The United States has once again opened a gap in the Presidents Cup (11-7). A gap that seems almost definitive. The team of Jim Furyk has prevailed in the double round of fourballs and foursomes this Saturday with a global result of 6-2 and has opened a gap of four points that seems impossible to close for the internationals at the The Royal Montreal Golf Club.
The United States already began to put distance in the fourballs session this Saturday. It won by a resounding 3 to 1 that was much tighter than it seems by the partial score.
The score was opened by the pair formed by Scheffler and Morikawa after defeating Pendrith and Adam Scott by 2 and 1. It was a very even duel that could really have fallen on either side. In fact, they arrived tied at hole 16. There, Scheffler once again put on the Number One suit in the world. He achieved consecutive birdies on holes 16 and 17 and finished the movie. Scottie’s move had a determination that was almost definitive in the partial result of this Presidents.
In the next duel, Schauffele and Finau won with more authority by 3 and 2 to the Canadians Conners and Hughes. In this case, the two birdies of the local pair seem almost definitive to determine the American victory. In addition, a stellar performance by Patrick Cantlay, with three birdies and an eagle between holes 12 and 16 managed to give the United States a last point of the best ball morning almost definitive. Sungjae Im and Hideki Matsuyama, especially the former, did everything possible to prevent the point from falling on the visitor’s side, but it was impossible.
The point of the internationals was for Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim, who won resoundingly by 4 and 3 to Keegan Bradley and Wyndham Clark. It was the most overwhelming result of the entire fourballs round. In this duel, Tom Kim was definitive with five birdies in the 18 holes.
The United States opened a distance with the fourballs and sentenced with the foursomes. Or almost. He won the session again by 3 to 1. Equality was the dominant theme of the day, really the points could have fallen on either side, but it was the stars and stripes who at the end of the day took the cat to the water.
Scheffler and Henley achieved an almost heroic point in the first duel of the day. Matsuyama and Sungjae Im dominated the game at all times. They even got 3 up at hole 6. However, they won the match by 3 and 2, thanks to an extraordinary comeback. They won consecutively holes 14, 15 and 16, the third and last with par, in what seemed a surrender of the Asians.
The second duel of the alternate stroke session was for the internationals. Scott and Pendrith won by 2 up to Brian Harman and Max Homa. After a start of exchanges on the scoreboard, the internationals took command at hole 9 and did not let go until the end.
Finally, in a heart-stopping day, Morikawa and Burns and Cantlay and Schauffele won by a meagre 1 up at hole 18 to Conners and Hughes and Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim. Both matches were dominated by the Americans at all times, but they arrived tied at hole 18. Two excellent putts from Morikawa and Cantlay defined the situation and almost the Presidents Cup.
There are still the 12 individual duels on Sunday, but four points seems a very important difference to think about the comeback of Mike Weir’s Internationals.
