We head to the No. 3 Course (par 70, 7,548 yards, bentgrass greens) of Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, for the 16th edition of the Presidents Cup. Medinah most recently hosted the 2019 BMW Championship won by Justin Thomas (-25) and the 2012 Ryder Cup won by Team Europe.
The Presidents Cup is a team formatted match play tournament between Team USA and Team International that is held every two years. Team USA won in 2024 and has won 13 of 15 Presidents Cups. Each team features 12 players and there will be 30 matches played over the four days of this event. Each match won is worth one point and each match tied is worth a half point. The first team to 15.5 points wins and if there is a tie, the teams share the cup.
The first three days of the Presidents Cup consist of two-man team matches. There will be five four-ball matches Thursday, five foursome matches Friday and then, four four-ball matches Saturday morning and four foursome matches Saturday afternoon. Following these team matches, there will be 12 single matches Sunday to conclude this event.
If not familiar with these formats, four-ball is when each player of a two-man team plays their own ball and the team takes the best score between the pairing on each hole. Meanwhile, foursome is an alternate shot format, when teammates of these two-man squads alternate shots until they finish the hole.
The pairings and matchups won’t be announced until Wednesday night and some players will play more matches than others, based on how the captains want to use their players throughout the event, so targeting players who you believe will play the most matches is wise. Each player is required to play in at least one team match before every player competes in the single matches Sunday.
As a team event that features only 24 players, DFS on DraftKings this week is specific to showdown format. Each lineup features six golfers, per usual, but one of these players you will select to be your captain, and that player accrues 1.5x the FPTS. The scoring format for the Presidents Cup is also different from a normal week of golf, as golfers will score points based on holes won, lost or halved.
Below, I’ll dive into two of my favorite DFS options on DraftKings for the Presidents Cup.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $100K Sand Trap [$20K to 1st]
Top Golf DFS Picks for the 2026 Presidents Cup
Captains Pick:
Patrick Cantlay ($13,200)
While most are likely to roster Scottie Scheffler at captain, I prefer taking the near-$5,000 savings with Cantlay for that spot, as it opens way more possibilities for your lineup and then possibly rostering Scheffler in a FLEX spot.
Cantlay has thrived in match play throughout his career with a 14-6-2 singles record and an 11-8-2 team matches record. At the 2024 Presidents Cup, Cantlay went 4-1 in his matches and he finished in a tie for the most points for Team USA.
The veteran disappointed at the Ryder Cup last September, finishing 1-3-1 in his matches, but Cantlay is in much better form nowadays and he is a stellar fit for Medinah. Cantlay has made five straight cuts and finished inside the top-12 in three of these starts.
Ranking third in SG APP this season, Cantlay’s irons have never been better and he just finished runner-up at the BMW Championship in his second-to-last start. This playoff event was played at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, which bodes very well for this week, as it is a similar venue to Medinah. Both these courses are long par 70s located in the Midwest that feature bentgrass greens.
Cantlay loves competing in the Midwest. The 34-year-old is a two-time winner at Muirfield Village in Ohio and Cantlay ranks second in this field in strokes gained per round at courses in the Midwest, trailing only Scheffler. Also, bentgrass is far and away Cantlay’s favorite type of putting surface to compete on, as six of his eight PGA TOUR wins have come at venues with this green type.
Cantlay leading Team USA in points is a real possibility and he is just too cheap. Cantlay carries the third-best odds to be the top points scorer for the Presidents Cup at +1000 on DraftKings Sportsbook, but he is just the sixth-most expensive player for DFS on DraftKings.
FLEX Targets:
Collin Morikawa ($7,800)
Morikawa is a standout play at this affordable salary. The two-time major champion has finished T-18 or better in five of his last six starts and his ball-striking has been elite this season, ranking fourth in SG APP and eighth in total driving. Morikawa also ranks 15th in par four performance, which is a great sign for Medinah, with this course being a traditional par 70 that features 12 par fours.
Morikawa has won in the Midwest before, taking home the big check at Muirfield Village for the 2020 Workday Charity Open and he just finished T-4 at Bellerive for the BMW Championship last month.
Morikawa ranks third in this field in strokes gained per round at tracks in the Midwest and he went 4-1 in his matches during the 2024 Presidents Cup, putting him in a tie for the most points scored for Team USA. Morikawa owns a 13-11-5 match play record for his career and he should have another strong showing at the Presidents Cup at Medinah.
Sungjae Im ($5,800)
Im enters this Presidents Cup in excellent form. The 28-year-old has finished inside the top-15 in five of his past six starts, most recently with a T-10 at the BMW Championship at Bellerive.
Im posted a 6-under 64 in the second round that week and he has shot under par in 13 of his past 16 rounds. Im’s flat stick has been on fire, gaining at least 4.0 strokes putting in four consecutive starts and he ranks 12th in total strokes gained when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds.
Im struggled at the 2024 Presidents Cup, going 1-4 in his matches, but he owns a decent 10-12-2 match play record for his career and his form is among the best for Team International. Im should be one of the top points scorers for this squad and he is a tremendous value play at only $5,800.
