Corey Conners joins the 2026 Presidents Cup International Team as a captain's pick, adding experience and skill.
Corey Conners has officially been selected as one of International Team captain Geoff Ogilvy’s six captain’s picks for the 2026 Presidents Cup, securing the Canadian’s place in the biennial team competition for a third consecutive appearance. Ogilvy announced his selections on September 1, completing the 12-player International roster for the event at Medinah Country Club in Chicago, Illinois, from September 24-27. Conners was joined among the captain’s picks by Nico Echavarria, Sungjae Im, Ryo Hisatsune, Nick Taylor and Christiaan Bezuidenhout. The selection gives Conners another opportunity to contribute to an International side attempting to overcome a long period of American dominance in the Presidents Cup.
Conners’ Path to Selection
Conners’ selection was not entirely unexpected. The 34-year-old Canadian finished seventh in the International Team standings, with only the top six players automatically qualifying. That left him just outside the automatic places, but his overall body of work and previous Presidents Cup experience made him an obvious candidate for Ogilvy’s final roster. Conners finished the 2026 regular season No. 59 in the FedExCup standings and recorded seven top-25 finishes across 21 PGA Tour starts. His best result was a tie for seventh at the Travelers Championship, while he also demonstrated consistency at the major championships, making the cut in all four. His strongest major results came at The Open Championship, where he finished tied for 14th, and the U.S. Open, where he finished tied for 23rd.
Experience and Performance
While Conners’ 2026 season did not reach the heights of some of his best years, Ogilvy clearly placed significant value on qualities that can be particularly important in team golf. The International captain specifically highlighted Conners’ experience, consistent performance and stable mentality when explaining the selection. Conners has already competed in the Presidents Cup in 2022 at Quail Hollow Club and in 2024 at Royal Montreal Golf Club. His overall Presidents Cup record stands at 2-7-0, but that figure does not fully reflect his strongest moments in the competition. At Royal Montreal in 2024, Conners earned two victories, including a 6-and-5 foursomes win alongside Mackenzie Hughes against Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau, followed by a 5-and-3 singles victory over Finau. Those results showed that, when his ball-striking and approach play are clicking, Conners can be a significant contributor in match play.
Strategic Importance
The choice also reflects the International Team’s need for players who understand the unique pressures of the Presidents Cup. Unlike a normal PGA Tour event, success is determined not simply by individual scoring but by how effectively players adapt to different partners, formats and match situations. Conners’ previous appearances give him valuable knowledge that several of Ogilvy’s other selections do not possess. Three of the captain’s picks Echavarria, Hisatsune and Taylor will be Presidents Cup rookies, while Conners, Im and Bezuidenhout bring previous experience to the group. That balance could become especially important at Medinah, where the International Team will face a heavily favored American squad.
The Road Ahead
Conners will be part of an International roster featuring a mixture of established stars, experienced veterans and emerging talent. The six automatic qualifiers are Si Woo Kim, Hideki Matsuyama, Ryan Fox, Tom Kim, Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott, while Ogilvy’s six selections complete a team representing seven countries: Australia, Canada, Colombia, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea. The International side faces an enormous historical challenge. The team’s only outright Presidents Cup victory came in 1998 at Royal Melbourne, while the United States has dominated the competition since then. The Americans enter the 2026 contest with a 13-1-1 all-time record, making Ogilvy’s task of building chemistry and maximizing every player particularly important.
For Conners, the 2026 Presidents Cup represents both a fresh opportunity and a chance to rewrite the narrative surrounding his record in the event. His previous Presidents Cup numbers are modest, but his two victories in 2024 demonstrated that he can deliver decisive performances under the right circumstances. Now, playing his third consecutive Presidents Cup and returning to the United States, he will be expected to provide dependable ball-striking, composure and veteran leadership within a team that needs every advantage it can find. With Medinah’s competition beginning on September 24, Ogilvy’s decision sends a clear message: Conners’ experience and temperament remain valuable enough to earn the captain’s trust, even after narrowly missing automatic qualification. For Canada, his selection alongside fellow Canadian Nick Taylor also adds another layer of national representation to the International challenge.
