Bryson DeChambeau will be absent from Team USA at the 2026 Presidents Cup despite being one of the most recognizable American golfers in the world.
The Presidents Cup gets underway at Medinah this week, with Brandt Snedeker’s United States team taking on Geoff Ogilvy’s International side. However, DeChambeau will be watching from the sidelines as he remains ineligible for the competition because of his continued involvement with LIV Golf.
DeChambeau joined LIV Golf in 2022 and remains suspended by the PGA Tour. Because the Presidents Cup is operated by the PGA Tour, players currently competing on LIV Golf are not eligible to participate.
That rule applies to LIV players from both sides, meaning DeChambeau is not the only major name missing from Medinah. Joaquin Niemann, Lucas Herbert, Cameron Smith and Louis Oosthuizen are among the other LIV golfers who will not be involved.
DeChambeau previously criticized the situation in 2022, arguing that team competitions were being hurt by preventing LIV players from having a route into the teams.
“I personally think that the team events are only hurting themselves by not allowing us to play, not allowing us to qualify through some capacity, in some facet,” DeChambeau said at the time.
His absence is particularly notable given that he has previously represented the United States in the Presidents Cup. DeChambeau made his only appearance in the event in 2019, when Tiger Woods captained Team USA to a 16-14 victory over the Internationals.
DeChambeau earned half a point from his two matches that week, while Woods went unbeaten with a 3-0 record.
WHY CAN BRYSON DECHAMBEAU PLAY IN THE RYDER CUP?
The situation is different when it comes to the Ryder Cup.
LIV Golf players remain eligible to represent the United States in the Ryder Cup under the current rules because the event is run by the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe rather than the PGA Tour.
That allowed DeChambeau to represent the United States at the 2018, 2021 and 2025 Ryder Cups. He was part of the victorious American team in 2021, while the United States lost in 2018 and 2025.
The next Ryder Cup will be held at Adare Manor in Ireland in September 2027.
For now, though, DeChambeau will have no role at Medinah as Team USA attempts to extend its dominance in the Presidents Cup.
The Americans are seeking an 11th consecutive victory, while the International team is chasing only its second outright win in the competition. The Internationals’ lone outright victory came at Royal Melbourne in 1998, while the 2003 contest in South Africa ended in a draw.
Instead of competing for Team USA this week, DeChambeau has turned his attention elsewhere, promoting his $100,000 Bryson’s Backyard Games competition on social media.
