsen
If Snedeker wants to leave a couple of veterans (Cantlay or Thomas) off the team, then Thorbjornsen might get a look. He won the Rocket Classic , but I don't think his time is here yet.
Rickie Fowler
He used to be part of the core, but his game was good, not great, in 2026. There are too many other options to give Fowler a serious look.
Michael Brennan
Another good young talent who closed the season with a win. He bombs it and can get mega hot, but it's unlikely he gets the nod from Snedeker.
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Patrick Reed
He's Presidents Cup eligible but hasn't played well — or enough — since his hot DP World Tour run at the start of the year.
Jordan Spieth
Spieth maintains he's close , but he didn't record a top-10 finish in 2026 and failed to make the BMW Championship. His return to team competition will have to wait.
Burning question
Does Brandt Snedeker go young?
With a clear talent advantage, Snedeker could look to make a youth movement with his captain's picks by loading up on first-timers with Gotterup, Koivun, Gerard and Thorbjorsen and leaving some underperforming vets at home. That might be best for Team USA's long-term outlook at the Ryder Cup, but it's probably not where Snedeker will go.
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Projected Team
Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Cameron Young, Collin Morikawa, Russell Henley, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Chris Gotterup, Jackson Koivun, Ryan Gerard and Patrick Cantlay.
International Team Presidents Cup picks
Locks to be captain's picks
Sungjae Im
The two-time PGA Tour winner started to come around at the end of the season. He finished T14 at the Open, T5 at the St. Jude and T10 at the BMW. Should be headed to Medinah.
Corey Conners
It wasn't a banner year for the Canadian, who had just one top-10 finish and seven top-25s. But he remains a good ball-striker and one of the International side's best options even during an off year.
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On the bubble
Nico Echavarría
It was a feast-or-famine year for Echavarria. He won the Cognizant Classic but has only had one top-10 finish since. Finished the season with a T12 at the Wyndham and a T12 at the St. Jude before finishing in dead last at the BMW. He'll probably make the team but Ogilvy has a number of bubble guys to choose from.
Ryo Hisatsune
Started the year with three top-10s but has only one since May, which came at the John Deere. He's 108th in Strokes Gained: Putting on the PGA Tour this season.
Sudarshan Yellamaraju
The 25-year-old played well early in the season, including a T5 at the Players, but he has just one top-10 finish since March. He finished the season by missing four of five potential cuts.
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Jason Day
He battled a back injury all season and missed the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He should make the team if he's healthy, but the status of his back is unclear.
Casey Jarvis
He bagged a couple DP World Tour wins early in the season and finished sixth at the Open. The 23-year-old ranks 11th in approach on the DP World Tour this season. He should get a strong look from Ogilvy.
Long shots
Nick Taylor
Taylor had a good stretch of golf in the middle of the season but has just one top-25 finish since the Cadillac in early May. He ranks 116th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 85th in approach this season.
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Jayden Schaper
He won back-to-back tournaments last year but hasn't had a top-10 finish on the DPWT since February. He's on the outside looking in.
Aldrich Potgieter
The 21-year-old hits it a mile but made just 10 of 21 cuts in 2026 and missed five of his last six before the playoffs.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
He's a steady player who made 18 of 21 cuts but only had two top-10s in 2026, both of which came at opposite-field events.
Burning question
Does Geoff Ogilvy have any wild cards that can help the Internationals pull off an upset?
Si Woo Kim, Tom Kim, Hideki Matsuyama, and Adam Scott are a good top four, but Ogilvy will need to hit his captain's picks out of the park to have a chance of stunning the U.S. at Medinah. Are Yellamaraju, Jarvis and Echavarria enough? Is Potgieter worth a gamble? Could Haotong Li be an off-the-board, high-volatility selection? The cupboard is thin.
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Projected team
Si Woo Kim, Tom Kim, Min Woo Lee, Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, Ryan Fox, Corey Conners, Nico Echavarria, Casey Jarvis, Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Ryo Hisatsune and Sungjae Im.
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