United States avoids disaster with huge Sunday comeback to win Presidents Cup

Facing the chance of an embarrassing Presidents Cup loss, the United States rallied with a big Sunday to squeak out the victory over the International team.

Team USA had a brutal Friday performance to put the team in a hole. The International squad swept the first foursomes event 5-0 to take the lead by four, and while Team USA won the Saturday sessions 4.5-3.5, it only cut into the deficit by one point.

Typically, in these team events, the United States struggles in alternate shot but thrives in Sunday singles. Last year, in the Ryder Cup vs. Europe, Team USA was down 11.5-4.5 entering Sunday but stormed back. with an 8.5-3.5 win in singles, falling just short in the event by two.

Therefore, even though the United States was down after three days, the team had to feel good on Sunday with both the talent advantage and their best session yet to play. Here's how the United States won the Presidents Cup on Sunday.

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How Team USA won the Presidents Cup

Entering Sunday down three points, the United States put on a strong performance in the singles event to win the Presidents Cup for the 11th-straight time. 

The United States front-loaded their lineup with Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler going out in the first four pairs. The Internationals, meanwhile, spread out their top performers, which meant some the Team USA's best went up against weaker competition.

Young and Scheffler, specifically, went up against Ryo Hisatsune and Nico Echavarria, and both Americans didn't have too much trouble with their opponents. Thomas, meanwhile, cruised to a win over Corey Connors, allowing Team USA to get three quick points on the board.

— PGA Tour (@PGATour) September 27, 2026

That put the pressure on the best International players to follow suit. Tom Kim dispatched Clark early for a point, while Sungjae Im took down Sam Burns without ever trailing. However, Si Woo Kim, Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott couldn't find their groove as they all lost their matches.

Matsuyama was in a tight match vs. Colin Morikawa but let it slip way on the 18th hole, as Morikawa won the hole to win the match 1 up. Scott tried to take down Patrick Cantlay, but Cantlay stepped up once again to defeat the Presidents Cup veteran.

— PGA Tour (@PGATour) September 27, 2026

Still, it was Si Woo Kim vs. Jackson Koivun that defined the day. Kim was arguably the best International player this year, but the 21-year-old Koivun played him hole-for-hole, taking a late lead then securing the full point on the 18th hole. 

— PGA Tour (@PGATour) September 27, 2026

Finally, it was rookie Jacob Bridgeman who secured the winning point as he beat Min Woo Lee on the 18th hole.

— PGA Tour (@PGATour) September 27, 2026

It was also notable that the International team had five players play in all five sessions, while the United States had just two. That goes to show how deep the United States team was in comparison to the International squad.

United States Presidents Cup streak

The United States has now won 11-straight Presidents Cups, dating back to the 2005 event. 

In the 15 playings of the Presidents Cup, the International team won just once: in 1998 when Australia hosted the event. Additionally, the last time the U.S. didn't win was in 2003, when the two side played to a draw in South Africa.