Despite the fact that they’ve lifted the trophy simply as soon as in historical past, the vibes have been excessive for Mike Weir’s Worldwide Workforce getting into this weekend’s Presidents Cup in Quebec.
And whereas that saved them in almost each match down the stretch on Thursday afternoon at Royal Montreal, the Worldwide Workforce is one once more in a deep gap.
Scottie Scheffler and the USA edged out every of the 5 opening four-ball matches on the Presidents Cup on Thursday to drag off a uncommon first spherical sweep on the biennial occasion. That gave the U.S. Workforce a dominant 5-0 lead heading into the second day of play.
That is now simply the third time in historical past {that a} crew has swept the primary spherical matches on the Presidents Cup. America has achieved it twice earlier than, first in 1994 and once more in 2000. By comparability, the USA has swept only one four-ball session on the Ryder Cup, again in 1984. It is also the thirty eighth time within the final 42 classes that the Individuals have held the lead.
Whereas there’s a protracted strategy to go, the Individuals have taken step one to lifting a tenth straight Presidents Cup this weekend.
“Robust matches. A number of them have been 1UP, even the entire day,” U.S. captain Jim Furyk mentioned. “Our guys performed nice on the again 9. I might say, I hate to say it at occasions, it got here right down to quite a lot of putts … Our guys most likely bought the good thing about the doubt on that aspect of it, and I feel that was the distinction in quite a lot of matches. I feel it was undoubtedly loads nearer than 5-0.”
Scheffler set the tone for the Individuals early on, and he and enjoying companion Russell Henley grabbed the most important win of the day. The highest-ranked golfer on the earth, who’s in the midst of a tear the game hasn’t seen since Tiger Woods’ prime, erupted in Tom Kim’s face after responding with an enormous putt early on to maintain their match degree earlier than finally grabbing the three&2 win. That was the most important margin of victory within the opening spherical.
Scheffler and Henley didn’t have many points, however the remainder of the U.S. Workforce largely allowed their opponents to hold in there longer than vital. Simply have a look at Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau, who almost let their match slip away. They misplaced two straight holes and instantly discovered themselves tied with Ben An and Jason Day with two holes to go after they each missed putts inside 5 toes on the sixteenth.
Day and An have been by far the closest to pulling off the win among the many Worldwide Workforce pairs. Day simply barely lipped out a deep birdie putt on the par-3 seventeenth that may have flipped their match to their favor heading into the final gap. As a substitute, Schauffele bounced again with a birdie putt to push them in management and finally give them the win.
Keegan Bradley helped save his match with Wyndham Clark with a deep birdie putt from off the inexperienced on the again 9, too. That putt, which got here after they dropped two holes to Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Taylor Pendrith to depart the door open, finally pushed them to the 1UP win. Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala beat out Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott 1UP of their match. Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns, after falling again a gap early, cruised to a 2&1 win to finish the sweep.
The 2 groups will return on Friday for a collection of 5 alternate shot matches. If the Worldwide Workforce goes to remain on this, they will should attempt to acquire not less than slightly floor on Friday earlier than the weekend hits. In any other case, although the 5 matches on Thursday have been tight, the Individuals can be ready to run away with the Presidents Cup but once more.
“We’re excited with our begin,” Furyk mentioned. “We’ll go in there [and] have a good time, high-fives, hugs. We’ve bought to hunker down and prepare for tomorrow … We’re going to maintain the strain on.”
