Jason Day Out of Presidents Cup Roster With Back Injury

By Staff Writer

September 2, 2026

2 min read

LoopGolf

Key takeaways

Jason Day, 38, is off the International Team's Presidents Cup roster because of a back injury he has carried since withdrawing from the U.S. Open in June.
Captain Geoff Ogilvy replaced him with South Africa's Christiaan Bezuidenhout, 32, who ranks No. 96 in the world.
Day is an 11-time PGA Tour winner and the 2015 PGA Champion who has represented the International Team five times since 2011.
Bezuidenhout has earned 3.5 points across five Presidents Cup matches, including two singles wins.
The 2026 Presidents Cup is set for Medinah Country Club's No. 3 Course, Sept. 24-27.

Jason Day is off the International Team's Presidents Cup roster after captain Geoff Ogilvy decided the 38-year-old's injured back was too big a risk. Ogilvy filled the spot with Christiaan Bezuidenhout instead.

Why Was Jason Day Left Off the Team?

Day, ranked 67th in the world, has been managing the back injury since withdrawing from the U.S. Open in June. Ogilvy said he spoke with Day extensively after the Open Championship and concluded a full four-day Presidents Cup was too uncertain a bet while Day was still rehabbing.

Ogilvy also pointed to what happened to Europe's Viktor Hovland at the Ryder Cup, where an injury forced him out of Sunday singles and left his match with Harris English ruled a tie. He said that outcome was on his mind when he weighed the decision on Day, an 11-time PGA Tour winner, the 2015 PGA Championship winner and a five-time International Team member dating to his 2011 debut.

Why Did Ogilvy Pick Christiaan Bezuidenhout?

Bezuidenhout finished 97th in the FedEx Cup standings and missed the playoffs, recording just two top-10s all season, both at opposite-field events. His Official World Golf Ranking sits at No. 96. Ogilvy said that number understates him, pointing instead to strokes-gained data that had Bezuidenhout inside the International Team's top 12.

Bezuidenhout has played the last two Presidents Cups, going 3.5 points from five matches with two singles victories.

	World Ranking	Presidents Cup Record
Jason Day	No. 67	5 appearances since 2011
Christiaan Bezuidenhout	No. 96	3.5 pts in 5 matches, 2 Cups

Bezuidenhout's world ranking undersells him; his strokes-gained numbers put him inside Ogilvy's top 12.

Day's absence leaves Ogilvy's roster without its most recent International Team major champion. Bezuidenhout is still chasing his first PGA Tour title.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Jason Day not playing in the 2026 Presidents Cup?

Day has been managing a back injury since withdrawing from the U.S. Open in June, and captain Geoff Ogilvy decided a four-day event was too risky while he was still rehabbing.