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Smylie Kaufman believes that the pressure of not losing a home Presidents Cup could convince Brandt Snedeker to not pick Jackson Koivun at Medinah.
Koivun is the player everyone is talking about right now following his superb victory at the 3M Open this past week.
The 21-year-old set the scoring record at TPC Twin Cities. Meanwhile, no one could doubt how prestigious the victory was with Scottie Scheffler finishing second in Minnesota.
It seems to be a no-brainer for Brandt Snedeker to now pick Jackson Koivun for the Presidents Cup in September.
Why Jackson Koivun may miss out on the Presidents Cup
Team USA dominate the Presidents Cup, having only ever lost one event. So it seems like the perfect opportunity to get Koivun into the team room ahead of next year’s Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.
While the Ryder Cup is on another level, Koivun getting that experience in Illinois seems extremely beneficial as he looks to have the potential to be a stalwart for Team USA for several years to come.
But it is Team USA’s superb record that has left Smylie Kaufman questioning whether Snedeker will view picking Koivun as too much of a gamble, as he told The Smylie Show.
“When I think about this Presidents Cup, and what Brandt has in front of him, first off this is the first time he’s going to be a captain. He’s been an assistant captain, but let’s just try to jump into Brandt Snedeker’s shoes for a second. Brandt Snedeker is going to want to put together the best possible team for him so that he does not lose a home Presidents Cup. He couldn’t give a c— about the young movement,” he said.
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“If he wants to be a captain ever again, he can’t lose. So why would you ever potentially pick a team that you feel isn’t as good or experienced as a team full of guys that have a ton of experience?
“I don’t disagree with what you’re saying. All I’m saying is that isn’t it pretty normal to think that if you were a team captain, wouldn’t you value experience? And if you’re deciding between a couple of different players, it’s like, ‘he won, sure, but that was back in March, but this guy, he hadn’t won in three years, but he’s had a lot of top 25s. And he’s played 22 matches. This guy’s played how many? Zero. Do we take that guy?’ I’m with you, I would love to see at least at the bottom of the lineup, try to develop a little bit so when you get into these Ryder Cup years, you’re not afraid to pick these players because they have some type of experience and they’ve been in the team room.
“So when it comes to Koivun, I think for him, I think he’s got to keep playing well. This was a foot in the door. Now everyone’s paying attention, but I think his goal needs to be how can I make it to the Tour Championship?
“I think that is such a big benchmark for most players when they start the year, but that’s a really huge week for these captains because they get together with the team, especially with the six players that qualify.
“The captains always meet with the six players who qualified in Atlanta, and they start to all talk about who do you want on the team? They take suggestions. From there, Sneds, he’ll have a bit of a database of information that he can use.”
The change Smylie Kaufman wants to see made to the Presidents Cup
In fairness to Kaufman, there is fairly good reason to believe that all of the pressure is on Snedeker.
Keegan Bradley received plenty of criticism after Team USA lost the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, becoming the first home side to fail to win since 2012.
The ridicule Snedeker would receive would be on another level if the International Team did win at Medinah.
Unfortunately for the Presidents Cup, it looks almost impossible to see Geoff Ogilvy’s team winning, particularly when you consider the current format.
There are two more matches than at the Ryder Cup, while there is an extra day of competition. Kaufman suggested that exposes the International Team’s lack of depth and should be addressed.
“The other point I would make is the PGA Tour could also look at the Presidents Cup. I think they could make the format not only more competitive for the viewing experience, just based off of results. The US has dominated. All these LIV players have left. I’ve never felt like the Presidents Cup should be four days,” he said.
“I think it should be much less points awarded throughout the course of the competition. Take away four to six possible points, make it a little bit closer to what the Ryder Cup is, and I think that would actually simulate a better idea of who can play this many matches.
“When you look at the Presidents Cup, guys can play five matches, and really it’s only Saturday they play 36 holes. Thursday’s 18, Friday’s 18, and honestly, the event just drags on whereas the Ryder Cup just feels like you’ve got to be ready for the punch straight away.”
The PGA Tour should want the Presidents Cup to be as strong as possible. But there will be many golf fans who will almost certainly not bother watching this year due to the likelihood of an emphatic American victory.
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