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The international team returns the 5-0 from yesterday to the United States in the foursomes.

Epic comeback to take the Presidents to the starting box

Ten-Golf
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After the 0-5 that United States endorsed yesterday to the international team in the fourball round that kicked off the 15th edition of the Presidents Cup, everything seemed to be heading towards a quick outcome in favor of Jim Furyk’s team. However, this Friday, with an exceptional atmosphere at the Royal Montreal Golf in Canada, the team captained by Mike Weir has staged an epic comeback to cause an upset and reset the counter. A memorable thrashing that had only been seen once in the entire history of the competition.

In South Africa in 2003, the international team managed to endorse a 6-0 in the Saturday fourballs to the United States. It was the only time that the stars and stripes, who have made a clean sweep four times in a session (1994, 2000, 2007 and yesterday), were left with their counter at zero. Until today, an unforgettable day for a team that has shown talent, resilience, conviction in their game and a synergy in the foursomes that has knocked out USA to put the 5-5 before tomorrow’s double session.

The first match of the day, which pitted Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele against Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im, was uneventful. The Asians won seven of the first 11 holes of their round, showing amazing synergy in this alternate shot format, and managed to tie another five. The result, a tremendous 7&6 for the international team that matched the widest victory in the entire history of the Presidents (by David Frost against Kenny Perry in the 1996 singles and by Adam Scott and K.J. Choi against Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker in the 2011 Thursday foursomes).

The second duel was also a recital by the international team to add their second point in this Presidents. Adam Scott and Taylor Pendrith comfortably beat Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa by 5&4. The American pair only won one hole in their entire round, which ended on the 14th, making Scott the player who has scored the most points for the international team in the entire history of the tournament (22, one more than South African Ernie Els). A thrashing that began to heat up the stands of the field dreaming of a historic comeback.

The third and fifth matches were the most exciting of the day and went down to the wire. Not so the fourth, in which, carried away by the Canadian fans, Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes gave a recital to beat Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau by 6&5 and put the third point in the box for Mike Weir’s team. As happened in the second match, the American pair was only able to win one hole of the 13 that were played, losing seven and confirming that Jim Furyk’s foursome pairs were not working.

The eighth duel of this Presidents, third of the day, served for Jason Day, back to the tournament seven years after his last appearance, to live his moment of glory. Partnering with South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout, the internationals were never behind on the scoreboard. But the comfortable three-up lead they left the 12th hole with became dangerously complicated at the end. They lost the 13th and lost the 17th, where the Australian had a ‘match ball’ with a putt of about six meters that he missed. But glory awaited him at the last flag…

Playing from the fairway, Max Homa, who was playing with Brian Harman, failed to close his ball and ended up in the rough. Bezuidenhout was also unable to get it to the green and ended up in a high grass area, trampled by the public. And there emerged the huge figure of Day to execute a sensational chip and leave the par made. The only option for the Americans to save at least half a point was for Harman to hole out from off the green, difficult but not impossible, and although he hit a great shot, it passed a palm to the right of the hole. Fourth point for Weir’s team.

There was only one match left in play that started with the American pair formed by the world’s Number One, Scottie Scheffler, and Russell Henley, but the Asians Si Woo Kim and Byeong Hun An managed to equalize quickly and briefly dominate after hole 6. Furyk’s team tied at 7 and the draw on the scoreboard remained until the 13th, which the internationals won with a great birdie on a par three. Kim, with spectacular putts, was slowing down any attempt at a comeback by USA. And Henley had the option to tie the match before playing the last hole, but his putt for birdie on the 17th touched the edge of the hole and did not want to go in.

So they arrived at the 18th, in a ‘dormie’ situation for the internationals. Both teams caught the fairway from the tee, but Weir’s team fell short and with their ball off the green with the second shot while Scheffler managed to get it to his target. An’s recovery approach was not good, opening the door wide open for the United States to save at least half a point. Henley threw a good putt, to secure, leaving the par made. And when no one expected it, again Si Woo Kim, with a putt of more than five meters, managed to hole out to unleash euphoria in a Royal Montreal Golf surrendered to its team and take the Presidents to the starting box.

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