The Presidents Cup has always been built around some of the best golfers in the world coming together to represent their countries and compete as a team. But after another American victory, the question surrounding the event is becoming harder to ignore: how is the Presidents Cup competitive when the same team keeps winning?
The United States defeated the International team 17-13 at Medinah Country Club in Chicago on Sept. 27, earning its 11th consecutive Presidents Cup victory. The Americans now hold a 14-1-1 record in the event, which began in 1944 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virgina.
The recent win was far from a straightforward American victory.
The International team entered the final day with a 10.5-7.5 lead after three days of team matches. For the first time in the events history, the U.S. entered the final day of a Presidents Cup on home soil trailing by three points.
Then came the singles.
The Americans won nine of the 12 matches and halved another, taking 9.5 points compared to 2.5 for the International team. It was the largest Sunday singles margin in Presidents Cup history and erased the International team’s chance at its first victory since 1998.
Jacob Brideman eventually delivered the decisive pont, defeating Australia’s Min Woo Lee 1-up. Jackson Koivun, Chris Gotterup and several of the American’s biggest stars also contributed to the comeback.
The result made for an exciting finish, but it also highlights larger issues surrounding the competition.
The Presidents Cup follows a four-day match-play format, with 12 players on each team. Thursday and Friday feature five team matches each, Saturday has eight team matches and Sunday consists of 12 singles matches. The United States competes against an International team made up of players from countries outside Europe.
Unlike the Ryder Cup, which sees the United States compete against Europe, the Presidents Cup brings together players from countries including Canada, Australia, South Korea and Japan.
The international format is part of what makes the event unique. It gives players a chance to represent their respective regions as one team.
The problem is that the results have become completely one-sided.
The International team has not won the Presidents Cup since 1998. Since then, the United States has won 10 consecutive times before adding another victory at Medinah. The only other non-American result came in 2003, when the competition ended in a tie.
That does not necessarily mean the format itself is broken.
The 2026 tournament showed that the International team can compete. The team took control during the middle of the event and held a three-point advantage heading into Sunday. Players such as Min Woo lee, Tom Kim, Sungjae Im and Hideki Matsuyama helped give the International side a legitimate opportunity to win.
But the final day showed how difficult it is to maintain that advantage against a U.S. team filled with highly ranked players.
The American roster included world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Cameron Young, while 21-year-old rookie Jackson Koivun also went undefeated in his Presidents Cup debut.
The challenge for the Presidents Cup is finding ways to make the competition more balanced without taking away what makes the event special.
Changes to team selection, qualification, or the format could be considered, but each would come with its own questions. The Presidents Cup is designed to showcase elite golfers in a team environment, and changing too much could change the identity of the event.
At the same time, repeated American victories can make it difficult for the International team to build the same level of anticipation around the competition.
The 2026 Presidents Cup proved that the International team can push the Americans. It also proved that getting close and actually winning are two very different things.
For now, the Presidents Cup remains a major event featuring many of golf’s best players. But with the United States now holding an 11-event winning streak, the next question may not be whether the International team can challenge the Americans.
It may be whether the Presidents Cup can find a way to make that last until the final round.