The International Team is heading into Sunday singles at Medinah with a four-point lead. Up 10½-7½ after a five-match foursomes sweep on Friday and a split Saturday afternoon, Geoff Ogilvy’s side is within reach of the Presidents Cup. For Brandt Snedeker’s Americans, the final 12 singles matches carry an unusual consequence. While the consecutive winning streak was already something to fight for, Brentley Romine has highlighted that there’s much more on the line.

“If the Internationals win Sunday at Medinah, the U.S. will not currently hold the: Presidents Cup (Internationals), Ryder Cup (Europe), Walker Cup (GB&I), Solheim Cup (Europe), Arnold Palmer Cup (Internationals), World Champions Cup (Europe),” Romine wrote, as noted in an X post by the Golf Channel.

The Presidents Cup is well within reach for the International team if the American professionals do not put up an exceptional comeback today. If they fall short, it will add to a tally of numerous team events the USA has lost in 2025 and 2026.

One of the biggest among them is the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, New York. Europe beat Team USA 15-13. The American team posted a historic comeback on Sunday, winning eight of the 12 matches and tying one. But the lead over the Europeans by the end of Saturday was so big that the comeback fell a little short. This helped the European team win the Ryder Cup on foreign soil for the first time since Medinah in 2012.

If history repeats itself at Medinah, Team USA could face another defeat, allowing the International team to win the biennial event only a second time in history.

As for the other events lost, Team Europe also beat Team USA at the recently concluded Solheim Cup, which took place earlier this month in the Netherlands, 15-13.

“Always an honor of a lifetime getting to represent the Stars and Stripes,” Nelly Korda wrote after the loss to Charley Hull and Team Europe. “No matter the outcome this week always creates some of my favorite memories.”

Similarly, Great Britain and Ireland defeated the Americans 13½-12½ at Lahinch in September 2026 to win the Walker Cup. This ended Team USA’s five-win streak at the amateur team event. Earlier, in July 2026, the International team won the Arnold Palmer Cup, needing and getting exactly 12 points during the Final Round Singles to defeat Team USA 30.5-29.5 on Sunday afternoon at Tralee Golf Links, the closest margin of victory in a Palmer Cup since 2000 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.

The Europeans also won the Skechers World Champions Cup late last year. Bernhard Langer and vice-captain Søren Kjeldsen both scored 12 points on Sunday afternoon in singles, while Colin Montgomerie earned 10.5 points for the team. As a result, the Europeans (230 points) secured a decisive victory over the International team (213.5) and the USA team (204.5).

However, the American team still has a chance to prevent that. Currently at 7.5 points, they need eight points from the 12 Sunday singles matches. The International team, meanwhile, needs only five to win the biennial event. While it will be a challenge, it is something Team USA has pulled off before.

For instance, the Americans won the Sunday singles session of the 2025 Ryder Cup 8.5-3.5. Similarly, at the 2017 Presidents Cup, the Internationals led entering Sunday singles at Royal Melbourne. But the Americans won the session 8-4 and the Presidents Cup, 16-14.

Although most of the Americans’ defeats were by a small margin and there’s still a chance they could retain the Presidents Cup, the results show a pattern. And the golf world is worried about this pattern.

Fans question Team USA’s approach as Medinah pressure builds

The 10½-7½ deficit at Medinah has given American fans plenty of reasons to question the decisions behind Team USA’s campaign. One reaction summed up the frustration: “Let’s still go to the good ol boys club and then say no we won’t do that and then still send out same pairs that get best year after year. lol”

The comment points toward the debate over selections and partnerships. Brandt Snedeker used captain’s picks on established team-event players Patrick Cantlay and Justin Thomas while leaving out J.J. Spaun and Ben Griffin. Instead, he went for Jackson Koivun and Jacob Bridgeman. While many questions were raised, he defended his decision by saying he had a strong gut feeling.

The pairings have also invited scrutiny. Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns stayed together after winning Thursday’s four-ball, but lost 1 up in Friday’s foursomes during the International Team’s 5-0 sweep. They bounced back with a 2-and-1 win Saturday.  But right when it felt that Scheffler and Burns were picking up momentum, Snedeker decided to bench the World No. 1.

Another fan echoed similar sentiments and wrote, “I can’t tell if it’s the players or the captains America pick, but they are so bad at team golf. It speaks for itself that list you don’t lose all them tournaments by accident or by being unlucky.”

Recent results provide some context for this fan reaction. Team USA has already lost the Solheim Cup and the Walker Cup this month. It is on the verge of losing another team event.

Even Snedeker has added fuel to the captaincy discussion. After Saturday’s sessions, he admitted, “I don’t think I’ve held up my end of the bargain,” while acknowledging that he needed to do a better job putting players in comfortable positions. This has led to concerns like, “Does the captain even know the guys on his team?”

“Presidents Cup is not even close to the Ryder Cup. What would make it all better would be to have all three play in a round robin,” another fan wrote.

The results do explain why that perception exists. Before the 2026 Presidents Cup, the United States had won 10 straight editions and owned a 13-1-1 all-time record. But now, the USA is struggling to maintain consistency at this event, too.

The LIV Golf issue has also entered the debate, with fans blaming the PGA Tour for keeping LIV players out of the Presidents Cup. “The PGAT is mostly to blame for this situation. They are so stodgy in their ways and the players are somewhat to blame, too, since they do not embrace team golf. Then, at the pro level, the banning of LIV guys really hurts the team,” a fan said.

That criticism has some factual basis. International captain Geoff Ogilvy said requests to consider players such as Cameron Smith and Lucas Herbert were denied. Still, eligibility, captaincy decisions, and on-course performance remain separate issues as Team USA heads into Sunday.

The concerns raised by fans add another layer to the bigger pattern discussed above, with Team USA’s selections, pairings, and recent team-event results all coming under scrutiny.