The United States came up clutch down the stretch, breaking the hearts of International fans around the world on Saturday at the Presidents Cup.
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele knocked off Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim in the final match of the day, a rollercoaster of a round that seemed like a 15-round heavyweight prize fight. All four players threw punches back and forth, some coming via improbable chip-ins and long putts, while others came in spectacular approaches. Si Woo Kim’s chip-in and his Steph Curry-like celebration afterward will live on in Presidents Cup lore forever. But in the end, Cantlay drained a 17-footer for birdie to give the Americans a 1-up victory.
Collin Morikawa and Sam Burns also won their match 1-up, sending Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners into a state of agony. The Canadians played so well, with Hughes providing heroic shot after heroic shot on the back nine, but they could not get the job done—a devastating blow to the fans in Montreal.
Then, Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley stormed back from a 3-down deficit against Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im to win 3 & 2. Scheffler and Henley won six of the last 10 holes to win.
Nevertheless, the Internationals salvaged a point in the afternoon Foursomes as Adam Scott and Taylor Pendrith defeated Brian Harman and Max Homa. Scott and Pendrith won 2-up on the 17th green.
So now the Internationals face a four-point deficit, 11-to-7, going into Sunday Singles. The Americans have historically played better mano y mano. Since the U.S. holds a considerable advantage in the caliber of their players, the Internationals face a tall task on the final day. Whoever gets to 15.5 points first will win the cup.
The U.S. needs to win five matches.
The Internationals must win eight.
Day 4 Pairings — Singles:
Match 1: 12:02 p.m. ET — Xander Schauffele (USA) vs Jason Day (Internationals)
Match 2: 12:14 p.m. ET — Sam Burns (USA) vs Tom Kim (Internationals)
Match 3: 12:26 p.m. ET — Scottie Scheffler (USA) vs Hideki Matsuyama (Internationals)
Match 4: 12:38 p.m. ET — Russell Henley (USA) vs Sungjae Im (Internationals)
Match 5: 12:50 p.m. ET — Patrick Cantlay (USA) vs Taylor Pendrith (Internationals)
Match 6: 1:02 p.m. ET — Keegan Bradley (USA) vs Si Woo Kim (Internationals)
Match 7: 1:19 p.m. ET — Tony Finau (USA) vs Corey Conners (Internationals)
Match 8: 1:31 p.m. ET — Wyndham Clark (USA) vs Min Woo Lee (Internationals)
Match 9: 1:43 p.m. ET — Sahith Theegala (USA) vs Byeong Hun An (Internationals)
Match 10: 1:55 p.m. ET — Collin Morikawa (USA) vs Adam Scott (Internationals)
Match 11: 2:07 p.m. ET — Brian Harman (USA) vs Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Internationals)
Match 12: 2:19 p.m. ET — Max Homa (USA) vs Mackenzie Hughes (Internationals)
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
