U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker credited President Donald Trump with bringing the decisive energy after America staged a massive Sunday comeback to win the 2026 Presidents Cup.
The United States flipped a deficit on the final day at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago, taking nine of 12 singles matches and clinching its 11th straight Presidents Cup title. Trump, serving as honorary chairman, presented the trophy after the Americans locked it up.
Snedeker did not treat the visit as ceremonial window dressing. He said the president’s presence supplied the spark the home side needed when it trailed entering the last session for the first time on U.S. soil.
“It’s really special because I got to meet President Trump today on the first tee. As he told me this morning, he brought some juice for us today and I told him if it turned out our way, I was going to give him credit. He definitely brought the juice. He deserves a lot of the credit for what happened today,” Snedeker said after the win, as USA TODAY reported.
The Americans entered Sunday trailing. They answered with the largest final-day singles haul in event history, winning nine of the 12 matches and finishing 17-13.
The New York Post detailed the charge: rookie Jackson Koivun and Collin Morikawa flipped key matches on the back nine, and Jacob Bridgeman delivered the clinching point with a 1-up win, sinking the winning par putt on the 18th green.
Snedeker had previewed the possibility the night before. “I told the guys last night that funny stuff happens here. Medinah has a history of funny things happening,” he said. Of Koivun, the captain added: “The kid is special. He’s different.”
The biennial team event pits a U.S. squad against an International side. America has now won 11 in a row. The Sunday swing turned a deficit into a statement finish in front of a packed Chicago-area gallery.
Trump arrived as honorary chairman after being named to the role last month and confirming he would attend. It marked his first visit to the Chicago area in his second White House term. He previously held the same honorary post in 2017 when the Cup was at Liberty National in New Jersey. Earlier presidents in the role have included Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Gerald Ford.
Shortly after the gates opened Sunday, Air Force One could be seen flying over Medinah. About 30 minutes before the first match teed off, PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp introduced the president near the first tee. The grandstand there holds as many as 5,000 people. Enhanced security and TSA-style screening controlled access.
Trump kept the remarks short. He said Rolapp had asked for a speech. “Brian said could you make a short speech and I said, ‘No, I don’t have the courage to make a speech. These people want to see golf. They don’t want to hear speeches.’”
He added: “I will say this, our country is doing great, better than ever before. And now I want to watch the greatest players in the world go at it today and play your hearts out. It should be a very impressive day of golf.”
He then greeted players from both the U.S. and International teams before tee-off. The Federal Aviation Administration put a temporary ground stop on departures at nearby O’Hare International Airport because of the VIP movement.
After the Americans closed out the Cup, Trump’s motorcade rolled onto the 14th green in front of the club’s Byzantine-style clubhouse. He shook hands with every U.S. golfer and vice-captain, offered congratulations, and handed the trophy to Snedeker.
The captain repeated the credit in plain terms. Fox News carried his further thanks: “One last shoutout: Donald Trump. President Trump. He told me, ‘I [am] going to bring energy today for you. You guys need it,’ Snedeker said. ‘I told him if we did this, he gets all the credit. So, thank you, President Trump.’”
Team USA had trailed 10½-7½ heading into singles. The nine-match Sunday haul wiped that out and produced the 17-13 final. Rookie Bridgeman’s putt on the last hole finished the job.
Snedeker’s framing was consistent from morning to trophy stand. Trump told him he would bring energy. The captain promised to give him the credit if the comeback landed. The U.S. side then won the session in dominant fashion on home ground.
PGA Tour officials announced extra restrictions at Medinah for the presidential stop, including the screening at the first-tee grandstand. The O’Hare ground stop covered departures while the VIP movement was underway. None of that changed the on-course result. The Americans still produced the decisive singles surge.
Trump’s appearance sat inside a long Presidents Cup custom of inviting a sitting or former president as honorary chairman. What stood out this time was the captain’s direct line from the morning greeting to the final-day charge and the public handoff of credit at the ceremony.
The U.S. team needed a large Sunday. It got one. Snedeker named the source of the juice. Trump presented the hardware.
When a U.S. captain wins a comeback Cup and points straight at the president who showed up and brought the energy, that is not complicated. It is American success meeting a leader who still draws a crowd and still gets results.
