Donald J. Trump has accepted an invitation to serve as Honorary Chairman of the 2026 Presidents Cup, giving the tournament a high-profile name just as organizers turn toward its return to Chicago. The event will be played at Medinah Country Club’s Course No. 3 from Sept. 22-27.
Brian Rolapp said the PGA TOUR was grateful to President Trump for taking the role and said his involvement would help elevate the Presidents Cup on the international stage while advancing the TOUR’s goal of bringing people together through golf. Trump said he accepted at the request of the PGA TOUR and Rolapp, and said he was looking forward to being in Chicago and greeting the athletes on both teams.
The appointment adds another layer to a competition built around star power. The Presidents Cup is a team match-play event featuring 24 of the world’s top golfers, split evenly between the United States and an International Team that excludes Europe. It is played every two years, and the 2026 edition will be the 16th staging. Medinah will be the sixth different U.S. venue to host it.
Trump has held the honorary chairman title before, serving in the role for the 2017 Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey. That continuity matters because the tournament has long used the post to project a broader reach; the role has previously been filled by six former U.S. Presidents along with other global leaders. This time, the timing also matters on the course: Brandt Snedeker will lead the U.S. Team for the first time in 2026, while Geoff Ogilvy will lead the International Team.
The matchup itself carries an uneven history. The U.S. Team has won 13 of the 15 previous Presidents Cups, while the International Team’s only victory came in 1998 in Melbourne. There was also a 17-17 tie in South Africa in 2003, a reminder that the format can still produce a deadlock even when the U.S. side has usually controlled the result.
Trump’s return to the role suggests the PGA TOUR wants the 2026 Presidents Cup framed as more than a golf competition. Whether that broader spotlight changes anything on the course is the unanswered part, but the next fixed date is clear: Chicago gets the event in late September, and Trump says he will be there to greet both teams.
