After an American 5-0 sweep on Thursday, the 2024 Presidents Cup is back up for grabs.
Hello Canada, and golf fans in the United States and Newfoundland. We’ve got a barnburner at the Presidents Cup after Mike Weir’s International team made history on Day 2 at Royal Montreal.
Unbelievably, after an American 5-0 sweep on Thursday, the 2024 Presidents Cup is tied thanks to a stunning reversal from the underdog home team during Friday’s foursome session.
“Incredible day for us. To come back and show everyone what this team is made of after a tough day out there yesterday is just incredible,” Aussie Adam Scott said. “We’ve got a big day tomorrow and a bigger day Sunday. I think we can enjoy this evening and then come out incredibly focused. This team knows what it’s capable of now.”
For the first time in history of the Presidents Cup, Ryder Cup, or Solheim Cup, a sweep was followed by another sweep as the Internationals took it to Jim Furyk’s U.S. squad early and often winning the day 5-0. It was the first International win in an alternate-shot session against Team U.S.A. in 19 years.
The first match of the day took just two-and-a-half hours as Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im blew out Team U.S.A.’s most powerful duo of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay 7&6, tying the record for largest victory in a Presidents Cup match.
“Our vibe was vibing,” said Matsuyama through a translator following the match.
Matsuyama and Im ended the match on just the 12th hole, finishing with seven consecutive birdies in the difficult alternate-shot format.
Taylor Pendrith made six birdies on Thursday in a losing cause, but on Friday the big-hitting Canuck and partner Adam Scott dominated the American pair of Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala, winning 5&4.
“Super special,” Pendrith said after the win. “I mean, I just had a blast out there playing with Adam. He’s a legend in this tournament.”
Friday marked the 50th match for the 44-year-old Aussie Scott spanning 11 Presidents Cups.
“We knew we were in a deep hole, but no one felt discouraged,” Scott said. “There were signs of good golf out there yesterday, but we just didn’t get it done, and we cleaned it up a little bit today. We were determined to do that.”
The Canadian duo of Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes kept the good times rolling, taking out Tony Finau and Wyndham Clark 6&5.
“This is one of the highlights of my life,” Hughes said. “This was one of the funnest days I’ve ever had on the golf course.”
One day after the Canadian fans were called “too quiet” by International spark-plug Tom Kim, the Montreal fans responded with a complete turnaround of their own, creating a great atmosphere for Day 2.
“I would say the crowd was in it from the get-go for us,” Conners said. “We were definitely aware of some of the big cheers ahead of us knowing that some of the guys were winning holes. Being at home feels pretty special and getting all the support we got out there on the golf course and the whole team got was amazing.”
Kim sat out Friday’s session, but the energetic 22-year-old was all over the golf course working up the rejuvenated Montreal crowd.
“They were unbelievable today, they definitely brought it,” Kim said of the fans. “Obviously these guys had to go out and play. I sat out, but the crowd plays a huge role.
“Our fans backed us up. I think that gives you momentum, that gives you energy. Just they played a huge factor in our win today.”
In the second last match on the course, Aussie Jason Day saved a struggling Christiaan Bezuidenhout with a fabulous pitch on the 18th hole that turned into a match-winning gimme when Brian Harman couldn’t make a 30-foot birdie to secure a half-point. Day and Bezuidenhout defeated Max Homa and Harman 1-up.
After the match, Day gave credit to Weir and his team of assistant captains for keeping spirits high after Thursday’s U.S. sweep.
“All credit to the leadership of our team,” Day said. “Just keeping us very tight, getting back on the bus and boys singing on the bus and just trying to not quit on this. We’ve still got a long way to go. We’ve got a pretty big Saturday and obviously a Sunday to go. So we’re still in it.”
With four matches secured, only Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley stood in the way of an International sweep. Si Woo Kim and Ben An were tasked with taking down the World No. 1 and did exactly that with Kim rolling in a 15-foot par putt on the final green to win 1-up.
“The environment today from yesterday, was drastically different,” Scheffler said. “I thought today the crowd did a great job, got into it, gave the guys some good energy, and they fed off of it. It’s our job to go out there tomorrow and do our best and hopefully keep them a little bit quieter.”
At the beginning of Friday’s play the much-awaited Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal looked all but over.
Heading to the weekend in Canada, it’s game on.