The 2026 Presidents Cup began Thursday at Medinah Country Club with exactly the kind of competitive opening session the international team needed, but Team USA still walked away with the advantage.
The Americans claimed three of the five points available in Thursday’s opening four-ball session, taking a 3-2 advantage into Friday. Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns, Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun, and Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark delivered the U.S. victories.
Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune, along with Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim, supplied the two International points.
A 3-2 score doesn’t provide much separation. That is particularly significant for an International side trying to prevent another Presidents Cup from getting away early.
Team USA Got the Lead Without Running Away
Scheffler and Burns needed all 18 holes to beat Sungjae Im and Min Woo Lee, 1 up. The American pairing trailed after the 13th before Burns won the 14th with a birdie. The match ultimately turned at No. 17, where Scheffler’s par was enough to win the hole after both International players three-putted.
The 18th was halved, finally giving Scheffler and Burns their first victory together in Cup competition on their fifth attempt.
Thomas and Koivun provided the most comfortable U.S. result, beating Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria 4&3. Clark and Morikawa also gave Team USA an important point with a 3&2 victory against Adam Scott and Ryan Fox.
The Internationals Found the Points They Needed
Matsuyama and Hisatsune defeated Xander Schauffele and Cameron Young 3&1, providing the first International point of the competition. More importantly, Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim finished Thursday by defeating Patrick Cantlay and Chris Gotterup 3&2.
It also provided an early reminder of why the Presidents Cup can change quickly. With only five matches contested Thursday, one result represented a full 20% of the points available during the session.
What Does 3&2 Mean in Presidents Cup Scoring?
For fans accustomed to watching regular PGA Tour events, Presidents Cup scores such as 3&2, 4&3 and 1 up can initially look confusing.
The difference is that the Presidents Cup uses match play rather than the traditional stroke-play format used at most professional tournaments. Instead of adding every stroke together over 18 holes and comparing totals, the players are competing to win individual holes.
The Presidents Cup consists of 30 matches over four days, with the first team to 15.5 points winning the competition.
Suppose Team A makes a birdie on the first hole and Team B makes par. Team A wins that hole and becomes 1 up.
If Team B then wins the second hole, the match returns to all square.
The important part is that the match ends once the trailing side no longer has enough holes remaining to catch the leader.
If a team is three holes ahead with only two holes remaining, the opponent mathematically cannot tie the match. There is no reason to play Nos. 17 and 18, so the match ends after 16 holes. The winning margin is recorded as 3&2.
A 4&3 victory follows the same principle. The winning side is four holes ahead with only three remaining, so play stops after the 15th.
Then there is 1 up, which is what Scheffler and Burns recorded Thursday. That means they completed all 18 holes and finished one hole ahead of their opponents.
If neither side leads after the 18th hole, the match is tied and each team receives half a point.
Four-Ball Isn’t the Same as Foursomes
Another potentially confusing part of the Presidents Cup is that the format changes during the competition.
Thursday featured four-ball. Each golfer plays his own ball throughout the hole, and each team’s lower score counts.
For example, if one American makes a birdie and his partner makes a par, the American team’s score for that hole is birdie. That structure allows players to be aggressive because a teammate’s score can potentially protect the team after a mistake.
Friday brings a very different challenge: foursomes, otherwise known as alternate shot.
Instead of playing separate balls, the two teammates share one ball and alternate shots. One player hits the tee shot, his partner hits the next shot, and they continue alternating until the hole is completed.
Presidents Cup 2026: USA Holds Slim Lead After Thursday Four-Ball