The U.S. Team has usually fared well, and often dominated, against the International Team in the Presidents Cup. However, this year's tournament, held at The Royal Montreal Gold Club, has carried plenty of intrigue.
Team USA swept Thursday's round of four-ball matches. The International Team then swept Friday's round of foursomes to draw even at 5-5. This marked the first time in the tournament's history that fans have been treated to back-to-back sweeps.
This also left the two squads with plenty at stake during Saturday's two rounds of play. A team needs 15.5 points to claim the Presidents Cup, meaning no team could clinch before Sunday's 12 individual matches. A big day, however, could put a team in a very favorable position.
That big day ended up belonging to the Americans, who took six of the eight matches to open a four-point lead heading into the final day.
Saturday's Action
Here's a look at how things unfolded on Saturday.
Scores
Round 3 (four-ball)
- Scottie Scheffler/Collin Morikawa (USA) def. Adam Scott/Taylor Pendrith (INT) 2&1
- Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele (USA) def. Corey Conners/Mackenzie Hughes (INT) 3&2
- Si Woo Kim/Tom Kim (INT) def. Keegan Bradley/Wyndham Clark (USA) 4&3
- Patrick Cantlay/Sam Burns (USA) def. Hideki Matsuyama/Sungjae Im (INT) 2&1
Round 4 (foursomes)
- Adam Scott/Taylor Pendrith (INT) def. Brian Harman/Max Homa (USA) 2-up
- Collin Morikawa/Sam Burns (USA) def. Corey Conners/Mackenzie Hughes (INT) 1-up
- Scottie Scheffler/Russell Henley (USA) def. Hideki Matsuyama/Sungjae Im (INT) 3&2
- Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele (USA) def. Si Woo Kim/Tom Kim (INT) 1-up
U.S. captain Jim Furyk and International captain Mike Weir both opted to kick off Saturday's action with top pairings.
Furyk opted for Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa, the first- and fourth-ranked players in the World Golf Rankings. Weir went with Taylor Pendrith and Adam Scott, who set a record on Saturday with his 22nd career Presidents Cup point.
Scott earned the record while playing alongside Pendrith on Friday.
"I'm going to enjoy this one because this is Taylor's first win, so I'm stoked for him. He's gonna have many more," Scott said, per Cameron Morfit of PGATour.com.
Pendrith didn't earn his next point on Saturday morning, as Scheffler closed out a tight match to return the lead to the U.S.
Scottie Scheffler closes out the match 2&1 with a birdie from off the green! 🇺🇸🔥 U.S. leads Internationals 6-5.
📺 NBC and Peacock | #PresidentsCup pic.twitter.com/lPFrAS4Vqx
Saturday's opener was a tight contest and another clear sign that both Furyk and Weir were going to rely on their best golfers throughout the weekend.
The American Dominance
Both teams are leaning on their core to try to win the Presidents Cup.
Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay will play all 5 sessions this week for the U.S.
Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im will play 5 for the International Team, …
Xander Schauffele, the world's No. 2-ranked golfer, paired with Tony Finau to take on Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes in Saturday's second match. Schauffele and Finau earned a 3&2 victory.
Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns secured a 2&1 win over Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im in the final four-ball match to ensure that the U.S. would enter the afternoon with a lead. It was an interesting turnaround after Cantlay and Schauffele were routed by Matsuyama and Im 7&6 in Friday's foursome match.
Cantlay's Eagle on No. 12 played a huge role in giving Team USA the advantage. It also spoiled a five-birdie performance by Im.
Patrick Cantlay pitches it in for EAGLE to go 2UP vs. the Internationals! 🇺🇸💪 #USTeamPC
📺 NBC and Peacock | #PresidentsCup pic.twitter.com/gJk8sJTtIX
If Patrick Cantlay didn't exist we might be talking a lot about Sungjae Im today.
But Patrick Cantlay really, really exists
There would be no sweep in the morning, however. In the third match, Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim got the International Team back on the board with a 4&3 win over Keegan Bradley and Wyndham Clark.
Kim and Kim played a tremendous match, while maintaining a level of energy and momentum for the International Team.
Shoutout to both Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim for being the true entertainers of this event.
This is meant to be fun and they've embraced that role, both here and at Quail Hollow.
The Afternoon Foursomes
Kim and Kim were again paired together in the afternoon, as the action turned to foursome play. In fact, Weir decided to retain all four pairings from Round 3 for Round 4.
It was certainly an unexpected decision after losing three of four matches in the morning. However, he may have been banking on the success his team had on Friday with the foursome format.
Mike Weir running back the same 8 players in the morning and afternoon today. Either reckless or genius behavior.
Meanwhllile, Jim Furyk keeping Sahith Theegala on the bench all day. @PresidentsCup pic.twitter.com/6UZu0KFppN
Things didn't go quite as Weir had envisioned.
Scott and Pendrith got the International Team off to a good start in the afternoon, winning their match against Brian Harman and Max Homa by two holes. Yet another impressive round by Scott helped offset what was a less-than-stellar performance by Pendrith.
Taylor Pendrith has certainly tested the recovery skills of Adam Scott today.
However, the momentum shifted toward the Americans late in the second match. Conners and Hughes were tied with Morikawa and Burns entering the final hole. A tie in the match would have given each team a half-point, but the stalemate did not hold.
Conners came up just short on a par-putt attempt, which ultimately cost his team the hole and the match.
It wasn't all bad for the International team. With Kim and Kim trailing Schauffele and Cantlay by a hole, Si Woo Kim hit an improbable hillside shot to earn a birdie and bring the score back to even.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!
Si Woo Kim chips in from an impossible lie to win the hole! pic.twitter.com/8fxKNig54a
However, a clutch birdie putt from Cantlay on No. 18 turned a would-be tie into another win for Team USA.
The excitement from the entire American team after Cantlay's putt was palpable. For their side, it was thrilling end to another strong day.
That is the most emotion I've seen out of Patrick Cantlay like, ever
Just before Cantlay sank the final put of the evening, Scheffler and Russell Henley mounted an epic comeback and eventually pulled away from Matsuyama and Im to earn a 3&2 victory.
Matsuyama and Im were up by tree after six holes, but something clicked for Scheffler and Henley, who were in complete control from that point forward. Their win ensured that Team USA would enter Sunday with a lead.
🇺🇸 10
🌏 7
What an insane comeback from Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley. They turned on the jets down the stretch, winning 6 of the last 10 holes to defeat Matsuyama and Im 3 & 2.
The Internationals were 3 up through 6. Incredible stuff from the Americans.
Looking Ahead to Sunday
Cantlay's putt ensured that it would be a sizeable one.
With an 11-7 advantage, Team USA is in prime position to claim its 10th consecutive Presidents Cup. With four of the top six golfers, according to the World Golf Rankings, the Americans should have an edge in head-to-head singles play.
The U.S. Team also needs just 4.5 points t clinch the tournament. Four wins and a tie out of 12 matches will get it done, though the skill and drive we've seen from the International Team suggests it will be another series of battles on Sunday.
