Medinah's New OB Fence Forces Early Trouble at Presidents Cup

By Staff Writer

September 25, 2026

3 min read

LoopGolf

Key takeaways

A three-foot wooden split-rail fence runs down the left side of Medinah Country Club's first three holes, part of International captain Geoff Ogilvy's redesign of the course.
Five players — Jackson Koivun, Ryan Fox, Si Woo Kim, Sungjae Im and Hideki Matsuyama — had shots reach or clear the fence on the 2nd hole during Thursday's four-ball matches.
Matsuyama's tee shot finished out of bounds left of the fence, forcing him to brace against the top rail and swing from outside the boundary.
The fence sits closest to the fairway on the 460-yard, par-4 2nd hole, tighter than on the 1st or 3rd.
Five alternate-shot matches Friday, eight more matches Saturday and 12 singles matches Sunday will all still open on the same three holes.

A three-foot-tall wooden split-rail fence lining the left side of Medinah Country Club's first three holes produced four out-of-bounds tee shots and one improvised swing from outside the boundary on the opening day of the 2026 Presidents Cup. The hazard runs the length of holes 1 through 3 and was built into International captain Geoff Ogilvy's redesign of the club.

How close is the fence to play?

On the 495-yard, par-4 1st hole, the fence sits only a few yards off the fairway's edge. It tightens further on the 460-yard, par-4 2nd hole, then eases back to a middle distance on the 592-yard, par-5 3rd. The rail continues close to each green, and roughly 50 yards of rough separates it from a second fence marking the property's boundary with a nearby road.

Who went out of bounds on Day 1?

The 2nd hole caused the most trouble. Jackson Koivun, Ryan Fox and Si Woo Kim each put tee shots out of bounds there during Thursday's four-ball session. Sungjae Im's tee ball struck the fence and ricocheted back into play. Hideki Matsuyama's tee shot finished left of the rail with no swing back into the fairway available, so he braced himself against the top of the fence and played from outside the boundary, advancing the ball roughly 50 feet.

Four-ball match	What happened on hole 2
Scheffler/Burns vs. Lee/Im	Im's tee shot struck the fence, stayed in bounds
Young/Schauffele vs. Matsuyama/Hisatsune	Matsuyama out of bounds, played from outside the fence
Thomas/Koivun vs. Conners/Echavarria	Koivun out of bounds off the tee
Clark/Morikawa vs. Fox/Scott	Fox out of bounds off the tee
Gotterup/Cantlay vs. T. Kim/S. Kim	Si Woo Kim out of bounds off the tee

What have players said about the fence?

Scottie Scheffler, who won his four-ball match alongside Sam Burns, said the approach into the 2nd green leaves little room to play safe. "You have to take it on; that's really all it is," he said. Other players in the field described the setup as unlike anything they had faced in a team event, and noted that a wooden rail at least offers a chance at a friendly bounce back into play, unlike a simple out-of-bounds stake. A three-foot rail has turned Medinah's opening stretch into a white-knuckle walk off the tee for both teams.

A three-foot rail has turned Medinah's opening stretch into a white-knuckle walk off the tee for both teams.

What's left to play through the fence holes?

Friday's five alternate-shot matches all open on the same three holes, followed by four four-ball and four more alternate-shot matches Saturday and all 12 singles matches Sunday. Every match through the weekend will pass the fence before reaching the demanding, 592-yard 3rd.

Frequently asked questions

What is the fence at Medinah's Presidents Cup?

It is a three-foot-tall wooden split-rail fence marking out of bounds down the left side of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd holes, installed as part of Geoff Ogilvy's redesign of Medinah Country Club.

Why would the International captain add a hazard that could hurt his own team?

Ogilvy's design team reworked Medinah's routing before he was named International captain, and the fence applies equally to every match on both sides.

How many more matches will play the fence holes?

Friday's five alternate-shot matches, Saturday's four four-ball and four alternate-shot matches, and Sunday's 12 singles matches all start on the same three holes.

Has anyone been penalized for hitting the fence?

No player has drawn a rules penalty specific to the fence. A tee shot that clears the rail is simply out of bounds, costing stroke and distance like any other shot hit off the course.