Ultimately, the bold gamble of international team captain Mike Weir did not bear fruit. The international team dropped two matches on the 18th green at dusk on Saturday, and the American team managed to widen the gap to 11-7 heading into the final session of the Presidents Cup.
The two teams competed for almost 12 hours, having started the day at 7:02 a.m. This was notably lengthened by a sheet of fog which enveloped the Blue course of the Royal Montreal golf club and which interrupted play for nearly an hour early in the morning.
Beyond the results, the main topic of discussion in the crowd around each of the holes on the property was undoubtedly Weir’s decision to return to the fray in the afternoon the same four pairs as those who had performed in morning.
After all, they seemed flat after experiencing the emotional upswing of the day before, when the international team overcame a five-point deficit with a sweep of the United States to tie the score at 5-5.
As a result, the American team took the opportunity to take the lead 8-6 before the four matches played in the four-way format (alternating shots) on a hot and sunny afternoon.
Asked what the reasons were behind this decision, Weir offered a simple explanation.
“They are playing well. We like confrontations, we like duos, and we will continue with them,” said the 54-year-old Ontarian, specifying that the golfers had been informed of his decision even before the start of hostilities on Saturday morning.
His charges, however, seemed to lack energy at the end of the course, and the champion of the Masters Tournament in 2003 lost his bet.
Shortly before night settled over Montreal, the South Koreans Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim hosted the show and pulled a few rabbits out of their hats, without however being able to prevent Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele from winning by one in the 18th. hole.
For their part, Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes fell by one point to Collin Morikawa and Sam Burns, after the Canadians made a disappointing bogey on the 18th green.
“It’s huge for us; Corey and ‘Mac’ played some great golf. They took three shots off par on the first three holes, so we had to fight to get back into the match. We rolled up our sleeves and made several crucial birdies in the middle of the round,” said Morikawa, holder of two career major titles.
For their part, the Canadian Taylor Pendrith and the Australian Adam Scott managed to limit the damage by defeating the Americans Brian Harman and Max Homa in pairs.
“We took control of the match after the 12th hole and, even though I missed a few putts on the back nine, and we were scrappy at the end of the round, we did well. Anything can happen in this format of the game, and sometimes it can get very ugly… It’s good to have been able to get a point, an important point for us,” explained Scott, who scored his 20th victory for to climb to third place in this chapter in the history of the Presidents Cup.
“I had a little trouble in the morning, but I bounced back quickly because we didn’t have much time (between the two sessions). So I showed up on the course this afternoon, hit some really good shots and made some good putts,” added Pendrith.
The three Canadians were therefore back on the course for a third consecutive session, to the great pleasure of the crowd present on the course. It notably roared when Hughes wedged his bunker exit for an eagle on the 12th hole, bringing the match back to a tie at that point. The representatives of the maple leaf, however, were unable to maintain the pace and eventually admitted defeat.
As for Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im, they lost three and two to the No. 1 golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler, and his playing partner Russell Henley.
Pendrith still believes in the chances of the Internationals
Unlike the atmosphere of the morning session, the afternoon session was a little more lively, and the international team seemed to benefit from it.
The American team also helped fuel it, notably by refusing to concede a few putts of three feet or less to international players — which is usually a formality for professional golfers.
“I love the atmosphere here. They (the crowd) think it intimidates us — we knew it would be difficult, it would be hostile — but we fed off that energy throughout the day,” Burns said.
Golfers will now meet for a final session of 12 individual matches on Sunday, which will continue until a team scores 15.5 points and is crowned champion of the 2024 Presidents Cup.
Despite the four-point gap that separates the international team from the American team, Pendrith is confident that he and his teammates will be able to turn things around.
“Yeah, it’s going to be a big day, with 12 points at stake. We will all have to play very well to win, and I think everyone is in a good frame of mind and ready to take on the challenge. We all hope to be able to add points to the table,” he summarized.
The United States won the last Presidents Cup 17.5-12.5 at Quail Hollow Golf Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2022. It was the Americans’ ninth straight victory in this competition, and the 12th in 14 editions.
The international team’s only victory came at Royal Melbourne, Australia in 1998.
