Two Canadians have earned captain’s picks for the upcoming Presidents Cup, with Corey Conners playing the competition for the third time while Nick Taylor will finally — at 38 — make his debut for the International Team.
Conners was not a surprise choice as he finished seventh in the overall International Team standings — with the top six after the Tour Championship Sunday earning automatic berths — but Taylor finished No. 13 in the standings and had just one top-10 finish on the season, meaning there was a chance he could have been the odd-man-out again.
Alas, captain Geoff Ogilvy went with Taylor’s experience to round out his squad.
“He was really close to (earning a pick) in Montreal (for the 2024 Presidents Cup) and that was sad for him to miss out in Canada. But we’re pumped for him to be in Chicago,” Ogilvy said on the live Golf Channel broadcast when the picks were made. “He’s a big-time player who has holed some big-time putts in some big moments — and that’s what you have to do.
“We’re excited he’s coming with us.”
Taylor, who played alongside Conners at the Olympics in Paris in 2024, was one of just three golfers to win in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025 (with Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Keegan Bradley being the others) on the PGA Tour. Each of his wins came in playoffs, including his incredible triumph at the RBC Canadian Open.
Taylor told Sportsnet that he had been invited to plenty of team dinners throughout the year and had been in the mix with Ogilvy on discussion threads but to officially get the call was a “big confidence boost.”
“We’ve gotten to know each other quite well this year and I’m excited to bring my game and try to bring back the cup,” Taylor said from Abbotsford, B.C.
Taylor will be one of four rookies on the International side for 2026. Nico Echavarria, Ryo Hisatsune, and Open Championship winner Ryan Fox are the other first-timers, with Echavarria and Hisatsune also captain’s picks.
Sungjae Im and Christiaan Bezuidenhout were the other selections by Ogilvy on Tuesday night.
Taylor said he’s already eager to pick the brain of the veteran guys in the room including Conners and Adam Scott, who is playing a record 12th Presidents Cup.
Despite Taylor making his debut at the competition this year, he’s already on the radar of the opposing side.
“I feel like Geoff's picks were really good for his team. I feel like they kind of filled a lot of holes that they had and got some great team matchups, between Nick Taylor pairing with Corey Conners. I'm a huge Nick Taylor fan. I respect him a ton. I think he's a great player,” said American captain Brandt Snedeker.
From the outside, Taylor has witnessed the strength of the ‘shield’ — the International team’s singular branding that launched in 2019 — and was very much excited to be part of it after a long wait.
“Once we build that camaraderie throughout the year it’ll be our superpower. To have the closeness that we are playing for each other,” Taylor said. “It’s become this brotherhood.
“I’m excited to be part of it officially, and getting to know each other throughout the year, it’ll be a huge part of our success — building that camaraderie. Our team room is going to be electric and we’re excited for it.”
Conners, meanwhile, also had just one top-10 finish this season on the PGA Tour but was his usual steady self. He was one of just 14 golfers to make the cut at all four major championships this year and was Canada’s second-highest ranked golfer in the FedExCup standings.
He told Sportsnet re-earning a spot on the International Team was a “big goal” of his ever since playing in Montreal in 2024.
“I’m beyond excited. It’s going to be a blast. Love the team and the guys and everyone involved,” Conners said. “I feel like the captains have done a great job of giving us something to play for and something to get behind. Geoff has been on the road a ton with the international players. There is a great energy to the group.
“We have gotten closer and closer the last few years, and I know everyone is excited to be part of the team and put some points on the board and try to win the Presidents Cup.”
The International side is set to making a scouting trip to Medinah Country Club (which also hosted the 2012 Ryder Cup along with three U.S. Opens and two PGA Championship) in about two weeks prior to the Presidents Cup itself, which goes Sept. 24-27.
Conners and Taylor will be joined inside the team room by fellow Canadian Taylor Pendrith, who was named an assistant captain for the International Team at the end of August.
The mighty U.S. side defeated the Internationals 18.5-11.5 in Montreal and have only lost one Presidents Cup in the competition’s history.
The six captain’s picks for Snedeker’s American side were also announced Tuesday, with Chris Gotterup, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Jacob Bridgeman, and 21-year-old Jackson Koivun — who will be the second-youngest participant on the U.S. side in competition history — rounding out the American squad, led by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
Presidents Cup rosters (c - captain's picks)
Internationals
c-Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Africa
c-Corey Conners, Canada
c-Nico Echavarria, Colombia
Ryan Fox, New Zealand
c-Ryo Hisatsune, Japan
c-Sungjae Im, South Korea
Tom Kim, South Korea
Si Woo Kim, South Korea
Min Woo Lee, Australia
Hideki Matsuyama, Japan
Adam Scott, Australia
c-Nick Taylor, Canada
Captain: Geoff Ogilvy
United States
c-Jacob Bridgeman
Sam Burns
c-Patrick Cantlay
Wyndham Clark
c-Chris Gotterup
Russell Henley
c-Jackson Koivun
Collin Morikawa
c-Xander Schauffele
Scottie Scheffler
c-Justin Thomas
Cameron Young
Captain: Brandt Snedeker
