From a Correspondent
Charlotte, North Carolina: Si Woo Kim and Cam Davis delivered the International Team’s lone point in the Foursomes of the Presidents Cup as the U.S. romped to a 4-1 lead at Quail Hollow Club on Thursday.
Kim and Davis, both captain’s picks, were 3-down through seven holes to world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns in the penultimate match but won their last three holes.
It included birdies on 16 and 17, and secured a 2-up win for the Korean-Australian duo and a whitewash by the powerful American side.
“It was a brutal start, and then we got nervous. The last five holes, we finally dropped some putt and it works,” said three-time PGA Tour winner Kim.
“When we announced our names on the first hole, I was shaking. I don’t have much experience. And, yeah, it kept going through 5, 6 (holes), I’m getting pissed off because I’m losing.
Clutch putt
“Then Cam makes a clutch putt on 10 and I think that’s the time my nerve is gone. And then, yeah, 16 finally the right time to make it. And 17 Cam hit a great shot. It was, I think, perfect timing,” KIm added.
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele got the home team off to a flying start with a 6&5 win over Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama, sealing their third straight win as partners in Foursomes.
Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth defeated Sungjae Im and Corey Conners 2&1 before Collin Morikawa and Cameron Young secured the third point with a 2&1 triumph over K.H. Lee and Tom Kim.
The final match concluded on the 18th green with Tony Finau and Max Homa wrapping up a thrilling 1-up win over Taylor Pendrith and Mito Pereira when the Internationals made a costly bogey after fighting all the way down the stretch.
Former Australian amateur champion Davis hopes they will provide the spark for a fightback in Friday’s Fourballs and cut the gap on the US whose 12 players are all ranked in the world’s top 25.
Dominant record
The US. have won 11 of 13 editions of the Presidents Cup, including a narrow 16-14 victory at Royal Melbourne in 2019.
“I mean, everyone kind of saw where we were. We already pretty much had that conversation behind the 18th green. Everyone is super pumped. We can do this, you know,” said Davis.
“I’ve just done it my first time and seen some success. So there’s no reason why we can’t keep playing that golf. I mean, everyone on our team is capable of the golf we played coming down the stretch.
“If we can all bring it out at the same time this week, we can really get things going.”
Internationals captain Trevor Immelman knows the importance of getting a point on the board when at one point, it looked as though the Americans would make a clean sweep in all five matches.
“Just so proud of those guys. Cam has been chomping at the bit for the longest period of time,” said Immelman.
“You know, we really feel like he’s come out of his shell quite a lot in and amongst the team atmosphere and environment in the last three or four weeks, and it’s been great to see that growth from him.
“For them to finish strong like that to eke out a point for us really is big psychologically. If we had got whitewashed today, it would have been a tough pill to swallow.
Tough task
“We’ve got our work cut out for us, but like I said, we’ll keep going. We’ll keep going until they ring the bell. We have no other choice.”
Spieth and Thomas will pair up again in the opening Fourball match against Scott and Davis.
They will be followed by Scheffler and Burns versus Im and Sebastian Munoz, and Kevin Kisner and Young taking on Pereira and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
In the final two games, Cantlay and Schauffele meet Matsuyama and Tom Kim and Billy Horschel and Homa play Conners and Pendrith. (courtesy pgatour.com)
Day 1 results
United States 4, International 1
Match 1: Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele (U.S.) bt Adam Scott/Hideki Matsuyama (INT), 6 and 5
Match 2: Jordan Spieth/Justin Thomas (U.S.) bt. Sungjae Im/Corey Conners (INT), 2 and 1
Match 3: Cameron Young/Collin Morikawa (U.S.) bt Tom Kim/K.H. Lee (INT), 2 and 1
Match 4: Si Woo Kim/Cam Davis (INT) bt Scottie Scheffler/Sam Burns (U.S.), 2-up
Match 5: Tony Finau/Max Homa (U.S.) bt Taylor Pendrith/Mito Pereira (INT), 1-up
Also read: Presidents Cup makes long-term commitment to Melbourne; returns in 2028, 2040
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