U.S. captain Snedeker leaves two Ryder Cup veterans out of 2026 Presidents Cup roster
Captain Brandt Snedeker's final selections for the 2026 Presidents Cup omitted J.J. Spaun and Ben Griffin despite their strong Ryder Cup performances, sparking criticism over the choices.
U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker announced his final 2026 Presidents Cup roster on Tuesday, opting for four players from the official standings and two additional picks. The six automatic qualifiers were Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Sam Burns, Wyndham Clark, Russell Henley and Collin Morikawa. Snedeker's captain's picks included Chris Gotterup, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas and Jacob Bridgeman, while he selected veteran Patrick Cantlay and rookie Jackson Koivun for the remaining spots.
The decision excluded J.J. Spaun and Ben Griffin, both members of the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team who posted better point totals at that event than several players who were chosen. Griffin earned a point in two Ryder Cup matches, and Spaun secured two points in three matches, outperforming automatic qualifiers Henley and Morikawa, who each earned half a point.
Snedeker acknowledged the difficulty of the selection process. > "There’s a lot of guys that were in that conversation. One of the hardest things I think I’ve had to do is look at how deep our team is. There was 15, 16, 17 guys that had a legit chance of doing this," he said. He added that the choices were "tough" and that he relied on his instincts, selecting Koivun and Bridgeman as promising young players.
The Presidents Cup will be contested at Medinah Country Club near Chicago beginning on September 24.