The Presidents Cup is set for a return to American soil at Medinah Country Club in September 2026, but this time, the International Team isn’t just hoping to show up. They’re aiming to make some serious noise. With just one win in the event’s 30-year history (and none on American soil), captain Geoff Ogilvy knows it’ll take more than just raw talent and wishful thinking to break the drought. So what’s his strategy? A little inspiration from Rory McIlroy & his team.

Ogilvy has been paying close attention to Europe’s stunning Ryder Cup win at Bethpage last month — a masterclass in team unity, grit, and planning. And he isn’t shy about where he’s looking for answers for his own team. “The Europeans, when they talk about their history through the Ryder Cup, a lot of their pre-tournament content was based on their history,” Ogilvy said during a conference call with U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker.

“They talked about how powerful it was to finally start winning, and it took them a really long time to do that. It probably feels like we’re in a similar situation to where they were before they sort of cracked the code,” Ogilvy continued. Team Europe took a seven-point lead into the final day and closed out a 15-13 victory on hostile turf, their first win on American soil since 2012.

And at the heart of it all? Rory McIlroy, who delivered 3.5 crucial points and led by sheer example. A now-viral video showed McIlroy grinding in a 5 a.m. workout just hours before tee time, launching himself through explosive box jumps and medicine ball slams like there was no tomorrow. And Ogilvy took notes. That’s the kind of commitment he is seeking from his team.

“We can kind of feel like we can taste it,” Ogilvy said of the Internationals’ chances of winning. “We’ve got the ingredients right now that we had been missing before… and clearly winning something for the first time or in a very long time is probably more difficult than if you’re winning all the time,” he added. Since the Presidents Cup began in 1994, the International Team has claimed victory just once, in 1998. And never, not once, have they won on American turf. The U.S. leads the series 14-1-1, and it’s a staggering record, but one Ogilvy isn’t afraid to stare down.

Though the scoreboard hasn’t always reflected it, with their last loss at the 2024 Presidents Cup coming at 11.5 points to the USA’s 18.5 points, the last three Cups have featured flashes of belief. But belief only gets you so far. Execution is everything. “There’s got to be something there that would be interesting for us to learn because we haven’t cracked the code in this event,” Ogilvy admitted. And that’s where Ogilvy is turning to the Europeans’ playbook — not to copy it, but to understand what made it work.

“I’ve had some chats with Luke [Donald] well before last week,” Ogilvy said. “Europe has done a really good job at the last two Ryder Cups of getting very organized and having everyone on the same page…” he added. That kind of culture, that kind of buy-in, is what Ogilvy wants to build in his team. With Medinah, the site of Europe’s legendary 2012 Ryder Cup comeback, the symbolism couldn’t be richer. And if Ogilvy’s plan works, Medinah might just become the place where the International Team finally flips the script and starts writing a legacy of its own.

But to fully understand the challenge ahead, it helps to take a closer look at how the Presidents Cup compares to the Ryder Cup.

Presidents Cup vs the Ryder Cup

While both the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup pit the United States against a formidable international opponent, the two events carry distinct characteristics that make each special. The Ryder Cup, dating back to 1927, is a historic showdown between the U.S. and a united European team, steeped in tradition and rivalry. The Presidents Cup, dating back to 1994, on the other hand, is a showdown between players from the rest of the world (excluding Europe) against the Americans.

While the format of both events remains similar, featuring fourballs and foursomes in the opening days, the Presidents Cup stretches over four days with a total of 30 matches. This contrasts with the Ryder Cup’s three-day schedule and 28 matches. Another key difference lies in how team lineups are announced. The Presidents Cup captains and their assistants select players live on TV, one by one, adding a layer of suspense and strategy visible to fans. Meanwhile, Ryder Cup captains submit their lineups in secret, revealing all pairings at once, keeping both teams and spectators guessing until the last moment.

Though the Presidents Cup lacks the deep-rooted history of the Ryder Cup, it brings its own unique excitement and global flair, showcasing some of the best talent from around the world outside Europe, and promising fierce competition every time the teams tee off.