Golf

International Team Defies Odds with 5-0 Sweep in Foursomes

The international team had not secured a session in the alternate-shot format since 2005, suffering 17 consecutive losses prior to this.

International team staged an impressive comeback in the Presidents Cup leveling the score at 5-5 against the United States in Montreal. Dominating Friday’s foursomes, Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im set the tone by securing a historic 7&6 victory over Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele matching the largest win margin in the competition’s history.

This represented a significant turnaround from Thursday’s fourballs during which the U.S. won all five matches, a feat they had not accomplished since 2003. Australia’s Adam Scott and Canada’s Taylor Pendrith contributed to the comeback with a convincing 5&4 win against Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa. Scott has now amassed 22 points in Presidents Cup history continuing to make his mark in the event.

However, he has never played on a winning team in his 11 appearances. Other highlights included Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes, who delivered a decisive 6&5 victory over Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau. Meanwhile, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Jason Day edged out Max Homa and Brian Harman in a close match that went down to the final hole.

Si Woo Kim’s critical 15-foot par putt on the 18th secured a victory against world number one Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley. International captain Mike Weir emphasized the motivation within his team, stating, “Every great comeback story starts with a deficit,” and highlighted the team’s exceptional response. With 20 points still available over the weekend, a total of 15½ is required for an outright victory.

The weekend schedule features four fourball matches on Saturday followed by singles matches on Sunday, setting the stage for an exciting finish in the Presidents Cup.

Cataleya