“Kuchar is very tall, and I am short,” Pan recalled. “So we were walking down after our tee shots, and the crowd went crazy. Then a guy yells at Kuch, ‘Hey, Kuch, is this ‘Take Your Kids to Work’ Day?!”
Eight years later, both Pan and Kuchar will actually take the children to work.
The two PGA Tour veterans were announced Wednesday as captains for the 2026 Junior Presidents Cup. Kuchar will lead the 12-boy U.S. team against Pan’s international squad Sept. 21-22 at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago.
Kuchar’s path to captaincy began in early October after a personal meeting with the PGA Tour’s new CEO, Brian Rolapp. Kuchar happened to be in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, helping his mother, Meg, organize a charity golf tournament in honor of his late father, Peter, who died unexpectedly in February. Matt was honorary chairman of the event at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, which raised $225,000 in net proceeds for the Ronald McDonald House. Then Kuchar entered the PGA Tour headquarters.
“I had a great meeting with Rolapp,” Kuchar said, “and while I was saying hello to some people in the office, I was pulled aside and asked if I would be interested in captaining the Junior Presidents Cup, and I thought, that actually sounds like a lot of fun.”
Kuchar, 47, has won nine times on the PGA Tour and has also competed in four Ryder Cups and five Presidents Cups. His second Ryder Cup appearance came in 2012 in Medinah, where Kuchar’s loss to Lee Westwood contributed to the stunning collapse of the US singles. Coincidentally, Kuchar was at TPC San Antonio a few weeks ago, watching his oldest son, 18-year-old TCU signee Cameron, compete in the AJGA’s Rolex Tournament of Champions when a rules official struck up a conversation with Kuchar and told him he was officiating Kuchar’s game against Westwood. Small world.
While Kuchar still feels Medinah’s heartbreak, he also notes the fond memories he gathered that week – and of other team events, including the Canon Cups (now Wyndham Cups) he competed in as a junior.
“These are the things that kids put highest on their list and that they want to be a part of,” Kuchar said. “I hope to put these kids in a space where they can perform at their best. These events are about making great memories and making great friends. I know that in my career, some of our best relationships as a family, my wife and I, and some of our closest friends have come from these Cups.”
Pan, 34, was back in his native Taiwan when he received a text message from a PGA Tour employee.
“At first I thought it was something bad,” Pan said. “But it turned out to be a big surprise. It is truly an honor and a privilege.”
Pan, who edged Kuchar for his only PGA Tour victory at the 2019 RBC Heritage, has competed in three Olympics, including the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, where he took bronze, as Kuchar did at the previous Olympics in Rio. He also represented the Internationals at the 2019 Presidents Cup, winning 2-1 at Royal Melbourne.
“I remember feeling the energy of the home crowd; it was electric,” Pan said of that experience in Australia. “We were also the underdogs, but the way we fought together was something I will never forget. I want these kids to understand that pressure is actually a privilege when they step onto the first tee with the International logo on it, and those feelings are what golf is all about. Win or lose, they will carry that with them for the rest of their lives.”
Pan has not competed on the PGA Tour since undergoing surgery on his left wrist in May. The recovery has been “kind of difficult,” he says, and on Monday afternoon prior to the captain’s announcement, Pan planned to fly back to Houston to consult with his doctor about next steps. Right now he’s just putting and hitting chips with one hand. Whenever he returns, he will do so during a major medical treatment.
In the meantime, Pan has plenty to keep busy between rehabilitation, his foundation and now his captaincy. He hosts two AJGA events, the CT Pan Junior Championship since 2019 and the CT Pan Foundation Junior Championship since 2023, while also supporting the AJGA’s International Pathway Series. His Jerry Lu Scholarship helps Taiwanese students studying in the US
“There is a lot of uncertainty about my playing schedule next year, but I am still very grateful for this opportunity because it gives me something to do,” said Pan.
While the Presidents Cup is played on Medinah’s redesigned No. 3 course, the Junior Presidents Cup is contested on Monday (team play) and Tuesday (singles) of the competition week on a composite course with holes from Medinah’s Nos. 1 and 2 layouts.
The US won each of the previous four editions, including last year’s match in Quebec, 15-9.
Brandt Snedeker and Geoff Ogilvy will captain the U.S. and international Presidents Cup teams, respectively, although neither has announced who their assistants will be. Kuchar, who was vice-captain under Jim Furyk at the 2018 Ryder Cup, would like more opportunities to be in team rooms, whether as a player, assistant or head captain.
“I still have hopes of regaining the form to play in another team, but as captain I would definitely like to be part of the captaincy,” Kuchar said. “I have no idea what direction they’re going, but maybe I’ll do such a great job with the Junior Presidents Cup that I’ll be next, who knows? I’m definitely excited to be part of at least the captaincy. This is the Junior Presidents Cup, but I think you have an opportunity to do a lot with these kids. You probably do a lot more in the bigs because the team matches are so important… but getting these guys in the space to play great golf and have a great time is a big part there also from.”
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