Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker passed over J.J. Spaun and Ben Griffin for younger players, though both outperformed some who made it. A gut call, or a snub?

What happened

On September 2, 2026, U.S. Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker announced his six captain's picks for the September 24 event at Medinah Country Club, leaving off 2025 Ryder Cup team members J.J. Spaun and Ben Griffin in favor of younger players Jackson Koivun and Jacob Bridgeman. Griffin had gone 1-1-0 at the Ryder Cup, matching automatic qualifiers, while Spaun went 2-1-0 — outperforming several selected players including Patrick Cantlay, who went 1-3-1. Snedeker acknowledged the difficulty of the decision, saying 'it's not fair to a lot of these guys,' and noted Spaun's recent Tour Championship withdrawal due to injury.

Why people disagree

Critics argue the snub punished two players who had recently proven themselves in the exact team format the picks are meant to reward, and that overlooking measurable Ryder Cup performance in favor of a gut feeling for unproven younger players is hard to justify. Defenders of the decision point out that captain's picks are inherently subjective, that team chemistry, current form, and course fit matter as much as one event's box score, and that Spaun's injury withdrawal reasonably raised doubts about his readiness.

What's still unclear

How much Spaun's injury actually factored into the decision versus form or fit is not fully clear from Snedeker's public comments. It also remains to be seen whether Koivun and Bridgeman's performance at Medinah validates or undercuts the picks, and how the snubbed players' camps will react publicly as the event approaches.