Presidents Cup 2026 Betting Tips: Three bets that stand out at Medinah

The 2026 Presidents Cup is almost here, with the United States and International teams preparing to battle it out at Medinah Country Club in Illinois.

And, once again, the betting market expects the Americans to come out on top.

Team USA are 1/5 favourites to win the Presidents Cup, with the Internationals priced at 13/2 and the tie available at 22/1.

Those odds are hardly surprising given the history of this contest.

The USA have won 13 of the 15 Presidents Cups since the competition began in 1994, with their only outright defeat coming against the Internationals in 1998. 

The 2003 contest ended in a tie.

More recently, the Americans have won the last 10 Presidents Cups in succession.

• Presidents Cup Tee Times

Geoff Ogilvy's Internationals are therefore chasing only their second outright victory in the history of the competition, while Brandt Snedeker's USA team will be looking to extend one of the most remarkable runs in golf.

But while I fully expect the Americans to retain the Presidents Cup, I'm not interested in backing them at such skinny odds, and there are more appealing opportunities elsewhere.

Instead, I've been looking at other markets for bigger prices. 

The key to the player markets is identifying golfers who are likely to play regularly across all four days.

Players can feature in up to five matches during the Presidents Cup, so workload can be just as important as ability. 

If one of the leading players gets five opportunities and the team performs well, they can quickly build a sizeable points total.

With that in mind, I have listed below my three best bets for the week. 

Tip 1: Sam Burns – Top Overall Points Scorer (10/1)

Scottie Scheffler is the obvious favourite in the top overall points-scorer market at 4/1, but Sam Burns at 10/1 is the American I want to back.

Burns arrives in excellent form after a strong finish to the season.

He came close to landing his first major title at both the U.S. Open and The Open this summer, before going on to finish tied third at the FedEx St Jude Championship and T18 at the season-ending Tour Championship.

That recent form is particularly encouraging ahead of a week where match play can reward players who arrive with confidence.

Let's also not forget Burns' last PGA Tour title came at the WGC Match Play in 2023, and he typically enjoys the battle of match play golf. 

The other major factor in picking Burns for top points scorer is workload. 

Scheffler is likely to play all five matches, but I think Burns has a strong chance of doing the same. 

If Snedeker relies heavily on him throughout the week, 10/1 starts to look very appealing.

There is also the possibility of seeing Burns paired with Scheffler.

The two are close friends and practice together regularly, although their previous record together in team golf hasn't always matched expectations.

Still, with the USA such strong favourites, this could be an ideal opportunity for Snedeker to give the partnership another run.

Even if they don't play together, Burns has enough quality to produce a big week individually.

He has recently played alongside Patrick Cantlay at both the 2024 Presidents Cup and 2025 Ryder Cup, so Cantlay certainly wouldn't be a bad alternative if Snedeker decides against pairing him with Scheffler.

If Burns plays all five matches and the USA perform as expected, I think he has a realistic chance of finishing the week with at least four points — and that could well be enough to win this market.

Tip 2: Min Woo Lee – Top International Points Scorer (9/1)

The International points-scorer market offers another opportunity to look beyond the obvious favourites.

I'm backing Min Woo Lee at 9/1.

This is a very different player from the one who made his Presidents Cup debut in 2024, taking just half a point from his two matches.

Lee has developed considerably since then and is now much more accustomed to competing against the world's best players on the PGA Tour, especially having won his first title on the circuit at the 2025 Houston Open. 

He also arrives at Medinah after an impressive end to the season, including a T4 at the Tour Championship.

That gives me plenty of confidence in his current form.

I also like his potential workload.

With the Internationals facing a formidable USA team, Ogilvy may need to rely heavily on his leading players.

I expect Lee to be one of them.

He also sat out last week's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, so he should arrive relatively fresh compared with some of the players who competed there, such as Adam Scott and Ryan Fox. That said, both performed admirably, finishing second and sixth respectively.

The important thing about this market is that Lee doesn't need the Internationals to win the Presidents Cup.

He simply needs to score more points than his team-mates.

I can see him picking up two or three points, which could be enough to top the International standings.

Two points was enough to be the highest International tally when they lost by seven to the USA in 2024, while Si Woo Kim's three points topped the scoring when they lost by five in 2022.

That makes me think Lee doesn't need a huge haul to win this market.

Of course, there is always an element of luck involved with the pairings, and Lee will want to avoid the likes of Scheffler if he is to maximise his chances of racking up points.

But if he gets the right match-ups and is given the five appearances I'm expecting, I think 9/1 underestimates his chances of finishing as the Internationals' leading points scorer.

Tip 3: USA to win 18-12 – Correct Score (12/1)

The final selection is the biggest-price bet of the three.

I'm predicting the USA to win the Presidents Cup by six points, with an 18-12 victory available at 12/1.

Correct-score betting is notoriously difficult — although I did correctly call the last two 15-13 scorelines at the 2025 Ryder Cup and 2026 Solheim Cup, both at odds of 12/1. 

There are 30 points available, and a handful of close matches going one way or another can completely change the final result.

However, I think the recent history gives us a useful guide.

The USA won by seven points in 2024 and five points in 2022, so I'm splitting the difference with an 18-12 victory for the Americans.

The Internationals certainly have enough quality to win matches. 

Matsuyama, Scott, Fox, Lee, Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim are all capable of producing points.

But across 30 matches, I expect the depth of the American side to once again prove decisive, especially on home soil. 

An 18-12 victory would therefore give us a comfortable USA win without requiring the Internationals to be completely blown away.

Andy Roberts' Three Presidents Cup Bets

I expect the USA to retain the Presidents Cup, but these are the three bigger-price bets I'm backing rather than taking the USA at 1/5.

Please gamble responsibly, and best of luck if you're playing this week. Head over to GolfMagic Facebook and let us know your predictions for the Presidents Cup.