CHICAGO — It may be a Ryder Cup year in New York, but we are also less than 18 months away from the second-biggest team event in men’s golf taking over the Second City. And in the run-up to that event at Medinah Country Club in September 2026, Team USA has named its captain: Brandt Snedeker.
Snedeker was announced Tuesday, as was his counterpart, Geoff Ogilvy, an Australian who will helm the International side. Both players are in their mid-40s — Snedeker, 44, and Ogilvy, 46 — and remain closely tapped into the modern game. Snedeker has made nine starts on the PGA Tour this season, while Ogilvy works predominantly as a golf course architect and tournament host.
“Representing my country in team competition has been a highlight of my PGA Tour career,” Snedeker said in a press release, “and I will lean on those experiences to ensure we are prepared and ready to compete against what I know will be a unified and determined International Team.”
Snedeker’s nomination may come as a surprise as the captaincy typically has been doled out to major champions. Snedeker also has limited experience as an assistant captain; he assisted U.S. captain Jim Furyk at the 2024 Presidents Cup and will play the same role on Keegan Bradley’s U.S. Ryder Cup team at this year’s edition at Bethpage Black. He also was a member of the fateful American team that lost at the Medinah Ryder Cup in 2012.
Ogilvy won the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. And while he may spend most of his time back home in Australia, he is intimately familiar with the Presidents Cup host site — Medinah’s No. 3 course — which his design firm recently renovated.
“[That] place means a great deal to me,” Ogilvy said, adding, “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.”
The previous Cup, held in Montreal last fall, was a heated battle with no shortage of controversy; Tom Kim accused some U.S. players of lacking sportsmanship and cursing at him during a Saturday evening match. On Sunday afternoon, the U.S. closed out the match 18.5-11.5.
The rosters for Chicago will not be decided for at least another year. But in the meantime, a new take on an old course will continue to grow in. Ogilvy’s firm, OCM, focused on increasing the size of greens and fairways, adding bunkers to restore some of the original design, and even altering the routing slightly.
