International team captain Mike Weir hoped that pairing Canadians Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners for Friday’s four-player format at the Presidents Cup would provide a spark. It was another pairing that provided it.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and South Korea’s Sungjae Im were impeccable against Americans Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay en route to a resounding seven-and-six victory, and the international team unexpectedly tied the game 5-5 with Team USA after two days of competition.
Asked how such a turnaround could have happened, the 2003 Masters champion offered a simple answer.
“It’s the energy, I think. I don’t know if everyone in Montreal took time off today to come to the field, but the crowd is awesome, very loud, and they’re cheering us on. That’s what we needed, and I hope it continues Saturday and Sunday,” said a smiling Weir.
Matsuyama and Im tied the fastest win in Presidents Cup history. Only two duos have ever managed to record seven-and-six wins, the most recent being Adam Scott and KJ Choi’s victory over Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker in the 2011 Presidents Cup.
Furthermore, for the first time in the history of this prestigious competition between the United States and the rest of the world, excluding Europe, two consecutive sessions were swept.
Matsuyama, the top-ranked golfer on the international team by virtue of his seventh-place ranking in the world and the most experienced of the 12 selected by Weir, and Im got off to a flying start, winning their first two holes. They even won five of the first nine holes to quickly take control of the duel, never looking back.
“It was quite a challenge today, especially after losing five games yesterday [Thursday]. Sungjae hit a perfect tee shot on the first tee, though, which gave us some rhythm, so we’re very happy with the result,” Matsuyama said.
And just like that, the international team finally got on the board. Much to Weir’s relief.
“We finally got a point on the board, and they [Matsuyama and Im] did it convincingly. They put on a masterful performance. Eight-under par, in this kind of format, is very difficult to accomplish. But they did it, and it’s incredible,” Weir said.
This result by Matsuyama and Im, the first duo to tee off on the Blue Course at the Royal Montreal Golf Club on Friday, seemed to inspire the rest of the international team.
And the American team was swept away by the tsunami to the delight of the crowd, which roared from all corners of the property at regular intervals throughout the afternoon, under sunny skies and a comfortable temperature of 21 degrees Celsius.
A dream come true for Hughes
As for the Canadian duo of Conners and Hughes, they imitated that of Matsuyama and Im and manhandled the Americans Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau six and five.
“It was a dream come true to be able to play with Corey today. He’s probably the best teammate in the game when it comes to alternating shots. He’s so reliable, so consistent… I just went with the flow and had a blast today,” Hughes said.
Their compatriot Taylor Pendrith, from Richmond Hill, Ontario, and Scott took the measure of Americans Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa five and four.
“It was super special to be able to get it with Adam [Scott]. I had a lot of fun with him; he’s a legend in this event. […] We played really well today. We made a few key putts early in the round to get our rhythm going and take the pressure off of us. It’s amazing to be able to give our team a point like that,” Pendrith said.
It was the first time three Canadians were in action in the same session at the Presidents Cup, and they made sure it was one to remember for a long time.
Things got a little more complicated towards the end of the session, as the duo of South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Australian Jason Day made a series of mistakes. They nevertheless beat Max Homa and Brian Harman by one.
The same thing happened with Si Woo Kim — inserted into the lineup by Weir after being left out the day before — and Byeong Hun An, who struggled to close out the series against world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and his playing partner Russell Henley.
The South Koreans eventually completed the sweep by winning by one after Kim holed a 20-foot putt to tie the Americans for par on the 18th green .
It is therefore a complete turnaround compared to the day before, when the Americans swept the first session to take the lead 5-0.
As in golf, as in life in general, no two days are the same.
And for Captain Jim Furyk’s American team, it’s all over again.
On Saturday, the pace of this prestigious team competition will accelerate with the presentation of two sessions of four matches each.
First, starting at 7 a.m., the American and international teams will face off in a four-ball format. Then, at 1:40 p.m., the two teams will battle it out in a four-ball format (alternating shots).
The first team to score 15.5 points is crowned champion of this prestigious team competition.
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