Unrecognizable. That’s what Medinah Country Club, which is also nicknamed ‘Monster’ might look like. When officials announced it as the 2026 Presidents Cup venue, most observers anticipated targeted tweaks to its storied Course No. 3: narrower rough, refreshed bunkers, and perhaps subtle green work. That’s not the case, however.
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Patrick Cantlay‘s comments suggest that the layout of the 102-year-old course has changed significantly from what it once was.
“Yeah, I don’t think there’s any advantage,” he said at the pre-tournament press conference when asked about the changes to the course and whether it could benefit Geoff Ogilvy. “You still have to play the shots, and I think everybody’s going to be well prepared come tournament time.
“They took out a lot of trees, and I would say the old course is completely gone. There are basically no holes that are the same or even close to the same. It’s a brand new golf course. There’s a lot of trees gone, and the fairways are a lot wider.”
Ogilvy co-designed the course (with Mike Cocking and Ashley Mead, known as OCM), raising questions about advantage. However, there could be no advantage, since everyone will get used to it when it’s time to tee off tomorrow.
And Cantlay is not the only one to think so. Geoff Ogilvy himself shares Cantlay’s view.
Ogilvy said, “It’s an advantage when we turn up on Monday. But what touring professionals have over most other golfers is they can learn a golf course really quickly.
“I think by the time we tee off on Thursday, anything that I did to help out the players with what OCM did and how we were hoping people would play the course, I imagine that the U.S. team will have it worked out by then.
But professional golfers can read courses much faster than most amateurs. Therefore, that advantage is much smaller on Thursday and beyond. However, he also acknowledged that it can boost the International team’s confidence.
U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker countered that both teams’ analytics will level the field, though his familiarity with the course remains an edge. But that doesn’t mean the International team has no advantage, because their captain knows the course inside and out.
That said, the American team has some benefit, too. As Cantlay noted, one of the biggest changes is that the number of trees is significantly down. As with any golf course, this benefits long hitters.
- Scottie Scheffler (312.7)
- Cameron Young (318.3)
- Wyndham Clark (313.3)
- Sam Burns (314.9)
- Chris Gotterup (322.9)
- Justin Thomas (311.3)
- Xander Schauffele (320)
They all averaged over 310 yards across the 2026 season. Patrick Cantlay is just shy of that, with an average of 308 yards. In contrast, the International team has only these golfers with long-hitting capabilities:
- Ryan Fox (314.8)
- Min Woo Lee (323.2)
- Adam Scott (313.1)
OCM has made many other changes to Course No. 3 at Medinah beyond reducing trees. Data from the PGA Tour says fairway acreage roughly doubled from 29 to 58 acres. The designers narrowed the rough from around 144 to 48 acres, making width a defining feature.
Bunkers have increased from 70 to 117, and average green size grew from around 6,000 to approximately 8,600 sq ft. But that extra width also adds strategic complexity. OCM also removed the redundant par-three 13th and 17th, and the par-four 15th hole, to introduce three completely new holes.
Nonetheless, Cantlay can rely on his experience in representing Team USA in team events to build confidence for this week.
Patrick Cantlay just wants to see his team win!
The American professional has represented his country in six team events: three Presidents Cups and three Ryder Cups. Cantlay’s 10-4 Presidents Cup record and undefeated Sunday Singles mark show his clutch pedigree.
But Cantlay doesn’t overthink it.
“I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about legacy or anything like that. I know it’s really an honor to represent my country and be out there with the guys going out there and having a match, and knowing that my teammates are out there battling as well. There’s nothing sweeter than winning a point for your team,” he said.
“So, that’s really what this week is all about for me. I feel like if I can just play my little part as best I can, hopefully the team, hopefully it’s enough to help the team get a victory at the end of the week.”
He just wants to see his team win!