Presidents Cup 2026 alternate-shot puzzle: Why the U.S. lost seven of nine foursomes despite superior rankings

The scoreboard after three days at Medinah reads 10.5-7.5 in favor of the International team. That already is alarming. But the alternate-shot numbers are worse. The U.S. played nine foursomes matches this week and won only two. The Internationals won seven, producing seven points. The pattern is not a one-time failure: across the last four team events, the U.S. has eight wins and 26 losses in alternate shot. Xander Schauffele wants a larger sample. He says 200 alternate-shot matches would be enough before drawing conclusions. “I’m going to die before that happens,” he said. The line is funny but also revealing: the current generation of American players will never get enough foursomes data to be certain. They must make decisions with incomplete evidence. The Presidents Cup had been a place of American dominance for 15 editions, with just one loss. This year, the U.S. enters Sunday down 10.5-7.5. The world ranking averages over the last four team events show the U.S. at 12.75, Europe at 26.8, and the Internationals at 42.5. Talent is not the problem. Yet the U.S. has gone 8-26 in alternate shot over that same span. Brandt Snedeker, the U.S. captain, said his team practiced foursomes and tried to put players in comfortable scenarios. Still, the shortest hitters, Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman, were paired twice and lost twice. Kelan McDonagh, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher to Watch, grew up in Ireland playing alternate shot. He says partnerships and relationships are the biggest variable. He always played better when his partner was a close friend. The uncomfortable truth is that American selection criteria — talent, rankings, friendship — have not produced a repeatable system. The data is not lying; it is pointing to a structural problem. The U.S. may still win the cup in singles, but the foursomes question will remain open.