rewrite this title International Presidents Cup first-time skipper to learn from European Ryder Cup success

Jim Furyk’s USA team dominated Mike Weir’s International side at the 2024 Presidents Cup. Now, first-time skipper Geoff Ogilvy is looking to turn it around at Medinah Country Club in 2026. Ahead of the event, the Aussie has revealed that he is taking inspiration from the European team’s Ryder Cup success in US soil.

For the unversed, Luke Donald’s side defeated Keegan Bradley’s American side at Bethpage. This was the Englishman’s second consecutive win as a skipper after the 2023 success in Rome. Now, Ogilvy is eyeing to replicate team Europe’s break through triumph. However, the 48-year-old former US Open champion acknowledges the perseverance from the Ryder Cup side to look for victory over the years. He said his new side is in a “similar situation.”

It is pertinent to note that the International team have won the Presidents Cup just once in 15 attempts. The new skipper also addressed the same and claimed that the last three losses have given the side some encouragement.

Speaking on a conference call with US counterpart Brandt Snedeker from Medinah, Geoff Ogilvy said, as quoted by Golf Digest:

“The Europeans, when they talk about their history through the Ryder Cup, a lot of their pre-tournament content [before Bethpage] was based on their history… They talked about how powerful it was to finally start winning, and it took them a really long time to do that. It probably feels like we’re in a similar situation to where they were before they sort of cracked the code…

We can kind of feel like we can taste it, and we’ve got the ingredients right now that we had been missing before. I think we’ve still got some gaps to fill, and clearly winning something for the first time or in a very long time is probably more difficult than if you’re winning all the time… We’re trying to get closer all the time. We’re getting closer.”

The 16th edition of the Presidents Cup is set to be played from September 24-27, 2026, at the No. 3 Course at Medinah in Illinois. Ogilvy will be eyeing to replicate his team’s lone success story from 1998 when Peter Thomson led the side to victory over Jack Nicklaus and company at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

Brandt Snedeker and Geoff Ogilvy named Presidents Cup captains

Brandt Snedeker and Geoff Ogilvy were named as the United States and the International Team captains in April this year. While Snedeker succeeds Jim Furyk for the 2026 Presidents Cup, Ogilvy takes Canadian Mike Weir’s place. For the unversed, Team USA unveiled the new skipper looking to extend their record run of 10 consecutive victories in the contest. Furyk signed off as the captain after leading the side to their 18.5-11.5 success over the Internationals last September.

It is also noteworthy that Snedeker represented Team USA in their 2013 Presidents Cup win. The 44-year-old also served as an assistant captain to Furyk in 2024. Meanwhile, Ogilvy clinched the position after three consecutive Presidents Cup appearances as a player from 2007. The Aussie registered 7.5 points from his 14 matches despite his side losing all three outings.

The 47-year-old also played the role of captain’s assistant for each of the last four Presidents Cup. Now, the 2006 US Open champion is set to take up captaincy for the first time.

Geoff Ogilvy said after being named the Presidents Cup captain for 2026 in April, as quoted by Sky Sports:

“Since Ernie Els debuted the shield in 2019, the International Team’s spirit has intensified and grown as we have rallied around this symbol, which embodies our shared ambition and unifies both players and fans… I intend to carry that momentum forward, just as the captains before me have, to build strong support for our international players in the lead up and throughout the event.”

It is noteworthy that Medinah, set to be the fifth different US venue to host the Presidents Cup, famously hosted the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ Ryder Cup – where Europe clinched a 14.5-13.5 victory on the final-day in 2012.

Edited by Vishnu Mohan