Rust on the Rough: US Team Faces Critical Gap Before Medinah

The air in Asheville hangs thick with the scent of pine and wet turf. Jackson Koivun stands on the first tee of The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, the flagstick a distant white speck against the blue. His grip tightens. The swing is a blur, a crack of impact, and the ball launches into the sky. It is a simple act, yet it carries the weight of a nation’s expectation. Seven days separate this local tournament from the high-stakes clash at Medinah, and the gap between these two worlds feels wider than ever for Team USA.

Koivun, the 21-year-old who stunned the PGA Tour with a victory over Scottie Scheffler, is here to hunt for rhythm. He speaks plainly about the need to feel the pressure of competition again. For him, this week is a necessary refresher course. But for the rest of Brandt Snedeker’s captains pick, the silence of the past month is deafening. The Biltmore Championship becomes a mirror, reflecting a troubling absence of urgency across the American roster.

A Young Gun Chasing Rhythm

Koivun’s path to the Presidents Cup was forged in fire. Winning the 3M Open in July, with the world number one breathing down his neck on the back nine, demonstrated a calm that belied his youth. That performance secured one of Snedeker’s six captain’s picks. Now, he returns to the course not to win a trophy, but to wake up his instincts. "Just being back in competition," he told reporters. The words are simple, but they carry a physical truth. You cannot simulate the adrenaline of a PGA Tour event in a practice facility. You must hit shots when the world is watching, when the stakes are real, and when the greens are cut to razor sharpness.

The Silence of the Veterans

While Koivun and Jacob Bridgeman are swinging at Asheville, the majority of Team USA sits in a state of voluntary hibernation. The last competitive round for many was the Tour Championship in late August. Since then, four weeks have passed without a single official stroke. In contrast, five international players have entered the Biltmore Championship, seeking the same sharpness that the Americans seem to be ignoring. Justin Thomas withdrew from the field, removing himself from the debate, but his absence highlights a broader pattern. The US team is not preparing with the same intensity as their opponents. They are waiting for the event to arrive, rather than rushing toward it.

This approach stands in stark contrast to the 2025 Ryder Cup cycle, where nearly every American player competed in the Procore Championship just days before the match. The logic was clear: rust is a enemy, and competition is the only cure. Why has that strategy been abandoned for the Presidents Cup? The event is smaller, yes, but the stakes of national pride remain identical. The decision to sit out suggests a comfort born of dominance. Since 1994, the US team has been a force of nature in this competition. That legacy may have bred a complacency that is now threatening to undermine their performance.

Complacency in a Dominant Legacy

The risk is not just physical rust; it is a mental drift. When a team has won so often, the urgency to prepare can fade. The hunger to compete in a biennial event can be mistaken for a formality. For Koivun, the hunger is palpable. He seeks the feeling of the ball leaving the face of the club under pressure. For the veterans, the silence is louder. As the date of September 24th approaches, the gap between the prepared and the passive will be measured in strokes, in nerves, and in the ability to execute when it matters most. The question is no longer whether Team USA can win, but whether they have kept the edge sharp enough to do so.