The Five: Who has most to gain, lose at Presidents Cup?

Every year, we leave the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup feeling quite different about numerous players than when we arrived.

It’s where Scottie Scheffler broke out on a national stage (2021 Ryder Cup), Tom Kim announced himself as a match-play presence (2022 Presidents Cup) and Cameron Young (2025 Ryder Cup) laid the foundation for a breakthrough season.

Who will emerge from this year’s Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club? And conversely, who will depart Chicago after a poor performance, leaving us wondering about their future? We will see both ends of the spectrum this week, the beauty of these national team competitions.

All 24 players have varying amounts to gain or lose this week, though some stand out among the rest. Here are five players with the most on the line at Medinah Country Club, Course No. 3.

Gain: Jackson Koivun

This week is all upside for Jackson Koivun. Three months ago, he was finishing his collegiate career at Auburn. Now he's one of the top-12 Americans in his first (of likely many) team competitions.

That rapid rise carries high expectations, but it also means there’s a lot to gain. A good performance this week would validate Koivun’s ascent and could do wonders for the future of American team golf.

Two things to watch with Koivun: who he plays with and how often. Koivun has played extensively with Justin Thomas in the lead-up to Thursday’s opening session, suggesting Thomas could be the veteran tasked with shepherding the Presidents Cup rookie. That follows a similar game plan to what the U.S. used for wunderkind Jordan Spieth when he was a rookie in 2013, playing his first two sessions with Steve Stricker.

From there, it will be interesting to monitor how many sessions he plays. Spieth played four of five in 2013. Could Koivun do the same? Or will Captain Brandt Snedeker keep the training wheels on him in favor of veterans?

If Snedeker does let Koivun loose and Thomas proves a capable partner, Koivun could be in for a breakthrough week, à la Ludvig Åberg at the 2023 Ryder Cup. If that’s the case, expect the hype train to fill up quickly.

Lose: Scottie Scheffler

As I wrote on Tuesday, Scheffler has proven a fickle piece in these team competitions. He’s 6-11-4 across the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, and he’s a gaudy 1-7 in Foursomes. That’s not representative of a world No. 1 player and has us floating dangerously in Tiger Woods territory, who historically struggled in these events throughout his career.

This is Scheffler’s week to turn that around. He’s by far the best player at Medinah and will be favored in every match he plays against the Internationals. If he plays well, any narrative surrounding his performance in this event will quiet. But another mediocre week would send the concerns into hyperdrive and a yearlong discourse ahead of next year’s road Ryder Cup, an environment that promises to be much less friendly.

It would behoove Scheffler to nip the narrative in the bud.

Gain: Si Woo Kim

Is Si Woo Kim ready to take the next step in his career? The lovable South Korean has made a name for himself in this event for his histrionics and intensity. This is only his fourth Presidents Cup, but he has a highlight reel as long as any International player. He’s also one of the few to hold a winning record (6-5-0).

But Kim enters this Presidents Cup with different expectations. For the first time, he isn’t just a rotational piece. He is the International's top-ranked player and part of a duo with Tom Kim that is expected to deliver multiple points. That’s a different pressure and expectation for Kim. With that comes high upside.

Kim has already amassed a career season. He didn’t win, but did everything but. He was fourth in the FedExCup entering the Tour Championship. He missed just one cut all year, and he had the best major championship season of his career. All of that is building to something. Kim hoped it would be an individual win in 2026. But could it be the Presidents Cup? If Kim lives up to his billing as the Internationals’ top player, we will leave this week feeling differently about Kim’s career trajectory.

Lose: Justin Thomas

Thomas is a staple of American teams across the last decade, and for good reason. He’s 10-3-2 all time at the Presidents Cup and was 6-2-1 over his first two Ryder Cups.

But is Thomas the same player he was then, when he became the emotional epicenter of the U.S. side?

Over Thomas’ last two Ryder Cups, he holds a 3-4-1 record and relied on captain’s picks for both as his game dropped a level from where it had been. That’s the case again this year. Thomas had a solid but unspectacular season that put him firmly on the bubble for a selection. Thomas was ultimately picked not for his current form, but for his match-play acumen and leadership. But that only goes so far if the results don’t match.

That’s why Thomas has a lot on the line. If the American struggles, it casts doubt on how many more teams he will be a part of, and it would put a dent in his largely sterling team golf career.

Lose: Tom Kim

Tom Kim has built much of his reputation around these Presidents Cups. He breathed life into the International Team the moment he stepped into that team room in 2022, bringing much-needed energy, exuberance and cockiness.

All that works well when you’re winning, and Kim has done enough of that to fall on the right side of history (3-5-1). Yet a poor performance this week would sour that reputation a bit. For better or worse, the players who show the most emotion also draw the most scrutiny. Kim has had no problem poking the bear and riling up his team in the past. It’s expected that he will do it again at Medinah. Kim just needs to make sure there’s some bite amidst the barking.