A wooden boundary fence at Medinah is drawing players' attention at the Presidents Cup. It runs down the left side of holes 1, 2, and 3, with out-of-bounds markers coming within a couple yards of the fairway on the 495-yard first hole and even closer on the 460-yard second. The proximity forces players to aim right while knowing better angles to the green come from playing closer to the dangerous left side.
International captain Geoff Ogilvy's design team handled the Medinah redesign that created the layout. Min Woo Lee said he immediately looked for Ogilvy when he first saw the fence, asking his captain what he was doing with such severe penalty so early. Collin Morikawa compared it unfavorably to his first team event at the 2021 Ryder Cup, where he felt comfortable being aggressive off the first tee.
During Thursday's opening day, the fence claimed three victims when Jackson Koivun, Ryan Fox, and Si Woo Kim all found the out-of-bounds markers with tee shots on the second hole. Sungjae Im's tee ball struck the fence and ricocheted back into play. The most dramatic moment came when Hideki Matsuyama's opening tee shot finished about a yard right of the boundary, prompting him to sit on the fence rail and hit an awkward shot that traveled about 50 feet.
The holes are actually the 5th, 6th, and 7th for Medinah members during regular play, but the Presidents Cup routing places them as the opening stretch. This means players face the most pressure-filled shots of team competition immediately upon starting their rounds, with at least 252 more shots across those first three holes remaining through Sunday's singles matches.