There was cause for celebration at Medinah Country Club when the last putt dropped in the Presidents Cup Sunday in Montreal. That meant that Medinah, already rich in golf history, went on the clock for another place in golf history.
Medinah, celebrating its centennial this year, will host the next Presidents Cup from Sept. 14-20 in 2026. When that battle between the U.S. team and an International squad concludes Medinah will be the only club in the country to have hosted a U.S. Open, a PGA Championship, a Ryder Cup and a Presidents Cup.
“We’re so excited,’’ said Joie Chitwood, executive director for the Presidents Cup in the aftermath of a members’ gathering on Wednesday night . “With two years still to go we’re far along in our progress. Forty-three percent of the suites available have already been sold.’’
The Presidents Cup doesn’t have the stature of Medinah’s three biggest tournaments. The club’s last one was the Ryder Cup in 2012. Prior to that Medinah hosted U.S. Opens in 1949, 1975 and 1990 and PGA Championship in 1999 and 2006. The Presidents Cup will also be played on Medinah’s No. 3 course, but this version has been completely renovated by OCM, an Australian firm featuring Geoff Ogilvy, the U.S. Open champion in 2006. The current No. 3 has been played almost entirely by members since its opening this year.
“Geoff’s company did a phenomenal job,’’ said Chitwood. “It created six new holes. It’ll be a great match play course, and it’ll still be `Mighty Medinah.’’’
Ogilvy was on hand for the members’ party as was Paul Azinger a former PGA champion and Ryder Cup captain. He’s withdrawn his name from consideration as the U.S. captain for this Presidents Cup, though. The captain won’t be named until next spring.
The Presidents Cup has been dominated by the U.S. team, which has a 13-1-1 edge in the series and has won the last 10 meetings. There was even some talk in Montreal about the format being changed to make it more competitive or interesting. Even going co-ed, with LPGA players taking a role in the competition on both sides, was suggested.
Chitwood, reflecting on the Americans’ 18 ½-11 ½ victory in Montreal, doesn’t see any changes coming.
“Montreal showcased some of the best golf I’ve ever seen,’’ he said. “The International players were chippy at times during the emotional back and forth those four days. That’s all we can ask for from a team competition perspective.’’
Chitwood is finishing up a busy year. He spent three months as interim director of what had been the Honda Classic, a PGA Tour event held in March in Florida. It underwent a name change and is now the Cognizant Classic of the Palm Beaches. His family lives in Florida but he also took an apartment in Chicago in June of 2023 to deal with Presidents Cup matters.
“I’ll have been here 3 ½ years before event. That’s how long it’ll take, given the size and scope of this event now,’’ he said. “Montreal did a fantastic job, but we want to have the biggest and best Presidents Cup in history.’’
Kellen, Svoboda are IPGA Winners
Jeff Kellen, of North Shore Country Club in Glenview, won the season-ending Illinois PGA Players Championship at GlenView Club this week to conclude the section’s tournament season. Kellen, who also won the section’s final major title in 2018, was a sizzling 10-under-par 134 for 36 holes in edging Andy Svoboda, of Butler National in Oak Brook, by two strokes.
Svoboda, however, led the season-long Bernardi point standings to earn IPGA Player-of-the-Year honors in his first season in Chicago. The inaugural Illinois PGA Team Championship, also a season-long event, concluded with a team captained by Brian Carroll, of The Hawk in St. Charles, winning the title.
Carroll’s team consisted by Frank Hohenadel, of Mistwood in Romeoville; Doug Bauman, Biltmore in Barrington; Brandon O’Kray, Onwentsia in Lake Forest; Danny Mulhearn, Glen Oak in Glen Ellyn; and B.J. Paul, of Bolingbrook.