The 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club won’t be played on the same Course No. 3 golf fans remember from Tiger Woods’ PGA Championship victories or Europe’s stunning 2012 Ryder Cup comeback.
Not even close.
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Medinah has undergone a dramatic transformation ahead of this week’s matches between Brandt Snedeker’s United States team and Geoff Ogilvy’s International squad. The redesign by Ogilvy, Mike Cocking and Ashley Mead — collectively known as OCM — has turned one of American golf’s most recognizable championship venues into a significantly wider, more strategic course.
OCM’s pitch wasn’t about tweaking bunkers and reshaping a few greens. Their proposal effectively called for “blowing up” the old design and reconsidering how Course No. 3 should play.
They weren’t kidding.
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Fairway acreage has doubled from 29 to 58 acres, while the number of bunkers increased from 70 to 117. Average green size jumped more than 40 percent, from approximately 6,000 square feet to 8,600, and three entirely new holes were created as part of the rerouting.
There’s another wrinkle specifically for the Presidents Cup.
Players won’t begin on Medinah’s traditional first hole. Tournament organizers have moved the opening tee to what members normally play as the fifth hole, meaning matches that reach the 18th will eventually finish across the club’s usual opening four holes.
The reason is match-play drama.
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Roughly 80 percent of Presidents Cup matches historically finish by the 16th hole, so organizers wanted Medinah’s most compelling water hazards around Lake Kadijah positioned where more matches could actually be decided.
Accuracy will still matter despite the wider corridors. At Snedeker’s suggestion, the course includes a narrow intermediate cut bordering the fairways before players encounter four-inch rough. The opening three holes also feature out-of-bounds running dangerously close down the left side.
Medinah’s championship pedigree remains unmistakable. Course No. 3 has hosted three U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships, the 2012 Ryder Cup and the 2019 BMW Championship, where Justin Thomas shot a course-record 61 on his way to victory.
But history won’t make this course familiar.
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The Presidents Cup begins Thursday, Sept. 24, with competition continuing through Sunday’s singles matches.
For anyone expecting another chapter on the old Medinah, there’s a surprise waiting. This is essentially a new golf course wearing a very famous name.
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