The excitement to end a series that has lasted more than a quarter of a century, fuelled by the international team with an unforgettable day of foursomes on Friday, faded yesterday and ended this Sunday confirming United States as the champion of the 15th edition of the Presidents Cup. The team captained by Jim Furyk only needed seven of the 12 individual Sunday matches to be completed to add the 15.5 points that sealed the re-edition of the title.
In the first duel of the day, Xander Schauffele, who started down on the scoreboard practically from the beginning, immediately recovered by winning the third hole and from there, he began to display his best version on the Royal Montreal Golf in Canada to beat Australian Jason Day by 4&3 and score the first point of the day for the Americans. Sam Burns, drawing with Tom Kim in a match full of emotion, scraped another half point. And although in the star duel of the day Hideki Matsuyama managed to beat the world’s Number One, Scottie Scheffler, the Presidents was very inclined towards the visitors.
Russell Henley had put the 13.5 in the red numbers of the scoreboard a little earlier by winning 3&2 against Sungjae Im and leaving the Presidents one and a half points away for Furyk‘s team to mathematically close the victory. Corey Conners allowed the international team captained by Mike Weir to resist a few more minutes with a great 5&3 over Tony Finau. But the next two crosses had an American flavour. Patrick Cantlay won 3&1 over Taylor Pendrith putting the 14.5. And then came the climax…
Fate wanted it to be the captain of the USA team of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black next year, Keegan Bradley, who gave the 14th Presidents Cup to the United States. He could do it with a long putt, about seven meters, which stopped half a palm from the hole at 18. Although he ended up achieving it with the failure of Si Woo Kim that would have allowed the international team to scrape half a point and prolong the agony… or dream of the comeback. The other five matches in play were of no use except for individual records…
