It is good news for the International team ahead of the 2026 Presidents Cup that Medinah has provided the stage for a golfing miracle in the past.
Geoff Ogilvy is looking to become only the second International captain to win the Presidents Cup in September.
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Ogilvy was the perfect choice to succeed Mike Weir given the role he played in redesigning Medinah. However, the 2006 US Open champion will be aware that the captain can only do so much.
And unfortunately, the signs are not looking too good for the team in gold and black as they prepare for Illinois.
The American team have not lost the Presidents Cup this century. Meanwhile, the last two stagings of the event have not been particularly close.
But there is reason for cautious optimism, particularly with the talisman of the International team starting to find some serious form.
Tom Kim is finding form at the perfect time as the Presidents Cup begins to emerge on the horizon
Tom Kim was a revelation at the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow, giving life to a team that had been largely decimated by the arrival of LIV Golf.
His performance on Saturday, in particular, helped create a feeling that the unlikeliest comeback could be on.
And it was a similar story two years later at Royal Montreal. Kim and Si-woo Kim stole the show on Saturday morning, and took Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay – in peak Patty Ice mode – all the way in Canada.
Heading into the US Open this year, it appeared entirely possible that Kim would not even be involved at the Presidents Cup.
Kim arrived at Shinnecock Hills having just squeezed into the top 100 in the FedEx Cup with a top 15 finish at the RBC Canadian Open.
He went on to finish third in Southampton, proving to be one of Wyndham Clark‘s final challengers. It was a performance that reminded everyone of the electricity the young South Korean can provide at his best.
The International team cannot win the Presidents Cup unless Tom Kim is firing on all cylinders
He is still 10th in the Presidents Cup standings. However, having put himself in the mix to win the Scottish Open, Kim has almost certainly secured his ticket to Medinah.
It is still going to be a monumental task for the International team to even threaten to win later this year.
But their chances of success were even slimmer while Kim was struggling to even make the team.
If they are going to have any chance, Ogilvy desperately needs Kim to be at his excitable best.
He is certainly getting back to that level.
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