Power Rankings: Presidents Cup

If you can’t beat ‘em, steal their playbook. Even better, revise it and give it back.

That’s a provocative narrative, but even if you played along, it’s also revisionist history ahead of this week’s Presidents Cup, where the United States possesses a 10-game winning streak and has lost only once in the history of the biennial competition.

Contested this year on Course No.3 at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago, it very much is not the same layout last seen by golf’s professional ranks at the 2019 BMW Championship. Since, a course overhaul co-spearheaded by none other than the visiting captain of the International Team, Geoff Ogilvy, was completed, but that was before the Aussie was handed the reins for the event. Still, it cannot hurt that the man in charge understands the strategic advantages (and potential pitfalls) better than anyone else associated with the assemblage of global talent assigned with improving on their 1-13-1 record.

Details on the latest iteration of No. 3, the format of the Presidents Cup, Mother Nature’s cooperation and more are below the Power Rankings, segregated by squad.

If you’re keen on trying to identify golf courses while enjoying a window seat on an airplane, you can’t miss Medinah Country Club entering the portal on the right side of the aircraft when you descend into O’Hare Airport from the west. Situated just 6 miles away and in the landing pattern of six parallel runways, Medinah might as well be a forecaddie for the pilots targeting their final destination. Jets are just a couple of thousand feet above the property as they pass over.

However, nowadays you might need to be an avid fan of golf architecture to recognize Medinah No. 3’s layout from the air without the assistance of the stately, Byzantine-style clubhouse and/or the 150-foot flagpole that serves as the target for the final destination of the golfers – the par-4 18th hole (albeit for members, not this week; more on that in a moment). For what you might recall from the 2019 BMW Championship or even the 2006 PGA Championship and/or the 2012 Ryder Cup, so much of what once was recognizable is no longer there. It’s been a theme of the course’s evolution. So, while the stage has remained the same, the set has changed for each of the premier events contested across its 100 years since it opened.

Lake Kadijah remains familiar, but you no longer can rely on spotting the trio of par 3s that used to cross it. Only the second hole is in the same location. The 13th now routes entirely along the southern bank of the water, while the old version of the downhill 17th that routed due north and hard against Medinah Road now crosses Lake Kadijah from the other side and in an east-southeast direction.

While arguably most visible from the air because of their proximity to the biggest hazard on the course, those are just a couple of the significant modifications of the work of Ogilvy’s firm, OCM. In addition, the old par-4 15th hole that debuted as drivable for the Ryder Cup in 2012 is gone. It’s now a 514-yard par 4 situated on the land that the previous version of the par-4 16th previously occupied. (Think Sergio Garcia's scissor kick in the 1999 PGA Championship.) The tee on the new par-4 16th is near where the same for the old par-3 17th was perched, but that 402-yard hole cuts at an angle to the northeast and across Lake Kadijah. All in all, the inward side of No. 3 is the newest playground for the members who didn’t hesitate to approve OCM’s outside-the-box vision.

When considering all 18 holes, the whole-scale project included the removal of a massive amount of trees, the addition of about four dozen bunkers and the sizeable increase of putting surfaces to about 8,600 square feet on average. The bentgrass surfaces are governed to flirt with 13 feet as measured by the Stimpmeter. The aggregate output helps restore the original vision of architect Tom Bendelow, which, in turn, broadens the philosophy of play coveted especially in match play – options.

The golfers are tasked simply with playing the next hole, but fans with some knowledge of No. 3 are asked to recalibrate the routing. Every session will begin on what is the par-4 fifth hole. The walk will continue in order through No. 18, which will serve as the 14th for the Presidents Cup. Nos. 1-4 now line up as 15, 16, 17 and 18, respectively. This cadence increases the likelihood for the flare and challenge of the new finishing holes being in play (because not all matches will go the distance). There are no playoffs in any session, so matches that are all square after the completion of 18 holes are considered ties that reward each team with half a point.

The 30 points up for grabs are distributed across four days. Thursday’s opening session will be comprised of five matches of Four-ball (or better ball). Another five matches are scheduled for Friday when Foursomes (or alternate shot) will be the game. Four matches each of Four-ball and Foursomes will command Saturday’s action, in that order. And while not all 24 participants are guaranteed to play in all of the first four sessions, it’s all hands on deck in Singles on Sunday, for which 12 matches will conclude the competition.

It’s probably not difficult to overanalyze the construct of partnerships in the first four sessions, or which duos to match up against the opposition, but experts in analytics will find edges that transcend personalities and any language barriers. The International Team has representation from seven countries, so the data can help interpret the best combinations. Three hail from South Korea, and there are two each from Australia, Canada and Japan. Colombia, South Africa and New Zealand all claim exactly one participant.

Summers are legendarily nice in Chicago, but natives might be quick to argue that falls are even nicer. Case in point, with the Presidents Cup effectively launching the autumn season, daytime temperatures might not eclipse 70 degrees throughout all the while sunshine and passing clouds will rule overhead. Light breezes from the east (opposite the prevailing push) confirm the cooler air (off Lake Michigan). Rain is not expected, but if the U.S. extends its control, its reign will extend at least another two years until Kingston Heath Golf Club in Australia debuts as a host for the next edition.