Internationals take shock 4-1 lead after Tiger, JT win opener

By Rahul Banerji

Powered by some slick short iron work and deadly putting, the Internationals opened up a shock 4-1 lead over defending champions USA on day one of the Presidents Cup at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club on Thursday.

Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas gave the US their only point of the day in the Four-Balls, 4&3 over Chilean debutant Joaquin Neimann and Marc Leishmann of Australia.

They, however, then had to watch as the Internationals ran away with the remaining four points on offer, with some nerve-wracking wins over better-ranked opponents.

For debutants Sungjae Im, Byeong Hun An and C.T. Pan, it was a day to remember as they helped the inspired Internationals carve out two close wins on the day, Im first partnering Canada’s Adam Hadwin to a 1-up result over Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay.

Fellow-Korean An, a late replacement for Jason Day,  then stepped up to help Australian Adam Scott get the better of Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau 2&1 in a match they never trailed.

Tough fight

Taiwan’s Pan, the first from his country to play the President’s Cup, and Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama took the final point for the Internationals with a gritty 1-up victory over Patrick Reed and Webb Simpson, including a massive 30-foot putt for the critical lead.

Pan paid tribute to Internationals skipper Ernie Els for his leadership. “It’s great. He has a system going in.

“We are his soldiers, so we follow his instruction, and that’s what we did today, and it worked great. He’s done so much preparation the last few months. It’s working.”

Thereafter, it was another first-timer, Abraham Ancer of Mexico, who teamed up with Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa to crush the powerful US duo of Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland by a comfortable 4&3 margin,

Rare outcome

According to a PGA Tour statement, this is the first time since 2005 that the Internationals have led after the first round. Their only win in the competition also came at the Royal Melbourne 21 years ago and their captain was a playing member.

Els holds the course record of 60 at the venue and the 21-year-old Im, 2019 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, gave his captain credit for the start.

“I feel like our teamwork was great. When I wasn’t playing well, Adam would cover for me and vice versa. I think our teamwork really helped make our match great.

“I’m really happy about my results and I’m excited for tomorrow,” added Im, who will partner Cameron Smith in the last Foursomes match on Friday against Gary Woodland and Rickie Fowler.

Record appearance

Korea’s An opened his first Presidents Cup on a winning note alongside Scott, who now holds the most appearances in the event with nine for the Internationals.

“I was a little bit nervous. Playing with Adam calmed me down a lot, and that’s why I was able to hit some great shots in the first couple of holes.

“We got in the mood and got some birdies going. Overall we played great. When he was not playing well, I had him covered, and when I was struggling in the middle, he got some birdies going,” said An.

Pan, the first player from Chinese Taipei to feature for the International Team, was the last pairing out on course as he and Matsuyama battled it out till virtually the end with Reed and Simpson.

The 28-year-old said a special video viewing on Wednesday night during a team function which showcased the International Team’s victory in 1998 rallied him and his teammates.

‘Some way to go’

“The video, even after last night, I watched it a couple of times because I loved it. It’s been 21 long years, and I know it’s day one, but we still have a lot of work to do. That video definitely pumped and excited everyone on the International Team,” said Pan.

“It’s incredible, especially the last match to finish on 18, as well. The crowd are absolutely amazing and the people, the feeling, it’s making me like speechless. Yeah, I played great. We’re very happy to earn this point.”

Afterwards, US captain Woods said he knew it was never going to be easy,

“We have to earn this cup,” Woods said. They are not going to hand it to us.

“But just because we lost the session doesn’t mean the Cup’s over. There’s a long way to go, a lot of points available. The guys will regroup, and we’ll come out tomorrow ready to go.”

Four-Ball results (Internationals first)

Joaquin Neimann/Marc Leishman lost to Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas 3&4

Sungjae In.Adam Hadwin bt {artick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele 1-up

Beyong Hun An/Adam Scott bt Tony Finau/Bryson DeChambeau 2&1

C.T. Pan/Hideki Matsuyama bt Patrick Reed/Webb Simpson 1-up

Louis Oosthuizen/Abraham Ancer bt Gary Woodland/Dustin Johnson 4&3

Foursomes match-ups (Internationals first)

Adam Scott/Louis Oosthuizen vs Matt Kuchar/Dustin Johnson

Joaquin Neimann/Adam Hadwin vs Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele

Abraham Ancer/Marc Leishmann vs Patrick Reed/Webb Simpson

Hideki Matsuyama/Beyong Hun An vs Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas

Cameron Smith/Sungjae Im vs Rickie Fowler/Gary Woodland

Also read: US survive Internationals singles fight-back to retain Junior Prez Cup