U.S. Leads Presidents Cup 3-2 After Scheffler, Burns Secure Opening Win
In the opening four-ball session of the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah, the United States took a 3-2 lead over the International team, helped by a 1-up victory from Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns.
The United States moved ahead 3-2 over the International team after the first day of four-ball matches at the 2026 Presidents Cup in Medinah, Illinois. A partnership of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns clinched a 1-up win against South Korea’s Min Woo Lee and South Korea’s Sungjae Im, delivering the Americans their first point of the competition.
Scheffler opened with a birdie but struggled on several holes, missing a short par-3 and hitting a tee shot into the crowd. Burns steadied the pair, sinking a crucial birdie putt on the ninth and making the decisive save on the 17th that gave the U.S. the lead. The duo’s victory marked their first win together in a Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup match.
Other American pairs also contributed wins. Justin Thomas and rookie Jackson Koivun defeated Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria, while Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa beat Ryan Fox and Adam Scott. Both matches ended 3-and-2.
For the International side, Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim secured a 3-and-2 win over Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay, and Hideki Matsuyama with Ryo Hisatsune earned a 3-and-1 victory against Xander Schauffele and Cameron Young.
U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker praised the opening performance, saying, > "I’m really proud of them. A session win is a session win, we’re going to take it any way we can get it. This is a long week. This is one session. We’ve got four more to go."
The teams will meet again on Friday for five alternate-shot (foursomes) matches.