After getting smacked around for most of the day on Friday, the U.S. Presidents Cup team responded on Saturday morning following a fog delay to win three of the four matches at Royal Montreal and take an 8-6 lead into the afternoon session.
Playing the four-ball format they dominated on Thursday, the Americans—after a slow start—picked up a 2-and-1 victory from Scottie Scheffler (who birdied the 16th and 17th holes) and Collin Morikawa; a 3-and-2 win from Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau over the Canadian team of Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes (who made just a single birdie in best ball) and a 2-and-1 win from Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns over Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im.
The U.S. finished 8-1 in the four-ball format for the week.
The International team of Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim combined to make six birdies and close out Americans Keegan Bradley and Wyndham Clark 4 and 3 for the only International victory of the morning session. Si Woo Kim scored some style points, and created some social-media buzz, by removing his cap to shake hands before his final putt landed in the cup.
Si Woo Kim walks it in for birdie to win the match 4&3 over Bradley/Clark. 😳 #IntlTeam
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 28, 2024
📺 NBC and Peacock | #PresidentsCup pic.twitter.com/aDE6FwqO1M
The competition continues Saturday afternoon four more matches of foursomes, also known as alternate shot.
The fog delay last an hour and 37 minutes and sets up a sprint to finish before darkness.
In the afternoon session, Scheffler and Russell Henley will take on Matsuyama and Im; Brian Harman and Max Home are playing Scott and Pendrith; Morikawa and Sam Burns are going against Conners and Hughes; and Cantlay and Schauffele will go against Kim and Kim.
International captain Mike Weir has elected to keep on the bench the same four players who did not play Saturday morning: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Jason Day, Ben An and and Min Woo Lee.
Sahith Theegala is the only American to sit out both Saturday sessions.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Si Woo Kim Closes Match in Epic Fashion, but U.S. Regains Lead at Presidents Cup.
