Skip to main content
SI

Presidents Cup Day 2 Winners and Losers: Team USA Had a Nightmare Friday Session

Andy Nesbitt|
Scottie Scheffler and the rest of the U.S. team are looking for answers after losing all five matches on Friday.
Scottie Scheffler and the rest of the U.S. team are looking for answers after losing all five matches on Friday. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Team USA, with a roster stacked with big-name players, was expected to roll over the International team at the 2026 Presidents Cup this week at Medinah.

Then, Friday happened.

The International team won all five foursomes (alternative shot) matches and will take a stunning 7-3 lead heading into Saturday’s two sessions.

NESBITT: Why All the Pressure Is on the Star-Studded U.S. Team at the Presidents Cup

Team USA captain Brandt Snedeker tried his best to shake off the brutal day for his team, saying there’s a lot of golf left and that they just have to regroup and get back at it on Saturday.

“Hats off to the International team, they went out there and played great,” Snedeker said. “They made a ton of putts and I feel like our guys hit a bunch of great putts and just couldn’t find the bottom of the hole. 

“You’re going to have sessions like this in these things. I feel terrible for the guys because I know they grinded out there and gave me everything they had out there today.”

Let’s take a look at the winners and losers from Friday’s action.

Losers: Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns

Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, and his good friend Sam Burns, the No. 8 player in the world, were the first pairing out on Friday and hoped to set the tone for Team USA. Instead, they suffered a stunning 1-up loss to Nick Taylor and Corey Conners. Burns had a chance to tie the match on the 18th hole but his birdie putt lipped out, giving Taylor and Conners the win and a huge point for the International team.

Scheffler’s struggles in team events were a big talking point heading into this week and those concerns will only grow after Friday’s result. He’s now 4-6-1 in Presidents Cup matches and 3-6-3 in the Ryder Cup. Scheffler and Burns were only able to win three holes against Taylor and Conners, which is just unacceptable for two of the top players on the planet.

Taylor and Conners led 1-up heading into the 18th hole and it looked like they gave Scheffler and Burns a great chance to tie the match after Taylor’s poor tee shot found the right rough. Conners then chipped their second shot out onto the fairway and Taylor redeemed himself with an incredible appoac shot that almost went in.

Losers: Justin Thomas and Cameron Young

Thomas teamed up with rookie Jackson Koivun on Day 1 and rolled to the biggest margin of victory in the opening session. On Friday, he did the opposite as he and Young, who played together last year at the Ryder Cup last year, got crushed by Adam Scott and Christiaan Bezuidenhout, 3-and-2. 

Thomas and Young had only one birdie on Friday, which came on the last hole of the match.

Losers: Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman

Henley and Bridgeman both sat out Thursday’s session and were hoping to get out of the gates quickly on Friday but were only able to win one hole (the second) and had just two birdies in their 3-and-2 loss to Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im. Bridgeman is the best putter on the PGA Tour but was a surprising captain’s pick by Snedeker. His play on Friday will have lots of people wondering if he should be on this team. 

Loser: Colin Morikawa

Morikawa was paired up with Wyndham Clark again after rolling to a win on Thursday, but the duo was unable to find the same magic on Friday, as they lost to Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee, 1-up.

Morikawa’s putter went cold at the worst of times as he missed three key putts on holes 15, 16, and 17 that allowed Fox and Lee to take the lead and then hold on for the win with matching pars on the 18th hole.

Winners: The entire International team

This was an impressive performance by every player who teed it up for the International team on Friday. But it wasn’t the first time they’ve swept a session at the Presidents Cup.

Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim teamed up again and rolled to a 4-and-3 win over Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.

Adam Scott and Christian Bezuidenhout never trailed in their 3-and-2 win over Justin Thomas.

Throw in the wins by the other three International pairings and it was just and incredible day that now has them shockingly in control of the Presidents Cup heading into the weekend.

Buckle up, the final three sessions should be a ton of fun.

Add us as a preferred source on Google
Published | Modified
Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

Share on XFollow anezbitt
Home/Golf