Latin American golf will once again be represented at the Presidents Cup. Nico Echavarría was selected by Geoff Ogilvy, becoming the ninth player from the region to join the International Team. His debut will come at Medinah, where he will look to contribute to a cause that has been waiting 28 years for another celebration.
There are certain phone calls you wait weeks to receive, yet when they finally come, they still create that small knot in your stomach. For Nico Echavarría, the call from Geoff Ogilvy was surely one of them. The Colombian knew he was part of the conversation.
His numbers supported his case, and his name appeared among the candidates. But being on the list is one thing. Hearing that you are officially part of the International Team for the Presidents Cup is something entirely different.
This Tuesday, the dream became reality. Echavarría was selected by Ogilvy as one of six captain’s picks for the 2026 Presidents Cup, to be played September 24–27 at Medinah Country Club in Illinois. It will mark his Presidents Cup debut and, at the same time, another opportunity for Colombia to leave its mark on one of golf’s biggest international stages. Echavarría arrives with a strong résumé.
He ranked eighth in the International Team standings and was No. 56 in the world at the time of his selection. But there is another fact that may have carried even more weight than any ranking: Nico knows how to win on the PGA TOUR.
He already owns three titles, and this season he lifted another trophy by winning the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, confirming that the once low-profile player who arrived on TOUR is becoming increasingly comfortable competing among the game’s best.
“Nico has won twice on the PGA TOUR since the last Presidents Cup in 2024. He projects a relaxed and calm personality, but underneath he is a superstar competitor and a great addition to the International Team,” Ogilvy said.
A Strong Colombian Presence at Medinah
The Latin American influence at Medinah will extend well beyond Echavarría. Camilo Villegas will once again serve alongside Ogilvy as an assistant captain, continuing a role he has held during the previous two editions. One of the most recognizable figures in Colombian golf, Villegas understands the pressure of competing at the highest level and will now have another opportunity to contribute through his experience and knowledge of the competition.
But the Colombian story does not end there. Manuel Villegas, Camilo’s brother, will be on the bag for Si Woo Kim, while Cali native Fabián Azcárate will accompany Nico as his caddie. Three Colombians surrounding the International Team, each fulfilling a different role but sharing the same flag. It is a very Latin—and very Colombian—image.
Our players rarely arrive alone on the biggest stages. Behind them are families, friends, coaches and caddies who experience every shot alongside them. At Medinah, Colombia will be represented both inside and outside the ropes.
And this will not be the first time a Latin American has played a leading role in this competition. Sebastián Muñoz wrote one of the region’s most memorable Presidents Cup chapters in 2022 when he defeated Scottie Scheffler, then the No. 1 player in the world. The Bogotá native finished that week undefeated and demonstrated that Latin American players can stand toe-to-toe with the game’s biggest stars when the pressure rises.
Before him, players including Mito Pereira, Joaquín Niemann, Carlos Ortiz, Abraham Ancer, Jhonattan Vegas, Ángel Cabrera and Emiliano Grillo also carried the region’s flag at the Presidents Cup. Now it is Echavarría’s turn.
A 28-Year Challenge
The challenge could hardly be greater. The International Team has spent nearly three decades trying to repeat a victory that feels increasingly distant. Its only win in Presidents Cup history came in 1998, when the team led by the legendary Peter Thomson defeated the United States 20.5–11.5 at Royal Melbourne.
Since then, the United States has dominated the competition. There was a tie in 2003, but the trophy has repeatedly returned to the American side, including in 2024. Twenty-eight years of waiting. Now comes Medinah, a stage worthy of the moment.
Course No. 3 at the historic Illinois club has hosted some of golf’s greatest championships, including the PGA Championship, U.S. Open, the unforgettable 2012 Ryder Cup and the BMW Championship. In September, it will host the Presidents Cup for the first time.
For four days, individual golf will take a back seat. There will be foursomes, four-ball and, on Sunday, the traditional singles matches—12 head-to-head battles that could decide everything.
Perhaps Nico will arrive on Sunday with one point on the line. Perhaps several. Perhaps by then he will have discovered the ideal partner for the opening days of competition. What we do know is that he will not arrive as simply a guest. He will arrive as a PGA TOUR winner, as the No. 56 player in the world and as one of the men Geoff Ogilvy trusts to help change a 28-year story. He will have Camilo nearby. He will have Fabián walking beside him. Manuel will be contributing to the same mission from another bag. And behind them will be an entire region following every shot.
The Presidents Cup may officially match the United States against the rest of the world, but for Colombia, this edition carries special meaning. Sebastián Muñoz has already demonstrated that a Colombian can defeat the world’s No. 1 player. Now Nico Echavarría has the opportunity to write his own chapter. Perhaps it is asking a lot of a rookie to help end a 28-year drought. But golf has never been particularly friendly to predictions. After all, a Presidents Cup is not won with names. It is won with points. At Medinah, Nico will have the opportunity to earn them.
Colombia, meanwhile, will have plenty of reasons to follow every match. This time, there will not be just one Colombian presence on the stage. There will be a Colombian flag on a player’s chest, another on a golf bag, and several Colombian voices walking the course.
After 28 years, the International Team will try again. And for Nico Echavarría, the story is only beginning.