Geoff Ogilvy embraces challenge of ending Internationals' Presidents Cup drought

The US team has won the last 10 Presidents Cups and owns a 13-1-1 record in the competition, with the Internationals' only victory coming in 1998. The Americans also won 18.5-11.5 at Royal Montreal two years ago.

For US captain Brendt Snedeker, however, none of that should count for anything when his 12-man team takes on Geoff Ogilvy's Internationals at Medinah Country Club from Thursday.

"It's the elephant in the room you have to address," Snedeker said. "Just because these last teams have been successful doesn't mean we're going to be successful. We have to reset the bar for our team, tell them we have a standard to play to and we're 0-0. These 12 guys have accomplished nothing. We're going to hammer that into them."

The International team, meanwhile, arrives in Chicago with a very different challenge. Ogilvy's players are attempting to end a run that stretches back more than two decades, while also trying to win the Presidents Cup on American soil for the first time.

Rather than trying to dismiss the weight of that history, Ogilvy has acknowledged how difficult it is to overcome.

"Clearly winning something for the first time - the first time in a very long time - it's probably more difficult than if you're winning all the time," Ogilvy said. "But we're getting closer all the time."

The internationals face a tough task in taking on an American team filled with top-10 talent, including Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark and Cameron Young, and bolstered by Ryder Cup stalwarts like Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay.

In contrast, the highest-ranked player on the international team is 14th-ranked Si Woo Kim. He will be joined by several major champions in Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama and Ryan Fox, while Christiaan Bezuidenhout is the only South African player on the team.

Ogilvy also has a connection to Medinah that could provide his team with an additional source of confidence. His design company was involved in the course's renovation, giving the Australian an unusually detailed knowledge of the layout.

"We have an advantage right now," Ogilvy said earlier this month. "By the time we get to Thursday morning, I think the advantage will be gone. Professional golfers are very good at learning a golf course."