U.S. captain Brant Snedeker's options for Presidents Cup pairings

Time for United States Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker to turn his surprise picks into winners.

Adding rookies Jackson Koivun and Jacob Bridgeman as captain's picks received most of the attention as Snedeker was assembling his team. Snedeker selected three rookies, including Chris Gotterup, among his six captain's picks.

“The best advice I’ve gotten from almost every captain is to trust your gut," Snedeker said. "That’s what I did.”

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Snedeker has the comfort knowing since the Presidents Cup debuted in 1994, the U.S. has lost once. The biennial event, which starts Sept. 24 at Medinah Country Club outside of Chicago, pits the U.S. against an International team excluding Europe.

Veterans Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele

and Patrick Cantlay, joined Koivun, Bridgeman and Gotterup as captain's picks.

Gotterup was not a surprise having finished seventh in the President's Cup standings

The top six in the standings that automatically qualified: Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Russell Henley and Collin Morikawa.

Now, Snedeker has to take into consideration chemistry, personal relationships and compatibility when considering pairings for the four-day event that will include 30 matches; nine fourball, nine foursomes, 12 singles.

The U.S. will face an International team led by captain Geoff Ogilvy and featuring automatic qualifiers Si Woo Kim, Hideki Matsuyama, Ryan Fox, Tom Kim, Min Woo Lee, and Adam Scott; and captain's picks Sungjae Im, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Corey Conners, Nico Echavarria, Ryo Hisatsune and Nick Taylor.

Here is what we could see from both the Americans and the International team.

Possible US pairings for Presidents Cup

Scottie Scheffler/Jackson Koivun

World No. 1 Scheffler's dominance has not translated to team events where he has been a huge disappointment. Scheffler is 2-6-3 in the Ryder Cup and 3-5-1 in the Presidents Cup. And this is playing several matches with friends Russell Henley and Sam Burns. So mix it up and allow Scheffler to mentor the 21-year-old. Koivun played in seven PGA Tour events after leaving Auburn and turning pro in June, winning one (3M Open) and closing in the top 25 four times. This would be a must-see pairing.

Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay

Schauffele and Cantlay are close friends with a lot of success in team events. They were responsible for the only U.S. point in the morning foursome of the opening day at the Ryder Cup last year. It was Cantlay's only win while Schauffele was 2-1-0. Overall, they are 7-4 in foursomes in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup.

Justin Thomas/Cameron Young

Thomas and Young were responsible for one of the two wins in fourball by the U.S. at the Ryder Cup, dominating Ludvig Aberg and Rasmus Hojgaard, 6 and 5, while making seven birdies in 13 holes. Thomas is an emotional, fiery player and would be a good complement to the more stoic Young. Young's power complements Thomas' iron play and precision.

Colin Morikawa/Wyndham Clark

A pairing with experience including six combined international team events, led by Morikawa with four, along with success in the Presidents Cup with a combined 7-2-3 record. Morikawa is one of the best iron players in the world, ranking fourth in strokes gained approach this season. Clark hits with power and is a strong putter.

Sam Burns/Chris Gotterup

Burns is a veteran of four international team events, including the 2024 Presidents Cup where he was the only U.S. player without a loss (3-0-1). Burns, an elite putter, would be a nice veteran presence and complement for the rookie Gotterup, who hits booming drives. Gotterup had his breakout year on the PGA Tour with three of his five wins and seven top 10s in 23 events.

Russell Henley/Jacob Bridgeman

Henley could be a veteran influence for the rookie Bridgeman. Henley was paired with pal Scheffler at the 2025 Ryder Cup but they lost both foursomes matches. Henley is accurate and steady. He led the PGA Tour last season in driving accuracy at 72.6 percent while Bridgeman is No. 1 in strokes gained putting.

Possible International Team pairings for Presidents Cup

Hideki Matsuyama/Ryo Hisatsune

Matsuyama and Hisatsune would be the first all-Japanese pairing for the International team. Matsuyama, who is playing in his seventh Presidents Cup, partners perfectly with Hisatsune, who is making his debut. They complement each other with Matsuyama's strength being his iron play and accuracy and Hisatsune strong off the tee.

Adam Scott/Min Woo Lee

Lee is playing in his second Presidents Cup and he has yet to win a match, going 0-1-1 in 2024. Scott is making his record-tying 12th Presidents Cup appearance. Lee has spoken about how he idolizes Scott, a fellow Australian. They were paired in 2024 Presidents Cup once, losing 1-up to Morikawa and Sahith Theegala.

Tom Kim/Si Woo Kim

Though the Kims are not related, they are from South Korea, have success being paired and both play with high energy. Two years ago, they easily handled Keegan Bradley and Clark, 4 and 3, in four ball. They have split two matches against Cantlay and Schauffele the last two Presidents Cups, each winning 1-up.

Ryan Fox/Nico Echavarria

New Zealander Fox and Columbian Echavarria are making their Presidents Cup debuts. Their styles are complementary. Fox, the British Open champion, brings the power with 315-yard average drive. Echavarria is more of a precision golfer whose strengths are his short game and putting.

Corey Connors/Nick Taylor

Canadians Connors and Taylor are very close friends. They played together at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Connors is in his third Presidents Cup while Taylor is making his debut at age 38. Taylor is exceptional around the greens while Conners' strength is ball striking. Taylor is known for his mental toughness, which might be a factor being a Canadian playing on U.S. soil.

Sungjae Im/Christiaan Bezuidenhout

A veteran pairing with five President Cup appearances combined. Both are known for their elite putting and masterful short game. Im, from South Korea, is aggressive and a consistent ball striker. Bezuidenhout, a South African, has a 3-1-1 Presidents Cup record. His approach game, from all distances, is among the best on Tour.

Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [e-mail].

Presidents Cup

Thursday-Sunday

Medinah Country Club (outside Chicago)

TV: Golf Channel, NBC

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: U.S. captain Brant Snedeker's options for Presidents Cup pairings

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