Captain Brandt Snedeker's U.S. Presidents Cup team is coming into focus.
The top six in the points standings for the 12-man team that will represent the Stars and Stripes officially qualified at the conclusion of the BMW Championship on Sunday.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and No. 3 Cameron Young, as if there ever were a doubt, had already qualified. Sam Burns and Russell Henley didn't have to sweat things out too much either, but the final couple of the spots had some volatility.
Wyndham Clark jumped from No. 7 to No. 3 and locked up a spot with his victory at the BMW on Sunday. in the proceess he ended up bumping Ben Griffin, who entered the week at No. 5, off the list of AQs, as Griffin is now No. 8. Collin Morikawa, No. 6, barely fended off Chris
Gotterup, who was the odd man out at No. 7. Morikawa and Gotterup tied for fourth at the BMW.
Snedeker will still have six picks at his disposal to make following the Tour Championship. As Clark put it, “As long as you make the team, it doesn't matter if you're No. 1 or 12.”
Here's a closer look at the top six automatic qualifiers:
1. Scottie Scheffler
Age: 30
World Ranking: 1
Appearances: 3 (2022, 2024, 2026)
Career Record: 3-5-1
Scheffler, who is making his third straight appearance in the Presidents Cup, earned nearly double the points of the next closest finisher in the standings. Scheffler is the world No. 1 for a reason. He’s won twice this season, most recently at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. But his record at the Presidents Cup has been spotty. He has a career mark of 3-5-1. He’s also coming off going 1-4 at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage last year and has plenty to prove in Chicago. While the dominant force in the men's professional game, he's been surprisingly beatable in team play.
2. Cameron Young
Age: 29
World Ranking: 3
Appearances: 2 (2022, 2026)
Career Record: 1-2-1
Young was a rookie at Quail Hollow four year ago at the Presidents Cup. He arguably was the lone bright spot at the Ryder Cup last year, notching a 3-1 record. He picked up where he left off, winning the Players Championship and Cadillac Championship this season. He also finished third at the Masters and second at the British Open. This has been the season that Young has finally lived up to his potential after recording seven runner-up finishes before he got his first win and a lot will be expected of him at Medinah.
3. Wyndham Clark
Age: 32
World Ranking: No. 8
Appearances: 2 – 2024, 2026
Career Mark: 1-2-1
Clark vaulted into the top six with impressive play since winning the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May. Then he won the U.S. Open for the second time and tacked on the BMW Championship to make PGA Tour Player of the Year a conversation. He’s playing the best golf of his career, an impressive comeback from a difficult season in which he failed to advance to the BMW Championship and didn’t garner serious consideration for the U.S. Ryder Cup team given his form.
4. Sam Burns
Age: 30
World Ranking: 7
Appearances: 3 (2022, 2024, 2026)
Career Record: 3-3-3
Burns is winless since 2023 but has been a regular on international teams. This time he didn’t need a captain’s pick.
Burns has been playing some of his best golf of late. He recorded six straight top 20 finishes heading into the BMW, including four T-4s or better. That includes a second at the U.S. Open and third at the British Open.
5. Russell Henley
Age: 37
World Ranking: 6
Appearances: 2 (2024, 2026)
Career Record: 3-1-0
Henley won the Charles Schwab Challenge in May and finished T-3 at the Masters and T-9 at the British Open.
He teamed well with Scottie Scheffler and went 3-1 as a Presidents Cup rookie in 2024. But Henley was a Ryder Cup disappointment last year, struggling to a mark of 0-2-1.
6. Collin Morikawa
Age: 29
World Ranking: No. 11
Appearances: 3 – 2022, 2024, 2026
Career Record: 6-2-0
Morikawa has been a stalwart for the last three Presidents Cup teams. But he’s coming off a rough Ryder Cup in which he went 0-2-1. Morikawa won the AT&T Pebble Beach Invitational in February but battled a back injury for much of the remainder of the year. A strong finish at the BMW secured his spot on the team.
The 2026 Presidents Cup will be played at Medinah Country Club in Chicago, Sept. 22-27.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Meet the 6 automatic qualifiers for the 2026 U.S. Presidents Cup team
