The United States’ lead in the 2024 Presidents Cup disappeared on Friday, as the International Team bounced back at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Quebec.
Team USA dominated on Thursday, jumping out to an early 5-0 advantage by winning all five of the four-ball matches. With the U.S. squad just 10.5 points away from earning a 10th consecutive victory in the event, the International Team needed to step up on Day 2.
That’s exactly what happened, as team captain Mike Weir’s group won every foursome match to tie the overall score at 5-5. The drastic turnaround represented the first back-to-back sweeps in the history of the event.
Here are the results from each match.
Scores
Hideki Matsuyama/Sungjae Im (INT) def. Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay (USA) 7 and 6
Adam Scott/Taylor Pendrith (INT) def. Collin Morikawa/Sahith Theegala (USA) 5 and 4
Christiaan Bezuidenhout/Jason Day (INT) def. Max Homa/Brian Harman (USA) 1-up
Corey Conners/Mackenzie Hughes (INT) def. Wyndham Clark/Tony Finau (USA) 6 and 5
Si Woo Kim/Byeong Hun An (INT) def. Scottie Scheffler/Russell Henley (USA) 1-up
Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im set the tone in the first match of the day, wrapping up their victory on the 12th hole after making seven consecutive birdies to close out the contest. Their 7 and 6 win over Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay tied for the largest margin of victory in Presidents Cup History.
Adam Scott and Taylor Pendrith secured the second win of the day for the International Team. They were tied with Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala through the first three holes, but they eventually gained a 3-up lead with three consecutive birdies from No. 4 through No. 6.
Scott earned his 22nd career point in the Presidents Cup, representing the most by an International player in the history of the event.
After Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Jason Day staved off a comeback from Max Homa and Brian Harman, the Canadian duo of Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes took down Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau through 13 holes.
In front of an excited home crowd, Conners and Hughes finished with seven birdies.
“This was a special day,” Conners said after the win, via NBC Sports. “The crowd was in it from the get-go. We wanted to get off to a good start and we kept our foot on the gas and played some awesome golf.”
The United States was nearly able to get on the board in the final match of the day, as Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley took an early lead following a birdie on the second hole.
However, the advantage was short-lived. Si Woo Kim and Byeong Hun An were able to tie the match on the following hole. Scheffler and Henley briefly fell behind on No. 6 before tying the contest once more, eventually trailing again on No. 13.
The score remained the same through the duration of the match, as Kim drained a 15-foot putt to seal a win on the 18th hole.
The United States will attempt to take the lead once more on Saturday, as both teams will face off in four-ball sessions to begin the day before transitioning to foursome matches. Four-ball matches are expected to start at 7:02 a.m. ET.
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