CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – OCTOBER 01: Drone/aerials of the 13th hole for preview of 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/PGA TOUR)
PGA TOUR
Medinah Country Club, a dogleg right from downtown Chicago, is all set to host the 16th Presidents Cup September 24 through 27.
The golf course’s location may provide a technical home-field advantage for the U.S. side, but it is important to note the tournament is being played on No. 3, a golf course that underwent a $23.5 million renovation led by OCM Golf to spruce it up in anticipation of this tournament. The “O” in the abbreviation of that design firm is for Ogilvy, as in Geoff Ogilvy, the Australian golfer who won the 2006 U.S. Open and is also captain of the Internationals.
It is also the site of what became known as the “Miracle at Medinah”. The 2012 Ryder Cup was staged here, where the Europeans trailed 10–4 at one point on Saturday afternoon before mounting an epic comeback—a momentum swing that saw the Euros win five of their first six singles matches on Sunday en route to a 14½–13½ turnaround stunner.
The tournament is giving brands based in Chi-Town and beyond an opening to trot out aligned product as the golf world’s spotlight swings to the Midwest.
Two Windy City names—Bettinardi, the golf equipment maker best known for its putters, and Goose Island’s 312 wheat ale—are launching a collaboration timed to coincide with the tournament’s opening day. “With the world of golf coming to our backyard, we’re excited to celebrate the city we call home and welcome fans from around the globe,” Sam Bettinardi, president of Bettinardi Golf, said of the timing.
They’ll follow the launch with an October 1 chipping contest at Goose Island’s Salt Shed Pub, where prizes range from collection items and swag to a $312 prepaid card marketed as “beer money for a year,” plus a GolfNow gift card covering roughly 10 rounds for the winner and a guest. “Golf and beer have always been a natural pairing,” said Todd Ahsmann, president of Goose Island Beer Co. “This partnership felt less like creating a connection and more like tapping into one that already exists with consumers.”
Bettinardi and Goose Island’s 312 collaboration includes limited-edition golf accessories
Bettinardi Golf and Goose Island Beer Co.
Breezy Golf, the lifestyle brand conjured up by the popular YouTube collective Bob Does Sports, has also piled onto the Presidents Cup merchandising scrum. Its collection toggles between Team USA gear and more Chicago-oriented pieces like a tee emblazoned with a hot dog with sport peppers and tomato slices along with the tournament’s name in what can only be described as mustard squirt font. Prices run from $40 for a deep dish pizza rope hat on up to $185 for a Team USA windbreaker.
Beltway Intrigue
In the broader presidential golf orbit, Trump, who has accepted an invitation to serve as honorary chairman of the biennial competition, has backed a proposal to turn his 27-hole Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach into a permanent U.S. presidential golf course. In a letter to Palm Beach County commissioners, Harvey Oyer III, an attorney for the club, said the facility would be available to “all past, current, and future United States Presidents and visiting foreign heads of state.”
The Trump family owns the course but leases the land from the county. Under the proposal, the club would provide its facilities at no cost to the federal government and work with the General Services Administration and Secret Service on a presidential lodging facility, the construction costs of which it says it would cover.
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