On a Sunday at Medinah Country Club, the United States golf team did what great teams are supposed to do when the moment grows heavy — they answered. Trailing by three points entering the final day of the Presidents Cup, and carrying the weight of a recent Ryder Cup loss, the Americans won nine of twelve singles matches to claim an 17-13 victory, their eleventh consecutive Presidents Cup title. Yet sport has a way of revealing as much as it conceals, and beneath the celebration lay a quieter question: whether a team capable of such singular brilliance can sustain it when the format changes, th
Team USA rallies from 3-point deficit to win Presidents Cup with Trump in attendance
The Americans erased a three-point deficit by winning nine of twelve matches
Mark
So the U.S. was actually losing going into Sunday? That seems impossible given how much stronger their roster was.
Mimi
It was. The International team swept all five foursomes on Friday, which is the same thing they did at Royal Montreal in 2024. That format just isn't working for the Americans right now.
Luke
But we should be careful about what that means. One bad day in foursomes doesn't explain everything. The U.S. also didn't play great on Saturday—they led in every match at some point but only won 4½ of 8 points.
Mark
What changed on Sunday?
Mimi
Snedeker put his best players out early and they delivered. Young, Thomas, and Scheffler all won decisively. That created momentum and put pressure on the International team.
Luke
Though it's worth noting the Internationals didn't roll over. Tom Kim beat Wyndham Clark, who's ranked fifth in the world. The comeback was real, but it wasn't like the U.S. was dominant—they won nine of twelve, which is good but not overwhelming.
Mark
What about Trump's role? Did he actually change anything?
Mimi
Snedeker credited him directly. Trump told him he'd bring energy, and Snedeker said if they won, Trump gets all the credit.
Luke
That's what Snedeker said, yes. Whether Trump's presence actually moved the needle or whether it was just the captain's psychology and the players' execution—that's harder to measure. The crowd was energized, but crowds are usually energized at home.
Mark
What's the real story here for the Ryder Cup?
Mimi
The U.S. needs to fix foursomes before Ireland in 2027. They can't keep putting themselves in three-point holes at home.
Luke
And they need to win on European soil, which they haven't done since 1993. Bethpage showed that even when you dominate Sunday, you can still lose if the team formats go sideways.
O Pulso
- Team USA entered Sunday's singles in historically unfamiliar territory — trailing on home soil for the first time in Presidents Cup history, with a three-point deficit and a restless crowd at Medinah.
- Captain Brandt Snedeker loaded his elite players into the early matches, and they delivered immediately — Justin Thomas, Cameron Young, and Scottie Scheffler all won, shifting momentum before the International team could settle.
- The International side refused to fold quietly, with Tom Kim and Sungjae Im taking down top-ranked Americans, keeping the outcome uncertain deep into the afternoon.
- Rookies Jacob Bridgeman and Jackson Koivun delivered the decisive blows — Bridgeman holing the winning putt on 18 as the crowd broke into chants, capping a 9½-2½ singles session that erased the entire deficit.
- The 17-13 final score flatters the Americans — their Friday foursomes collapse and narrow Saturday recovery revealed team-format vulnerabilities that will be tested far more severely at the 2027 Ryder Cup in Ireland.
On a Sunday at Medinah Country Club, the United States golf team did what great teams are supposed to do when the moment grows heavy — they answered. Trailing by three points entering the final day of the Presidents Cup, and carrying the weight of a recent Ryder Cup loss, the Americans won nine of twelve singles matches to claim an 17-13 victory, their eleventh consecutive Presidents Cup title. Yet sport has a way of revealing as much as it conceals, and beneath the celebration lay a quieter question: whether a team capable of such singular brilliance can sustain it when the format changes, the soil is foreign, and the margin for error disappears.
The United States golf team arrived at Sunday singles at Medinah Country Club in a position no American Presidents Cup squad had ever occupied — trailing on home soil. A 10½-7½ deficit, the product of a stunning Friday foursomes sweep by the International team and only modest Saturday recovery, left captain Brandt Snedeker needing a near-perfect final day.
President Trump, serving as honorary chairman, addressed the crowd from the first tee before play began, keeping his remarks brief but energetic. Snedeker later said Trump had told him the team needed a spark, and that if the comeback worked, the president deserved the credit. Whether inspiration or coincidence, what followed was one of the more dominant singles sessions in the event's history.
Snedeker front-loaded his lineup with his best players. Cameron Young rallied from two down to win 3-and-2. Justin Thomas won five of the first six holes against Corey Conners and cruised to a 5-and-3 victory. Scottie Scheffler ground out a 2-and-1 win over Nico Echavarria. Patrick Cantlay buried a 57-foot birdie putt on 16 and closed out Adam Scott. Collin Morikawa survived a back-and-forth battle with Hideki Matsuyama when Matsuyama's pitch ran well past the hole on 18 and his par putt missed.
The International team had its moments — Tom Kim finished as the tournament's leading scorer, beating Wyndham Clark, and Sungjae Im defeated Sam Burns — but the tide had turned irreversibly. The rookies finished the job. Jackson Koivun, 21, came back from two down at the turn to win four consecutive holes and secure a crucial point. Jacob Bridgeman delivered the winning moment, making par on 18 to beat Min Woo Lee 1-up as the crowd erupted.
The Americans won nine of twelve singles matches and finished 17-13, claiming their eleventh straight Presidents Cup. But the victory carried an asterisk visible to anyone paying close attention. Seven Americans ranked inside the world's top ten; the International side's highest-ranked player was Si Woo Kim at 14th. A team that dominant nearly lost at home because it couldn't win a foursomes match on Friday. The 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland will ask a harder question — one Sunday at Medinah, however brilliant, has not yet answered.
The United States golf team found itself in unfamiliar territory heading into Sunday singles at Medinah Country Club—trailing on home soil at the Presidents Cup for the first time in the event's history. With President Donald Trump in attendance as honorary chairman, the Americans faced a three-point deficit and the prospect of a second consecutive loss to a visiting team, a scenario that would have marked a historic collapse for a squad ranked far above its competition.
Trump had promised captain Brandt Snedeker he would bring energy to the proceedings, and before play began, he addressed the crowd from the first tee. "Our country is doing great, better than ever before," he said, keeping his remarks brief and deferring to the golf itself. Snedeker later credited the president directly for the Americans' turnaround, saying Trump had told him the team needed a boost and that if the comeback succeeded, Trump deserved the credit.
The Americans entered the week having won all eight Presidents Cups played on home soil and ten straight overall. But they were also coming off a 15-13 loss to Europe at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black the previous year, a defeat that had stung. The International team had swept Friday's foursomes 5-0, turning a 3-2 U.S. lead after Thursday into a 7-3 deficit. Saturday brought only modest improvement—the Americans managed a 4½-3½ edge despite leading at some point in each match, leaving them down 10½-7½ entering the final day.
Snedeker's strategy was to load his best players into the early matches and apply immediate pressure. Cameron Young led off against Ryo Hisatsune, falling two down after four holes before winning five of the next twelve to close out a 3-and-2 victory. Justin Thomas, a match play specialist with a 20-10-5 career record in team competitions, won five of the first six holes against Corey Conners and coasted to a 5-and-3 win. Scottie Scheffler, the world's number one player, defeated Nico Echavarria 2-and-1, though the Colombian gave him more resistance than expected.
The International team fought back. Tom Kim capped an exceptional week by beating world number five Wyndham Clark to finish as the tournament's leading scorer with four points. Sungjae Im also took down world number eight Sam Burns. But the momentum had shifted. Patrick Cantlay delivered one of the afternoon's most dramatic moments, burying a 57-foot birdie putt from just off the 16th green and pumping his fist while yelling to the crowd. He closed out Adam Scott 2-and-1. Collin Morikawa outlasted Hideki Matsuyama in a back-and-forth battle that went to 18, where Matsuyama's pitch ran fifteen feet past the hole and his par putt missed, giving Morikawa a crucial full point.
The rookies sealed it. Jackson Koivun, a 21-year-old from Auburn, was two down at the turn against Si Woo Kim but won holes 11, 12, 13, and 15 to flip the match entirely. On 18, after Kim's birdie putt lipped out, Koivun secured another crucial point. Jacob Bridgeman, another rookie, buried an eight-foot par putt on 16 and delivered the winning point with a par on 18, beating Min Woo Lee 1-up as the crowd erupted in a "U-S-A!" chant.
The Americans won nine of twelve singles matches and outscored the International team 9½-2½ in that session, erasing the deficit and finishing with a 17-13 victory. It was the team's eleventh straight Presidents Cup win and ninth in nine tries at home. Xander Schauffele closed out Ryan Fox 2-and-1, and Russell Henley halved his match with Nick Taylor to complete the comeback.
Yet the victory masked deeper problems. Eight U.S. players entered the week ranked higher than Si Woo Kim, the International team's highest-ranked competitor at number 14. Seven Americans were inside the world's top ten. The visitors had none. At home, against that roster, the event should have been a blowout. The Americans' struggles in foursomes—losing all five matches on Friday—nearly cost them, and their narrow Saturday edge left them dependent on a dramatic Sunday. American men won just one major in 2026, courtesy of Wyndham Clark at the U.S. Open. The next Ryder Cup, in 2027 at Adare Manor in Ireland, will demand something the Americans haven't achieved since 1993: winning on European soil. Sunday's dominance offered some confidence, but Bethpage had already shown that even a great final day might not be enough.
Citações Notáveis
He told me, 'I am going to bring energy today for you. You guys need it.' I told him if we did this, he gets all the credit.— Captain Brandt Snedeker, crediting President Trump
Our country is doing great, better than ever before.— President Trump, addressing the crowd from the first tee
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