Winners and losers from Day 1 of the Presidents Cup

Scottie Scheffler. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Winners and losers from Day 1 of the Presidents Cup

By Jack Dougherty | Last updated Sep 24, 2026 7:14 PM ET

Day 1 of the 2026 Presidents Cup has come and gone, with the Americans holding a 3-2 lead after the first round of four-ball. With Scottie Scheffler leading the way, here are the biggest winners and losers from the first round of action at Medinah Country Club.

Winner: Scottie Scheffler

Scheffler has proved time and time again that he's the best golfer on the planet. There isn't much he hasn't accomplished at this point in his career, but the one blemish on his resume is his record in team events.

Entering this year's event, Scheffler was 3-5-1 at the Presidents Cup and 3-6-3 at the Ryder Cup. The world No. 1 surely wants to make a statement at Medinah and turn that record around, and he's off to a good start.

Scheffler and Sam Burns took down Sungjae Im and Min Woo Lee, 1 up, in the opening match of the tournament. Holding a 1-up lead on the 18th hole, Scheffler missed the green with his approach shot but hit his bunker shot to gimme range to close out the match.

Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns defeat Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im after a CLUTCH bunker shot ️ pic.twitter.com/JtmeV8LiNu
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 24, 2026

Loser: Chris Gotterup

Gotterup had high expectations for his first Presidents Cup after his three-win season, but he fell short of them on Day 1. The American bomber lost 3.28 strokes from tee to green and ranked last in the field in strokes gained on approach on Thursday.

Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay lost to Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim, 3&2, in a match that wasn't very competitive. Team USA will need Gotterup's length off the tee in foursomes.

Winner: Justin Thomas

Thomas was a big question mark for Team USA coming into the Presidents Cup, but he silenced the doubters with a dominant performance on Day 1. The veteran put up a full point for the Americans and led the team in total strokes gained by a wide margin.

JT and Jackson Koivun knocked off Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria, 4&3 even though Koivun was the worst player on Team USA in strokes gained from tee to green on Day 1. That just shows how good Thomas was on Thursday.

Loser: Nico Echavarria

Echavarria didn't give Team International a chance in his match against Thomas and Koivun. The Colombian lost a whopping 5.37 strokes on Day 1, leaving Conners out to dry all match. Gotterup, the second-worst player of the day, lost only 2.39 total strokes to the field.

We might not see Echavarria back on the course until Sunday singles based on his performance on Thursday.

Jack Dougherty

Jack Dougherty has been writing professionally since 2015, contributing to publications such as GoPSUSports. com, Centre Daily Times, Associated Press, and Sportscasting. com

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