It has been well documented that the United States have dominated the Presidents Cup. When they won in Montreal in 2024 by seven points, it was their 14th title in 16 events. The International Team won the 1998 Presidents Cup in Melbourne, and tied the United States at 17 at the 2003 Presidents Cup in George, South Africa. As we head toward the 2026 Presidents Cup in Chicago, you could major the argument that the hottest player in golf at the moment (J.J. Spaun of Los Angeles, California) is not on the American roster.
Spaun was tremendous this past weekend at the BMW PGA Championship, as he had a winning score of -17. The tournament is also known as the British PGA Championship or European PGA Championship so confusion is avoided. This is an elite event on the European Tour but not one of golf’s four prestigious majors or the event (BMW Championship) in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Over the past weekend in Surrey, Spaun defeated four golfers by two strokes. They were major champions Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, Aaron Rai of England, and Adam Scott of Australia, as well as Manuel Elvira of Spain. You could make the argument that Spaun won a tournament with an elite field, even better than many PGA Tour events in 2026.
The fact that Spaun was snubbed by American captain Brandt Snedeker could be a bit of a surprise. Spaun was ranked 10th in the final standings. The top six players were automatically selected and the next six were chosen by Snedeker. The American captain chose Justin Thomas, Jacob Bridgeman, Patrick Cantlay and Jackson Koivun, who were all behind Spaun in the standings, instead. It should be noted that Koivun was ranked 48th in the American Presidents Cup qualification standings.
Spaun is also ranked 12th in the world, and is a major champion from the past. He won the 2025 United States Open, and the biggest golf tournament in the world leading up to the Presidents Cup. The fact he is not on the American team, should give the International Team an added boost.
