International team captain Mike Weir hoped that by pairing Canadians Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners for Friday’s four-player session at the Presidents Cup, he would get a spark. It was ultimately another duo who 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 clear seven and six victory, and the international team unexpectedly tied the game 5-5 against the American team after two days of competition.
Asked how such a turnaround could have occurred, the 2003 Masters Tournament champion offered a very 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 impressive, very noisy, and they encourage us. This is what we needed, and I hope it continues on Saturday and Sunday,” said Weir, all smiles.
Matsuyama and Im thus tied the quickest victory in Presidents Cup history. Only two duos have managed to record victories of seven and six before, the most recent being Adam Scott and KJ Choi against Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker in the 2011 Presidents Cup.
In addition, 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 highest-ranked golfer on the international team at seventh in the world and the most experienced of the 12 selected by Weir, and Im got off to a hot start and won their first two holes. They even won five of the first nine holes to quickly take control of the duel, without ever looking back afterwards.
“It was quite a challenge today, especially after losing five games yesterday [jeudi]. Sungjae, however, hit a perfect tee shot on the first tee, which gave us some momentum, so we are very happy with the result,” Matsuyama explained.
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 et Im] did so convincingly. They gave a masterful performance. Eight shots under par, in this kind of format, is very difficult to accomplish. But they did it, and it’s amazing,” Weir said.
This result from 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 four 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 is probably the best teammate in the alternating shot format. He’s so reliable, so consistent… I just went with the flow and had a blast today,” admitted Hughes.
Their compatriot Taylor Pendrith, from Richmond Hill, Ontario, and Scott beat Americans Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa five and four.
“It was super special to be able to get it with Adam [Scott]. I really had fun with him; he is a true legend in this competition. […] We played very well today. We hit a few key putts early in the round to establish our rhythm and take the pressure off our shoulders. It’s incredible to be able to give our team a point like this,” said Pendrith.
It was the first time three Canadians were in action in the same session at the Presidents Cup, and they made sure it was remembered for a long time.
Things got a little complicated at the end of the session, as the duo of South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Australian Jason Day made more and more mistakes. They nevertheless beat Max Homa and Brian Harman by one.
The same thing happened to Si Woo Kim — inserted into the lineup by Weir after being left out the day before — and Byeong Hun An, who had trouble closing the books against the number 1 golfer in the world , Scottie Scheffler, and his playing partner Russell Henley.
The South Koreans eventually completed the sweep, winning by one, after Kim holed a twenty-foot putt to match the Americans’ par on the 18th.e Green.
It is therefore a complete turnaround compared to the day before, when the Americans swept the first session to take control 5-0.
So in golf, as in life in general, the days follow one another and are not the same.
And for captain Jim Furyk’s American team, everything has to be done again.
On Saturday, the pace of this prestigious team competition will accelerate with the presentation of two sessions of four matches each.
First, from 7 a.m., the American and international teams will compete in the four-ball format. Then, at 1:40 p.m., the two teams will battle it out according to the four-player formula (alternating shots).
The first team to score 15.5 points is crowned champion of this prestigious team competition.