How Team USA's Winning Putters Powered a Presidents Cup Comeback
By Staff Writer
3 min read
LoopGolf
Key takeaways
- All 12 members of the winning U.S. Presidents Cup team used a mallet-style putter at Medinah.
- Five Americans gamed a TaylorMade Spider Tour model, the PGA Tour's winningest putter in 2026; four used a Scotty Cameron Phantom.
- Statistically, seven of the week's nine best putters played for Team USA.
- Jacob Bridgeman closed out the 17-13 win with a clinching 4-footer on the 18th green.
Team USA erased a three-point deficit to beat the Internationals 17-13 at the 2026 Presidents Cup, and putting was the through line. Seven of the nine best putters at Medinah this week played for the U.S., and the stroke that sealed the Cup came from the shortest putt of the bunch.
What put Team USA over the top on the greens?
Cameron Young holed a 32-foot walk-off birdie on the 16th to beat Ryo Hisatsune and open the day's scoring. Patrick Cantlay drained a 57-footer from off the green to put away Adam Scott. Collin Morikawa matched Hideki Matsuyama's 45-footer with one of his own, then added a 31-footer two holes later to flip his match. Jacob Bridgeman finished the job with a 4-foot par putt on 18, clinching the U.S.'s 11th straight Presidents Cup win. USA captain Brandt Snedeker had pointed to putting as the difference before Sunday even started, saying the Internationals had "just made more putts" through the first four sessions.
What putters did Team USA use?
Every player on the winning side gamed a mallet, split almost evenly between two families: five used a TaylorMade Spider Tour model, again the PGA Tour's winningest putter in 2026, and four used a Scotty Cameron Phantom. Chris Gotterup and Cantlay, the team's only gear free agents, both play the Spider without a manufacturer deal. Young and Justin Thomas each switched putters for the week — Young moved to a Phantom 5.5 after using an Xperimental Prototype at the Tour Championship, and Thomas took up that same Xperimental after playing Young's old gamer for most of the season. Rookie Jackson Koivun used a Phantom 9.5R and went 2-0-1 in his debut.
| Player | Putter |
|---|---|
| Jacob Bridgeman | TaylorMade Spider Tour |
| Sam Burns | Odyssey Ai-One No. 7 S |
| Patrick Cantlay | TaylorMade Spider Tour X |
| Wyndham Clark | Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset CB |
| Chris Gotterup | TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-Neck |
| Russell Henley | Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5 Tour Prototype |
| Jackson Koivun | Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5R Tour Prototype |
| Collin Morikawa | TaylorMade Spider Tour X |
| Xander Schauffele | Odyssey Toulon Las Vegas CH |
| Scottie Scheffler | TaylorMade Spider Tour X |
| Justin Thomas | Scotty Cameron Phantom 10.5 Xperimental Prototype |
| Cameron Young | Scotty Cameron Phantom 5.5 Tour Prototype |
A putter lineup split almost evenly between two mallet families, and none of it mattered until the putts actually dropped on Sunday.
Frequently asked questions
Which putter did the most Team USA players use at the 2026 Presidents Cup?
Five players gamed a TaylorMade Spider Tour model, and four used a Scotty Cameron Phantom, together accounting for nine of the 12 spots in the bag.
Who made the putt that clinched the Presidents Cup?
Jacob Bridgeman made a 4-foot par putt on the 18th green with a TaylorMade Spider Tour to seal the U.S.'s 17-13 win.
Did any Team USA players switch putters during the week?
Cameron Young and Justin Thomas swapped putters between the Tour Championship and Medinah, each moving into the model the other had been playing.
Were any Team USA players not under a putter contract?
Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay were the team's only gear free agents, and both chose to play a TaylorMade Spider Tour model.
- presidents cup
- taylormade spider tour
- scotty cameron phantom
- jacob bridgeman
- cameron young
- patrick cantlay
- putters
- team usa
