For the first time on American soil, the International team has the lead heading into the final day of the Presidents Cup.
Geoff Ogilvy’s team came into the week as the underdogs, with his squad’s average world ranking being 50.8 to the Americans’ 15.1.
Then a Friday foursomes blowout gave them hope, and a Saturday grind put them at 10.5 points to the United States’ 7.5.
“Today, both sessions having all red on the board, down in every match, and to come back and get 1.5 points out of this morning, we felt like [that] was a little victory because we were down everywhere,” Ogilvy said. “Then this afternoon the same thing happened. The U.S. Team played so well all day. They played some really high-level foursomes, especially this afternoon. For the boys to somehow come back and pinch 2 points out of that and split the session was amazing.”
The U.S. won Saturday morning fourballs, cutting into the International team’s lead, 8.5-5.5, but the teams split Saturday’s afternoon foursomes, 2-2.
The Americans were the first on the board in the afternoon, with the undefeated pairing of Cameron Young and Chris Gotterup winning their second point of the day over Adam Scott and Sungjae Im.
They were the third match out, but the 6 and 4 win was the most dominant of the week so far. Scott and Im double bogeyed the first, putting themselves in a hole, and Young and Gotterup had six birdies and an eagle to the International pair’s two birdies.
“Today it was as easy as you could have asked to make the transition,” Young said. “I had the same partner both rounds, and we played really well this morning and just kept going into the afternoon. It was a short turnaround, and in a sense that made it a lot easier.”
Next was Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele getting revenge on their Presidents Cup rivals, Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim.
On Friday, the Kims beat Cantlay and Schauffele, 4 and 3, in foursomes, but U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker had faith in the pair, who have historically dominated foursomes together. So he sent them back out, and this time, they were the ones to take control. The Kims never took the outright lead, and the Americans won, 2 and 1.
“Sneds told us to go out and get a point on the board first,” Cantlay said. “He sent us out first, and I’m glad we could deliver.”
Then it was time for the black and gold to take over.
First, the down under duo of Kiwi Ryan Fox and Aussie Min Woo Lee bested Sam Burns and Wyndham Clark, 3 and 2.
Burns and Clark led through the first six holes, but a birdie from the Internationals on the par-3 seventh tied things up before Fox and Lee won the ensuing hole.
In general, the Internationals have had a leg up on the par 3s this week, and that was clear in this match, with Fox and Lee birdieing the par-3 13th before winning, 3 up, on the par-3 16th.
“The thing that’s really nice and makes me proud of my team is how well they’ve played the last five, six holes, the last couple of putts, especially today,” Ogilvy said. “These are not easy things to close out when all your teammates turn up and the crowds get bigger and bigger on the last few holes.”
The second and final International point of the session went to the Canadian duo of Corey Conners and Nick Taylor, who lost against Gotterup and Young just a few hours prior.
It seemed like Conners and Taylor might be in for another 2 and 1 loss, or worse, but momentum shifted on the 11th. The U.S. was 3 up through 10 before the Internationals won the next two holes. Slowly, the Canadians ate away at the lead. Then disaster struck for Henley on the par-4 15th, when he chunked the Americans’ third shot into the bunker. The Internationals won that hole to go 1 up, and they kept that lead until the end of the match on 18.
“What an experience to battle back from 3 down through 3, through 10,” Cup rookie Taylor said. “We’ve just been relentless all week. That’s been the message through the captain.”
The International team has held the lead going into Sunday on three prior occasions. Only in 1998 did it result in a win – the lone International win at a Presidents Cup since the event began in 1994.
In 2019, the Internationals led 10-8 before going on to lose to Tiger Woods’ team in Australia. But this International team has an extra point advantage. The Americans will have to win 8 points across 12 singles matches on Sunday to win. The Internationals only need 5 points.
On the line is a streak dating back to 2005. The U.S. has won 10 straight.
“I hold myself to a high standard,” Snedeker said. “I don’t think I’ve done the best job for them in that room.”
The U.S. is in a position where they have to come out strong on Sunday, which Ogilvy said he anticipated. Young will lead things off against Ryo Hisatsune at 12:02 p.m. ET. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is out in the fourth spot against rookie Nico Echavarria, but if you think that is a gimme match, think again. Scheffler is 0-2-0 in Presidents Cup singles.
The eighth match out, which could be a Cup-deciding point for either team, will see 21-year-old rookie Jackson Koivun playing world No. 14 Si Woo Kim.
“There’s plenty of evidence that these things are never over,” Snedeker said. “You’ve got to show up ready to go. I think our guys are chomping at the bit to get out there tomorrow.”
