The International Team spectacularly turned the tables on the USA with a 5-0 clean-sweep of their own to level the Presidents Cup after the Friday foursomes – an unexpectedly one-sided session which included a record-equalling defeat for Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay.
Against almost all expectations – apart from seemingly the Mike Weir-captained team’s own – the International side rebounded from an opening day 5-0 defeat to the Americans in the fourballs to hit straight back 24 hours later and tie the tournament score at 5-5 in a remarkably dominant performance at Canada’s Royal Montreal Golf Club.
The Internationals’ day two surge was headlined in the first match by a joint-record 7&6 victory for Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im over Cantlay and Schauffele, the world No 2.
To the delight of an increasingly-vociferous home crowd, who had been encouraged to raise the volume by the Internationals after a quieter first day, the all-Canadian pairing of Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes recorded a similarly impressive 6&5 win over Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau.
Adam Scott and Taylor Pendrith beat Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa 5&4, a point which meant Scott became the most successful International player in the competition’s 30-year history.
The other two matches were closer-fought affairs yet the International team still held on in the face of late pressure being applied by their respective American opponents, as the defending champions strived to avoid losing all matches in a session at the biennial tournament for the first time since 2003.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Jason Day finished 1 UP on Max Homa and Brian Harman despite both finding water with tee shots over the closing holes, while South Korean pair Si Woo Kim and Byeong Hun An recorded the same narrow winning score against world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley in the final match to spark wild scenes of celebration on the 18th green.
Reflecting on the astonishing International Team comeback, Sky Sports Golf’s Rich Beem, the 2002 PGA champion, said: “I feel shocked, probably like everyone else in the golfing world right now.
“The Internationals needed to do what they did today. I didn’t see them coming out as they did – going out and decimating the Americans as they did in that first match really set the tone for the rest of the day.
“It seemed that finally they had the momentum on their side and they built on it every single chance they got.”
With the scores unexpectedly tied after the first 10 matches, Saturday’s action sees a double session in Montreal with eight more matches taking place in total – all live on Sky Sports Golf. There will be four more fourballs – the first of which tee off at 12.02pm – before the day concludes with four more foursomes, from 6.40pm.
The tournament finishes with 12 singles matches on Sunday, with the winning team the first to reach 15.5 points. The USA have won the last nine tournaments, with the only previous International triumph coming in 1998.
Record-equalling Matsuyama and Im set the tone for historic comeback
After getting off to the worst-possible start on Thursday at a tournament in which they have traditionally struggled against the might of the USA, the Internationals clearly needed to build some early momentum in the foursomes if they were to gain a belated foothold in the contest before the weekend.
What followed was as unexpected as it was jaw-dropping.
The Internationals’ charge was led from the front in the first match by Matsuyama and Im, who made light work of what had appeared a tough match-up against Cantlay and Schauffele.
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Xander Schauffele hit his second shot at the fourth hole into the trees during the second day’s foursomes at the Presidents Cup
But quickly moving three up inside four holes, the International team-mates then made seven birdies in succession from the sixth in a stunning sequence to ensure the team’s first point of the week was secured as early as the 12th.
Matsuyama and Im’s 7&6 triumph equalled the biggest margin of victory in a Presidents Cup match.
Scott and Pendrith soon made it two points by closing out their match on the 14th, before Conners and Hughes capped memorable afternoons in their careers to see off Clark and Finau by the 13th to the delight of the Montreal crowd.
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Jason Day’s sensational birdie at the seventh saw him and Christiaan Bezuidenhout take the lead in their foursomes clash at the Presidents Cup
The remaining two matches went down to 18th-hole deciders.
A brilliant chip from the back greenside rough by Day ultimately made the difference for the Australian and playing partner Bezuidenhout against Homa and Harman, while Kim sunk a 15-foot par put to secure victory in the final match and confirm the International’s bounce-back 5-0 scoreline.
“I believe in the guys,” said a delighted and proud Weir after Kim’s final putt secured the clean-sweep.
“Whether it was 3-2, 4-1… 5-0 was obviously a bonus. We just wanted to get ourselves back in this. The guys played unbelievably, they really responded incredibly.”
Back-to-back session sweeps for the first time in the history of the Presidents Cup
It is now Jim Furyk’s turn to rally his side in time for the next session.
And on how he now expects his side to respond on Saturday after seeing their early lead completely wiped out, the US captain said: “[The team] are well aware of the challenge.
“We got to watch them [the Internationals] jump up and down on the green, celebrate, [be] excited. I hope that sticks with everyone, I hope it’s a pit in their stomach tonight, and we’ll regroup.
“We’ll get some good pairings out there in the morning and it’s our turn to come out firing.”
Who will win the Presidents Cup? Live coverage continues on Saturday from 12pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the Presidents Cup and more with NOW.
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