Three Koreans set for 2026 event as Kim Si-woo, Kim Joo-hyung earn automatic spots; captain calls Im 'most fun in the team room'

Im Sung-jae competes at the 2024 Presidents Cup. [PGA Tour]
Im Sung-jae competes at the 2024 Presidents Cup. [PGA Tour]

Im Sung-jae will compete in the Presidents Cup, the PGA Tour's team match-play event between the United States and an International squad.

The captain's picks for both teams were announced Wednesday (Korean Standard Time) during a live broadcast of the 2026 Presidents Cup Selection Special at PGA Tour Studios in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

International team captain Geoff Ogilvy named six captain's picks: Im Sung-jae (South Korea), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa), Corey Conners (Canada), Nico Echavarria (Colombia), Ryo Hisatsune (Japan) and Nick Taylor (Canada).

The selection marks Im's fourth Presidents Cup appearance, following his debut at Royal Melbourne in 2019 and subsequent appearances in 2022 and 2024. "Im Sung-jae is an indispensable member of the International team," Ogilvy said. "He has an outstanding ability to make birdies, and he is the most fun guy in the team room — everyone loves him."

Three of the captain's picks — Echavarria, Hisatsune and Taylor — will be making their Presidents Cup debuts.

Earlier, Kim Si-woo and Kim Joo-hyung of South Korea had secured automatic qualifying spots alongside Ryan Fox (New Zealand), Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), Min Woo Lee (Australia) and Adam Scott (Australia). With Im now added as a captain's pick, three Korean players — Kim Si-woo, Kim Joo-hyung and Im Sung-jae — will compete together at this year's Presidents Cup.

United States captain Brandt Snedeker selected Jacob Bridgeman, Patrick Cantlay, Chris Gotterup, Jackson Koivun, Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas. Bridgeman, Gotterup and Koivun will all be making their Presidents Cup debuts.


yjc@heraldcorp.com