Who will thrive at Medinah? Five players to watch as the Presidents Cup gets underway in Chicago

The 2026 Presidents Cup gets underway with four-ball matches on Thursday at Medinah No. 3 just outside Chicago, and the course will present some unique challenges to the field. None of the players on either team has played Medinah in competition since it reopened in 2024 following a renovation that dramatically changed how the course looks and plays.

Once a heavily tree-lined course, Medinah No. 3 has shifted to a more open concept with wider fairways, more bunkering, fescue rough and even the reintroduction of an out-of-bounds fence guarding the 6th, 7th and 8th holes. The green complexes were redesigned and feature more dramatic contouring, providing what they hope to be a championship-caliber test again after PGA Tour stars laid siege to it at the 2019 BMW Championship — Justin Thomas won with a score of 25 under.

The renovation was done by OCM Golf, an Australian course architecture firm with International captain Geoff Ogilvy serving as one of the partners and designers. Ogilvy won the 2006 U.S. Open at Medinah and hopes his intimate knowledge of the course, having had his hands in the redesign and renovation, can give the International squad a bit of a leg up.

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Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/