International team stun US to draw level in Presidents Cup

3 hours ago

The International team made an impressive comeback on Friday by excelling in the foursomes, leveling the score at 5-5 against the United States in the Presidents Cup held in Montreal.

Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im set the pace by scoring seven consecutive birdies, reaching eight under par after just 12 holes. They matched the record for the largest victory in the tournament's history by beating Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele with a score of 7 and 6.

This created the perfect atmosphere for Mike Weir's team to dramatically turn the tables on Thursday's fourballs.

This was the first instance since 2003 that the US left a session without earning even a single point, which was also the last year they didn’t succeed in the competition.

Adam Scott from Australia and Taylor Pendrith from Canada secured another point for Weir's team, achieving a decisive 5&4 victory over Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa.

Scott has now accumulated 22 points in the Presidents Cup, setting a record for the International team. This marks his 11th straight appearance in the tournament, but despite his participation, he has yet to be part of a winning team in an event that the Americans have largely controlled since it started in 1994.

Corey Conners nearly made a hole-in-one with his tee shot on the 13th hole, while he and local favorite Mackenzie Hughes secured a 6&5 victory over Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Jason Day managed to secure a victory against Max Homa and Brian Harman in the day's opening match as they approached the final hole.

Si Woo Kim made a 15-foot putt for par on the 18th hole, securing a victory for him and his partner Byeong-Hun An against the top-ranked player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, and his teammate Russell Henley.

"I noticed that the first four teams were racking up points, and I realized I had to score as well," Kim expressed. "We're in it to win it."

Up until Friday, there had never been consecutive sweeps in either the Presidents Cup or the Ryder Cup.

"According to Weir, the captain of the Internationals, every remarkable comeback begins with a setback."

The message resonated with everyone, and the team was incredibly inspired.

"We really stepped up our game. I had faith in the team. Our main goal was to get back into the match, and winning with a score of 5-0 was just a nice surprise. The players performed amazingly."

During Saturday and Sunday, there are 20 points up for grabs, and to secure an outright victory, a total of 15½ points is required.

Thursday Fourball Matches (US leads 5-0)

Schauffele and Finau took the win against Day and An, finishing just one point ahead.

Morika and Theegala triumphed over Scott and Lee with a score of 1 up.

Scheffler and Henley triumphed over Im and Kim with a score of 3&2.

Clark and Bradley secured a victory over Pendrith and Bexuidenhout with a score of 1 up.

Cantlay and Burns triumphed over Matsuyama and Conners with a score of 2 and 1.

Friday team matches ended in a tie, with both the U.S. and International teams scoring five points each.

Matsuyama and Im triumphed over Cantlay and Schauffele with a decisive 7 and 6 victory.

Scott and Pendrith defeated Theegala and Morikawa with a score of 5 and 4.

Bezuidenhout and Day emerged victorious over Homa and Harman by a margin of one hole.

Conners and Hughes outplayed Clark and Finau, winning with a score of 6 and 5.