The opening session of the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah tilted toward Team USA, but the 3-2 scoreline also left the sense that the International side is going to make the Americans earn every point this weekend.
Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns delivered one of the day’s headline moments, even if Scheffler wasn’t sharp for much of the round. The world’s top player saved the match with a clutch bunker shot at the 18th, and that was enough to edge Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im, 1-up.
The pairing that probably raised the most eyebrows - and maybe the most hope for the U.S. moving forward - was Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun. Brandt Snedeker sent them out together, and they responded with a 4-and-3 win over Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria. They didn’t just win; they looked like a team that could keep showing up in these events for a long time.
Koivun, the 21-year-old PGA Tour rookie and captain’s pick, had a rocky beginning when he sent his tee shot out of bounds on the second hole. That could have unraveled the whole thing.
Instead, he settled in, won two holes with birdies, and added another birdie that halved the short par-4 12th. As the round went on, he looked more and more at ease.
Thomas was just as important. The captain’s pick kept coming through in the biggest spots and was a steadying force all day.
Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa also came through for the Americans, never really letting Ryan Fox and Adam Scott breathe in a 3-and-2 victory. That one never felt especially close once the U.S. pair found their rhythm.
Not every American duo found that same gear. Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele, both seasoned in Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup play, couldn’t get much traction against Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune. They were done on the 17th green after a 3-and-1 loss.
The final match of the day belonged to International team stars Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim. Tom Kim nearly turned the par-3 16th into a highlight-reel finish when his tee shot hit the pin and nearly dropped. Instead, Patrick Cantlay and Chris Gotterup conceded the short birdie putt, and the Kim duo closed out a 3-and-2 win.
Medinah’s setup added its own wrinkle early, thanks to the wooden split-rail fence along the first few holes. It served as an out-of-bounds marker, and several players were punished when their tee shots flew over it. Im caught a break when his drive on No. 2 struck the fence in the air and bounced back into the fairway.
The day opened with a strong note before the golf even got going, as Jim Cornelison delivered the national anthem on the first tee. Known for singing at Chicago Blackhawks games, he drew the assignment and handled it cleanly.
If there was one thing besides the golf that drew plenty of grumbling, it was the broadcast. Golf Channel’s coverage drew complaints early, with commercials and awkward decisions about how to handle the five groups on the course.
Over the first 60 minutes, the network aired 15 minutes, 45 seconds of commercials, including four full breaks totaling 11:15 and two “Playing Through” segments totaling 4:30. The coverage also missed three tee shots on two separate holes, including the moments around Im’s shot off the fence.