Presidents Cup Day 2: U.S. Takes 8-2 Lead Into Weekend at Quail Hollow
The U.S. team is taking a six-point lead to the weekend at the Presidents Cup after winning a second session by a 4-1 margin.
In the four-ball (best ball) format, the star pairs of Jordan Spieth/Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele won again, while Max Homa locked up the third full point with two closing birdies in the final match. Two other matches were halved.
Saturday is a full day of play with four foursomes matches in the morning followed by four four-balls.
Max Homa Stars As U.S. Takes Friday's Final Match
Max Homa, playing in his first Presidents Cup, birdied Nos. 17 and 18 to win the day's final match and give the U.S. an 8-2 lead going into the weekend.
Homa and Billy Horschel were tied coming to 17 against the Canadian duo of Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith, then Homa holed a 13-foot birdie putt to give the U.S. a 1 up lead with one to play.
On the 18th, Pendrith coolly holed a 13-foot birdie putt that could have salvaged a half-point, only to see Homa pour in an 11-footer for the win.
"That's a day I will never forget," Homa said.
The 8-2 margin matches the biggest lead the U.S. has had through two sessions in Presidents Cup history.
Another Match is Tied
Cameron Young and Kevin Kisner tied their match with Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Mito Pereira, moving the overall score to 7-2 in favor of the U.S.
Neither team ever led by more than 1 the entire match; Kisner and Bezuidenhout were playing for the first time this week.
Internationals Get on Board With a Half Point
Scottie Scheffler had a 9-foot putt to win a third point for the U.S. but left it just short, so he and Sam Burns got a half-point along with Internationals Sungjae Im and Sebastian Munoz.
Scheffler and Burns will look back at the first two days and feel like two full points got away; they had a 3 up lead on Thursday that evaporated and led today's match 2 up through 12 holes.
With two matches left on the course, the U.S. leads 6.5-1.5.
Cantlay/Schauffele Win Again
The team of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are now 6-0 in Presidents and Ryder Cups, defeating Hideki Matsuyama and Tom Kim 3 and 2 to put the U.S. up 6-1.
Cantlay/Schauffele built a 5 up lead by the 8th hole and were never in trouble from there.
Matsuyama is No. 17 in the world, the highest-ranked player on the International side, but 0-2 this week.
Spieth/Thomas Close Out First Friday Point for U.S.
The team of Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas put the first point on the board Friday for the U.S., beating Adam Scott and Cam Davis 2 and 1 to push the U.S. overall lead to 5-1.
Spieth said he made a slight setup adjustment in his putting after Thursday's match (which he and Thomas also won), and that opened the floodgates on the greens.
"Jordan’s starting to feel it with his putter and it’s a fun sight to see," Thomas said.
The pair is now 6-2-0 all-time in Presidents Cup play and it's hard to imagine they won't get two more starts on Saturday. They haven't trailed at any point this week.
Sungjae Im Chips In, Scottie Scheffler Answers
Three of the five matches could still go either way, including the one with the world No. 1.
Sungjae Im chipped in for birdie at the par-3 14th hole, a possible momentum shifter, but Scottie Scheffler responded with a birdie putt to keep Scheffler and Sam Burns 1 up.
On the next hole, the teams traded birdies so the match remained 1 up for the U.S. side.
Justin Thomas Knocks One Close
The popular duo of Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth has given the partisan crowd plenty to cheer about already on Friday, and Thomas' shot to the back hole location at the 229-yard par-3 14th hole nearly brought the house down.
Thomas made the short birdie to put he and Spieth 3 up with four holes remaining against Adam Scott and Cam Davis.
Stat of the Match, So Far
Tell me the U.S. is dominating the Presidents Cup without telling me the actual score of the event: In a day and a half of play, the U.S. has led for 90 holes across all 10 matches while the Internationals have led for five holes.
Internationals Pull Ahead in One Match
The International team will take positive news anywhere possible, and at the moment that's a lead in a match with Mito Pereira and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Bezuidenhout birdied the 9th hole and Pereira the 10th, flipping the scoreboard in their favor to 1 up over Kevin Kisner and Cameron Young.
Kisner and Bezuidenhout sat out the opening day's matches.
Sam Burns Sinks an 80-Foot Putt
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns were the only pair to lose for the U.S. in Thursday's opening session, but they got a chance to redeem themselves in Friday's four-ball.
At the turn, the pair was 1 up over Sungjae Im and Sebastian Munoz. On the 7th hole, Burns drained this cross-country putt for a win:
The Scoreboard Turns Completely Red
With Cameron Young's eagle on the par-5 7th, all five matches were—at least for the moment—are being led by the Americans.
This was the case for a while Thursday too, and though the day didn't end that way, it had to be demoralizing for the International players to see all the red on the scoreboards.
Two of the matches are 3 up leads for the U.S.: Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas over Adam Scott and Cam Davis through seven holes, and the acclaimed duo of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele over Hideki Matsuyama and Tom Kim through 6 holes.
Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas Continue Strong Play
U.S. captain Davis Love III put out Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas first in Friday's session, a day after they won in foursomes.
The good friends are picking up where they left off, leading 2 up through seven holes against Adam Scott and Cam Davis.
And why wouldn't they look like they're enjoying it?
The Presidents Are Here
Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush visited Quail Hollow on Friday and greeted the crowds at the first tee.
Max Homa, Tony Finau Win Day's Final Point
Taylor Pendrith missed a 10-foot par putt on the 18th hole that would have tied the day's final match, giving Tony Finau and Max Homa a full point and giving the U.S. a 4-1 advantage after the first day.
"We had some matches where we were rolling, and some matches like this one where they ground it out," U.S. captain Davis Love III said.
The final match was the day's closest, tied after the 13th hole and staying that way until Pendrith, a rookie from Canada, missed his putt.
Internationals Get Their First Point
The world No. 1 player was on the losing side on Thursday, as Scottie Scheffler and partner Sam Burns lost 2 up to the International team of Si Woo Kim and Cam Davis.
Scheffler and Burns were 3 up through 7 holes and 2 up through 14, but gave that lead back and more to give the International team a boost after it had lost the first three matches.
"We had a brutal first nine, we were kind of nervous," Kim said. "But we kept trying to keep it positive."
Si Woo Kim, Cam Davis Rally for Internationals
The first day of the Presidents Cup will not be a sweep for the U.S.
Si Woo Kim and Cam Davis are to thank for that, rallying from 2 down through 14 holes to take a 1 up lead to the 18th against PGA Tour Player of the Year Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns.
Their match is the second-to-last of the session, the final match of Taylor Pendrith and Mito Pereira vs. Tony Finau and Max Homa is tied going to the 17th hole.
Cameron Young Drops Long Putt to Make it 3-0
With a 25-foot par putt, Cameron Young guaranteed a winning first session for the U.S., as he and Collin Morikawa won 2 and 1 over Tom Kim and K.H. Lee.
The U.S. has now won the first day in seven of the last eight President Cups.
U.S. Takes a 2-0 Lead on First Day
Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas finished off a 2-and-1 win over Sungjae Im and Corey Conners, putting the U.S. up 2-0 on the day.
"It was a big grind," Thomas said. "We played a really, really good team, a team that hits a lot of fairways. I hit some unbelievably questionable shots."
Spieth moved his foursomes record to 6-0-0 all time, while Thomas is now 3-0-2.
Justin Thomas Brings the Roars
Credit Justin Thomas with possibly the signature moment of Day 1, holing a 27-foot par putt to secure an unlikely par at the par-4 15th.
Teammate Jordan Spieth pulled his tee shot left of the creek (fans will recognize the hole as No. 18 for other events at Quail Hollow, it's the 15th this week), and from a tough Bermuda lie Thomas flew it to the back of the green.
Spieth had a near-impossible task with a putt of some 115 feet down a hill, and it sped past the hole to the front of the green. But from there, Thomas made some magic.
Corey Conners subsequently missed his 7-foot par putt for the Internationals once the roars subsided, and the U.S. had a 2 up lead with three to play.
Collin Morikawa Fires Back
Collin Morikawa fired one in tight at the par-4 13th hole to set up teammate Cameron Young with a birdie, putting them back in front 1 up over Tom Kim and K.H. Lee.
At the moment, the U.S. is 1 up in all four of the remaining matches.
Tom Kim, K.H. Lee Making a Comeback
At the moment, the Internationals' best hope for a point (or half of one) rests with Tom Kim and K.H. Lee.
The duo was 2 down at the turn but won the 11th and 12th holes to pull back into a tie with Cameron Young and Collin Morikawa.
Kim, at 20 years, 3 months and a day today, is the youngest Presidents Cup player since Jordan Spieth was a month younger in 2013. The youngest player ever was Ryo Ishikawa, who was just 18 in 2009.
The First Point Goes to the U.S.
With an 8-foot par putt at the par-4 13th hole, the acclaimed duo of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele closed out veterans Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama 6 and 5 to put the first point on the board for the U.S.
Cantlay and Schauffele ran their record in Presidents and Ryder Cup foursomes to a remarkable 5-0-0 with a bogey-free performance in increasingly windy and threatening conditions around Quail Hollow.
"We felt like the wind was all over the place ... just ball-strike the heck out of this place, and that's what we did," Schauffele said.
Scott and Matsuyama fell to 1-4-1 all-time as a team in President Cups. They never led Thursday and won just one hole.
Hideki Matsuyama Hits One Close, But ...
If you watch a lot of PGA Tour golf, you've seen this act before from Hideki Matsuyama: swing, take one hand off like it's about to be an awful shot, and then the ball stops 6 feet from the hole.
But to put today in a nutshell so far for the International side, Matsuyama's teammate Adam Scott missed the birdie putt that could have got the pair to within 2 down of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. Instead, the Americans are 3 up through 10 and it's hard to picture a different outcome in the day's opening match.
Cameron Young Birdies for a Lead
Cameron Young, the 25-year-old rising star who did everything but win on the PGA Tour this season, is a Presidents Cup rookie and with this 24-foot birdie putt on the 6th hole pushed he and teammate Collin Morikawa to a 1 up lead over Tom Kim and K.H. Lee.
With that putt, the scoreboard for Day 1 was completely decked in red—five leads for the U.S. in five matches.
Did we say earlier that the U.S. team was -700 favorites to win the Presidents Cup? Make that -2500 now in live betting at SI Sportsbook.
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A Very Red Scoreboard So Far
It's still early on the first day of a four-day event, but the American side is flexing already.
Just over an hour into foursomes play, the U.S. is leading four matches and is tied in the fifth. The opening pair of good friends Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele is 3 up through six holes over veterans Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama.
Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, another very tight American pair, are also 3 up over Corey Conners and Sungjae Im.
The last two matches of the day are 1 up leads for the American side.
Looking at it another way, but similarly lopsided: The Internationals have only won two holes across all five matches so far and have not made a single birdie. The U.S. has made seven birdies in the alternate-shot format.
The First 2 Up Lead Goes to Cantlay/Schauffele
The veteran pair of the International side is Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama, who now have a combined 15 Presidents Cup appearances.
They're also 2 down after five holes, as Patrick Cantlay holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-4 5th hole after a solid approach from teammate Xander Schauffele.
Tom Kim and K.H. Lee Grab an Early Lead
The youngest player in this Presidents Cup is 20-year-old Tom Kim, a rising star on the PGA Tour who won last month in North Carolina at the Wyndham Championship.
He's playing on the first day alongside K.H. Lee, and the pair took a 1 up lead on the 2nd hole with a par. The U.S. team of Collin Morikawa and Cameron Young missed the fairway on the par 4, missed the green and failed to get up-and-down for par.
First Lead Belongs to the U.S.
The first hole with a decision came on the par-4 3rd in the opening match, when Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama combined for a three-putt bogey while Xander Schauffele knocked in a par putt to put he and Patrick Cantlay 1 up in the match.
In the second match, Justin Thomas pulled his tee shot left on the 2nd hole and the ball hit a spectator in the head (she was reportedly OK), but he and Jordan Spieth saved par and remained tied with Sungjae Im and Corey Conners.
A First-Hole Halve, and We're Off
Adam Scott, playing in his 10th Presidents Cup (and still looking for a first win), hit the opening shot of the 14th Presidents Cup.
His tee shot landed in the fairway bunker, then Hideki Matsuyama hit the green from there. Patrick Cantlay hit the fairway with the U.S.'s opening tee shot, followed by Xander Schauffele hitting the approach into a fairway bunker.
On the green there was no blood—Cantlay hit a spinny bunker shot close and Schauffele cleaned up the par, while the Internationals two-putted for par. A halved hole, and they moved on.
BFFs Lead Off for the U.S.
Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay were locks to play together this week, and in fact they're leading off this Presidents Cup, taking on Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama in the opening match of Thursday's foursomes.
The duo ran away with the Zurich Classic team event in April on the PGA Tour, winning wire-to-wire at 29 under for four rounds after an opening 59 in best-ball.
At last year's Ryder Cup, won by the U.S. at Whistling Straits, Schauffele/Cantlay played twice in foursomes and won. They also won twice in foursomes at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, though they lost twice in four-ball.
"Probably in Australia is when we became very close, and we've continued our friendship from there," Schauffele said this week. "We were sort of put in the fire there, playing all matches. We were both rookies there. We knew each other pretty well, but you get to know each other really well when you're in these team rooms and it's nitty-gritty."
Cantlay and Schauffele have also vacationed along with their significant others, most recently two weeks ago in Napa, California.
Today's Schedule
The Presidents Cup is contested over four days, today through Sunday, with five matches over the first two days. Today is foursomes, also known as alternate shot, and here are the groups (times ET):
- 1:05 p.m. Adam Scott-Hideki Matsuyama (Int) vs. Xander Schauffele-Patrick Cantlay (U.S.)
- 1:17 p.m. Sungjae Im-Corey Conners (Int) vs. Jordan Spieth-Justin Thomas (U.S.)
- 1:29 p.m. Tom Kim-K.H. Lee (Int) vs. Collin Morikawa-Cameron Young (U.S.)
- 1:41 p.m. Si Woo Kim-Cameron Davis (Int). vs. Scottie Scheffler-Sam Burns (U.S.)
- 1:53 p.m. Taylor Pendrith-Mito Pereira (Int). vs. Tony Finau- Max Homa (U.S.)
With foursomes, only two balls are in play for each group so, in theory, the matches will move along at a good pace. If you're looking ahead to Friday's four-ball (best-ball) matches, those begin earlier at 11:35 a.m. ET.