Presidents Cup match previews: Captains announce pairings for Thursday Four-ball session

The 2026 Presidents Cup is nearly underway.

The matchups are set for the opening session at Medinah Country Club, where the US Team and International Team will square off in five Four-ball matches on Thursday. Captains Brandt Snedeker and Geoff Ogilvy revealed their pairings for the opening session during a joint press conference Wednesday afternoon. Click here for information on live scores, tee times, TV times and a schedule of events for this week outside of Chicago.

The US has led after the opening day in eight of the last nine editions of the Presidents Cup, all of which led to American victories. The lone exception came in 2019, when the International Team stormed out to a 4-1 lead at Royal Melbourne in Australia but the US ultimately rallied for victory. In 2024, the US swept all five matches in the opening session, only for the International Team to win all five matches on Friday.

There will be a total of 30 matches played this week at Medinah, with the first team to reach 15.5 points declaring victory. Here's how the opening best-ball matches will play out:

Match 1 (12.35pm ET): Scottie Scheffler/Sam Burns (US) v Min Woo Lee/Sungjae Im (International)

The defending champs are leading with strength, as Scheffler headlines this match alongside Burns, rekindling a pairing that played three matches with middling results at Quail Hollow in 2022. Ogilvy led off the pairings process, choosing to put Lee and Im in the first pairing to face the pressures of the first tee scene on Thursday. Lee in particular should have no shortage of energy, while Scheffler looks to improve a record in team match play that doesn't exactly square with the credentials of the world's best player.

Match 2 (12.53pm ET): Cameron Young/Xander Schauffele (US) v Hideki Matsuyama/Ryo Hisatsune (International)

You're forgiven if you had already auto-filled Schauffele's name next to Patrick Cantlay. The frequent American pairing has been broken up for the opening session, with Schauffele instead playing with Young, who impressed at last year's Ryder Cup but will be making his first Presidents Cup appearance since 2022. This is the first time that another Japanese player is on the Presidents Cup roster alongside Matsuyama, so it's no surprise to see the two paired together for the opening session. This was the pairing that led to the most deliberation among team leadership, as Ogilvy and his assistants spent nearly two minutes debating who to pit against the Young/Schauffele pairing.

Match 3 (1.11pm ET): Justin Thomas/Jackson Koivun (US) v Corey Conners/Nico Echavarria (International)

The youngest player in the American team room will hit the course in the opening session, as Koivun pairs with a veteran in Thomas. It's an Auburn-Alabama combination that wouldn't work on the football field on Saturday but Snedeker hopes it will allow Koivun to find his footing in team match play less than four months removed from helping his team win an NCAA title in match play. The International Team countered with perhaps an unexpected combo, opting to pair Echavarria with Conners instead of Nick Taylor in what would have created an all-Canadian pairing. Conners will look to improve upon his 2-7-0 record in the Presidents Cup, while Echavarria makes his debut.

Match 4 (1.29pm ET): Wyndham Clark/Collin Morikawa (US) v Ryan Fox/Adam Scott (International)

The US Open champ can make birdies by the handful, so it's not a surprise to see Clark's name on the Four-ball menu for the Americans. He'll play alongside Morikawa, who boasts a sterling 6-2-0 individual record in two prior Presidents Cup appearances. Facing them will be an Aussie and a Kiwi, with Fox joining forces with Scott. The Champion Golfer of the Year will play his first Presidents Cup match, while Scott has tied the all-time record for appearances in the event and remains the elder statesman on the International Team as he looks to get his hands on the trophy for the first time.

Match 5 (1.47pm ET): Chris Gotterup/Patrick Cantlay (US) v Tom Kim/Si Woo Kim (International)

Much like Match 3, this is an opportunity for Snedeker to pair a rookie with one of the squad's veterans as Gotterup plays his first match in the red, white and blue alongside the stoic Cantlay. They'll take on a formidable duo in what might be the International Team's best chance to be favored in a match, with Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim having created some electric moments two years ago at Montreal. Si Woo, in particular, takes on a leading role this week as the top-ranked player on the International Team. Ogilvy slotted him in the anchor match for a reason, but they'll need to pour in plenty of birdies to take down the Americans, with Cantlay starring behind a 10-4-0 individual record in the Presidents Cup.

Not playing Thursday: Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman (US); Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Nick Taylor (International).