The golf world will again converge on the storied Medinah Country Club when Course No. 3 hosts the 2026 Presidents Cup.

With a year to go before Team USA tees off against a squad of international players, the event, staged by the PGA Tour, is already making a mark.

“From the start, we wanted this Presidents Cup to be about more than world-class golf. We wanted it to be a catalyst for good, delivering a positive impact far beyond our gates,” said Mike Scimo, chair of the host committee and former club president.

So he joined Presidents Cup Executive Director Joie Chitwood III with a giant check in front of the DuPage County Crisis Recovery Center in Wheaton. The tournament team on Tuesday announced a $250,000 donation for the newly opened center — an “important vote of confidence,” County Board Chair Deb Conroy said.

The striking building is now accessible around the clock on the county health department campus in Wheaton as an alternative to hospital emergency departments or law enforcement intervention. It’s designed to provide mental health crisis services for both young people and adults, as well as adult substance use crisis services.

“When we began planning for the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club, we set out to do more than bring the biggest Presidents Cup in history to Chicagoland,” Chitwood said. “We wanted to leave a lasting legacy, something that would continue to impact this community long after the final putt drops next September, especially here in DuPage County.

“This Crisis Recovery Center is exactly the kind of initiative we’re proud to support,” Chitwood added. “It’s a first-of-its-kind facility in Illinois, meeting people where they are, 24/7, with care, compassion and connection to long-term support.”

Welcoming walk-ins, the center seeks to stabilize those in crisis and provide an ongoing care plan — all within less than 24 hours in most cases, particularly in the adult and youth mental health pods. There’s also a separate adult substance use stabilization unit that offers sobering beds and a form of withdrawal management.

Conroy called Tuesday’s event “much more than a check presentation.”

“The Presidents Cup — forgive me for the metaphor — planted a flag here at the CRC calling out its purpose to save lives,” she said. “You’re a shining light on our operational model to meet adults and youth struggling with mental health and addiction where they are and get them to the help they need, regardless of their ability to pay.”

Conroy has said the center will support anyone in crisis, whether they are insured, Medicaid users, or uninsured — “no judgment, no stigma, no noise, just healing.”

The center’s annual operating expenses are expected to be supported by direct billing, grant funding, the county health department operating budget and supplemental private fundraising.

“I cannot thank you enough,” Conroy said. “As they say in the movies, I hope this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.”

Medinah has a long tradition of hosting golf’s biggest events. That history includes three U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships, the 2012 Ryder Cup — otherwise known as the European “Miracle at Medinah” — and the BMW Championship. Organizers of the 16th Presidents Cup have also been touting the anticipated boost to the local economy.

“More than 200,000 visitors next September will be great for local businesses and for organizations like the Crisis Recovery Center, which benefit from tournament-related charitable contributions,” Scimo said.

Approximately 1,800 volunteers are also needed for the Presidents Cup.

Daily Herald staff writer Eric Peterson contributed to this report.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250916/news/catalyst-for-good-presidents-cup-medinah-leaders-announce-six-figure-donation-for-dupages-crisi/