Medinah's controversial course changes draw criticism as Presidents Cup begins.

Medinah's Presidents Cup layout has drawn criticism after a major redesign, with matches now starting on the regular fifth hole instead of the first. This new sequence places three holes with wooden split-rail fences and out-of-bounds areas at the start of every match. On Thursday, rookie Jackson Koivun, Ryan Fox and Si Woo Kim all hit tee shots out of bounds on these opening holes.

Brendan Porath of Shotgun Start called the course setup the dumbest ever, while Justin Thomas described the opening fence holes as very nerve-racking. Beyond the routing change, hundreds of trees were cleared, fairways were roughly doubled in size, and rough was significantly reduced. Patrick Cantlay said the old course is completely gone, describing it as basically a brand new golf course.

The renovations were completed by OCM, the design firm comprising Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Cocking and Ashley Mead. Ogilvy serves as International team captain, raising questions about whether the changes could benefit his team. According to Golfweek data, less than 40 percent of team matches reach the 18th hole, with the new routing ensuring players face Medinah's most challenging holes during their matches.