The 2026 Presidents Cup runs September 24-27 at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago, with practice rounds wrapping up September 22-23. U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker announced his picks in early September, passing over J.J. Spaun and Ben Griffin — both coming off strong 2025 Ryder Cup showings — in favor of veteran Patrick Cantlay and 21-year-old rookie Jackson Koivun, who turned pro only months earlier. Spaun went 2-1-0 at the 2025 Ryder Cup and Griffin went 1-1-0. At a press conference at Medinah on Tuesday, Snedeker was still fielding questions about the call, two days before the matches start.

1. The Snub Still Stings (J.J. Spaun and Ben Griffin)

They just proved themselves in the sport's biggest team event, and got a 45-second phone call in return.

The captain benched two players who delivered points at the Ryder Cup. Spaun went 2-1-0 in three matches at Bethpage Black and Griffin went 1-1-0, real contributions on the same kind of stage Snedeker is now picking a team for.

The cut came in a single, brief call. Spaun has described the call where Snedeker cut him as "a 45-second phone call. Just said I wasn't on the team, and said I was the odd man out."

He turned it into fuel. Weeks after Snedeker cut him, Spaun won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, saying, "I was pretty determined this week to kind of prove something."

2. But the Captain Says It's a Bet, Not a Verdict (Brandt Snedeker)

He's not arguing the snub is fair. He's arguing it's still the right call.

This wasn't an easy call, and the captain admits it. "It's not fair to a lot of these guys," Snedeker said. "That's the way it comes. There's a lot of factors that go into these decisions. It's tough."

He's betting on Koivun's ceiling, not knocking Spaun's résumé. At Tuesday's press conference he said, "I'm super excited for J.J. What he did at Wentworth was impressive... being captain, you have to make tough decisions."

He wants Koivun to gain experience for road trips to come. Snedeker has said he had "a gut feeling" about Koivun and wanted him to get reps at a home Presidents Cup early, ahead of tougher away trips in future Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups.

3. Still, Benching the Rookie Was the Bigger Risk (Golf Digest's Shane Ryan)

The real risk isn't picking a 21-year-old. It's not picking him.

Benching Koivun would have repeated an old American mistake. Golf Digest's Shane Ryan wrote that picking Spaun or Griffin ahead of Koivun "would demonstrate the same lack of imagination that has plagued the American team, off and on, for decades."

This résumé is exactly why the gamble makes sense. Koivun went 6-1 in match play at Auburn, including two wins in the NCAA championship match, and 3-1 at the 2025 Walker Cup.

There's precedent for this exact bet paying off. Fred Couples picked Jordan Spieth for the 2013 Presidents Cup after just one PGA Tour win, and it worked.

Where This Lands

Spaun and Griffin have the results to say they earned a spot Snedeker didn't give them. Snedeker isn't disputing that — he's betting Koivun's ceiling and match-play record matter more than a points list built on last year. Golf Digest's camp says that bet is exactly the kind Team USA has avoided for too long. Medinah settles none of that on paper, but it's about to test it on the course.

Sources