United States wins 16th Presidents Cup: Scheffler and Cantlay lead 18.5-11.5 triumph at Medinah

Why this one matters

The 16th Presidents Cup came down to Sunday singles at Medinah Country Club’s redesigned Course No. 3, and the United States delivered an emphatic statement. Entering Sunday with an 11-7 lead, Captain Brandt Snedeker needed just 4.5 points from 12 matches to retain the golden cup.

His team responded by taking 7.5 points on Sunday to complete an 18.5 - 11.5 triumph, extending the American winning streak to 10 consecutive Presidents Cups and pushing the all-time series record to 14-1-1. For Chicago golf fans who filled the Medinah fairways all week, it was a celebration of elite match play on one of golf’s most storied layouts.

What actually happened

PGA Tour and Golf Channel scoring confirm that World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler set the tone from the opening tee. Facing 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama in the lead-off match, Scheffler poured in four birdies over his first nine holes and closed out the match 3&2 on the 16th green with a 15-foot par save.

Patrick Cantlay continued his stellar match play record, grinding past Australian veteran Adam Scott 2&1 in match two. Scott, playing in his record-equalling 12th cup, fought back from 3-down to 1-down before Cantlay’s birdie on the 17th sealed the point.

Xander Schauffele followed with a commanding 4&3 victory over Sungjae Im, and Collin Morikawa secured a crucial half-point against Min Woo Lee on the 18th hole to officially push the Americans past the 15.5-point threshold needed to retain the trophy. Geoff Ogilvy’s International Team fought with determination throughout the week, but the depth of the American lineup proved decisive once again.

The numbers that tell the story

• Final score: United States 18.5, International Team 11.5.
• Sunday singles tally: United States won 7, halved 1, lost 4 (7.5 - 4.5).
• Streak extended: 10 consecutive victories for Team USA dating back to 2005.
• All-time record: United States leads the series 14-1-1.
• Top performers: Scheffler finished the week 4-1-0; Cantlay went 4-0-1.