At whatever level of golf one cares to look, the USA generally has a wealth of world-class players. There is little doubt that America is the strongest golfing nation in the world, and that is broadly true when we look at the elite men and women, the amateur ranks and also the junior game.
Despite this indisputable quality, the US has underperformed all too often when it comes to team golf. This is most apparent when we look at the Ryder Cup, where Europe have frequently upset the odds to win the biennial thrill-fest. Despite always having the superior players in terms of world ranking, Team USA has lost 11 of the last 15 editions of the competition.
They have often fared better in some of the other major team competitions, such as the Solheim Cup, where the US professional women have won 11 and lost eight of 20 editions. Their dominance is more keenly felt in the male, amateur contest, the Walker Cup. This contest pre-dates the Ryder Cup and sees America battle a UK plus Ireland team, and the US won five tournaments in a row between 2017 and 2025 inclusive.
US Lose Three Major Team Events in Quick Succession
| Year | Tournament | Winner (Score) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Solheim Cup | Europe (15-13) |
| 2026 | Walker Cup | GB & Ireland (13½-12½) |
| 2025 | Ryder Cup | Europe (15-13) |
In 2026, the Walker Cup was staged again in order to switch to even-numbered years. Having won by 17 points to nine at Cypress Point in 2025, the US were huge favourites to retain the Walker Cup yet again, despite playing away at Lahinch Golf Club in Ireland.
The Americans boasted nine players inside the top 12 in the world, compared to the British and Irish side which had just four in the top 25. Yet somehow the team spirit and home support of the hosts enabled them to upset the odds and claim the Walker Cup for the first time since 2015.
Looking at the bigger picture, it meant that for the first time since 2004, Team USA did not hold any of the Ryder, Solheim or Walker Cups. Back in mid-September, Europe’s women produced some brilliant match-play golf to win the Solheim Cup 15-13 in the Netherlands. Going back a little further, Luke Donald’s sensational European side won the 2025 Ryder Cup by the same score in very hostile conditions in New York.
America have rarely held fewer than three of the main five team events in golf, the other two being the Curtis Cup, for amateur women, and the Presidents Cup, which sees them do battle against a Rest of the World side excluding Europe. The Presidents Cup is easily the youngest of these team classics, having first been played in 1994. It is also the one in which America have dominated the most. Prior to the 2026 tournament, they had won 13 out of 15 editions, with one defeat and one tie.
US Come From Behind with Blistering Singles
| Day | Round | United States | International |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Fourballs | 3 | 2 |
| Friday | Foursomes | 0 | 5 |
| Saturday | Fourballs | 2.5 | 1.5 |
| Saturday | Foursomes | 2 | 2 |
| Sunday | Singles | 9.5 | 2.5 |
| Total | – | 17 | 13 |
On a losing streak of three team events, the Presidents Cup in 2026 gave the US the perfect opportunity to get a win. Europe and America remain the heartlands of golf, and while it is getting bigger and bigger in various parts of Asia, the Presidents Cup International Team rarely has too many top-class players to choose from.
The 2026 crop did not look great, and with neither Australia nor South Africa providing too many top players at the moment, a win for the away team at Medinah did not look likely in the late-September event. The International team had tied in South Africa in 2003 and won in Melbourne in 1998, but they had previously lost every single edition of the contest to take place on US soil.
Despite history clearly being against them, a clean sweep on the second day of play (the Presidents Cup is held over four days, with a total of 30 points up for grabs) put the underdogs 7-3 in the lead. After two more sessions of play on Saturday, they retained a healthy advantage, going into the final singles 10.5-7.5 to the good.
The US were in serious danger of losing a fourth major team match-play event in just 12 months. Questions have long been asked about why they cannot convert superiority on paper into wins in the Ryder Cup, with doubts over their ability to work as a team or handle the heat and intensity of match-play golf. But to lose the Presidents Cup for just a second time would really have brought added pressure on the US system.
Thankfully for US skipper Brandt Snedeker, who is yet to captain the Ryder Cup team and will not be doing so in 2027, the home team fought back admirably on the final day of this contest. In the end, they romped to a convincing 17-13 win, which future analysis of the history books will probably record simply as another easy win for the US.
The reality was rather different though, that win only coming about thanks to a 9.5-2.5 win in the singles. What’s more, five matches were only decided on the final hole, with a further four ending on the 17th. Things could very easily have been different, but winning the tight matches is what this sort of golf is all about.