Two of our writers in the Presidents’ Cup, Dylan Dethier and Sean ZakI checked in after a wild Saturday at Medinah. Here’s what they saw – from their favorite scenes to pleasant surprises to second guessing and the biggest disappointment. There is still a session, but a lot has already happened… let’s dive in.
What scene stands out that tells the story of the day?
Dylan Dethier: I’ll start at the end: Corey Conners! It’s not a secret that short half-length haircuts aren’t exactly their bread and butter; entered this week at No. 155 out of 157 on Tour in putts from 4-8 feet.
Of course, their match – the last of the day – came down to exactly that. Teammate Nick Taylor hit his third shot on the 18th hole to six feet. And Conners, with the whole world watching, dropped that par putt right up the middle, securing a massive full point for the entire International team (and for Canada). Well done, Corey.
Sean Zak: My scene of the day is actually a collection of scenes, in which I saw the members of the International side (caddies, coaches, players, captains) that looked like a red wave that hit them. The wave has come several times…and yet lost a single point in eight games? I am in a bit of disbelief. The Americans let a lot of air out of the balloon with their inability to finish the leads today. That stands out above all else.
Oh, no.
Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman were 3 UP after 10.
Henley just hit the team’s third shot into the bunker on the 15th, leading to the win for Conners and Taylor.
What has been the biggest surprise so far? Get specific.
Dethier: “The score” jumps out – a three-shot International lead definitely defies expectations – but more specifically it’s the way the matches unfolded. As I write this, I saw that Sean explored similar territory above, but it is worth rejecting: the Americans led in all four games on Saturday morning. They led in all four games again on Saturday afternoon. However, in the end, they only took a single point in the day; we started at 7-3 and finished at 10.5-7.5. Given the way these parties are still broken – with the US finally, inevitably surging ahead – we kept waiting for the red wave to hit. The fact that he never did (or at least he didn’t) is a real surprise.
Zak: That’s Justin Thomas for me. Not because he was expected to dominate in the week – but because, after the first session, he felt that this could be his Cup. Since that opening win, he has been as bad as anyone in the field, really struggling off the tee. This is a large ballpark and it also lacks the fairways. Because it is so instrumental to the Americans, it has cost them a lot.
Who is the MVP in your mind? (If yours is taken, move on to the next guy).
Dethier: It was a remarkably even effort, but I’m giving it to Si Woo Kim so far. He and Tom Kim finally lost this afternoon to Team Cantlay/Schauffele, but they are the only two players with three points to their name (3-1-0 each) and Si Woo was a little more heroic of the two – especially his final on Saturday morning, where birdies at 16 and 17 ended the match.
Zak: Si Woo is a great answer, but he also shared a little on Saturday afternoon. That’s the hard part of being on in a Cup like this – your captain keeps pushing you out, and you’ll soon beat the resistance.
I’m going to throw you a curveball and highlight the game over the results by giving Wyndham Clark, whose record is a brutal 1-3 despite playing well throughout. No one has put it better than him, on either side, and that’s typically how games are decided. It could easily have been 3-1 instead.
Team golf means second guessing. Anything the US leadership should have done differently?
Dethier: Yes – they shouldn’t bench Scottie Scheffler on Saturday afternoon. I know their foursomes record is sketchy. I know, for whatever reason, it was difficult to find him a perfect partner. But it’s Scottie Scheffler! Being there this afternoon and seeing Scheffler appear with the families and support staff really drove home how wrong it felt to leave him out. Two American teams saw their drivers slide and turn into deficits, including their partner who could have been, Burns. I do not know. Call me a simpleton, but if you have Scottie Scheffler play Scottie Scheffler.
Zak: Based on Snedeker’s Saturday night press conference, there’s apparently a lot he’s blaming himself for already. In the end, there’s only so much a captain can do, but maybe Brandt is stressing about making sure his team is always comfortable, all the time – this trope the American captains continue to trot – in an event that is not made to be comfortable, it is a mistake of mentality that is repeated again and again.
Which game are you most looking forward to on Sunday afternoon?
Dethier: Nico Echavarria vs. Scottie Scheffler. A couple of levels to it. First, the way these pairs work (with one captain throwing out a name, then the other captain against) is risky to offer a player’s name because it gives power to the other team – them they are the ones who get to set the match.
If I’m the US captain, I want Scheffler to take on the strongest international player and take him out, strong on strong. Instead, the Americans offered Scheffler – and you could practically see the grins on the faces of Geoff Ogilvy and Co., as they signed Nico Echavarria, who played only once this week. Suddenly, they have a slighted, pissed-off Echavarria going to the World No. 1 with nothing to lose, all while saving their strongest players for every other matchup.
In any case, yes. That match. (Also Ryo Hisatsune vs. Cameron Young is a fascinating early match tone setter.)
Zak: Adam Scott vs. Patrick Cantlay. These two have spent a lot of time together in recent years, working on the PGA Tour Policy Board. They are both extremely clean and reserved, but if their match goes the distance, it has a real chance to decide the winning point. For Scott to have that in his 11th Presidents Cup after never winning any of those things – wow, that would be fascinating to watch.
You can view individual records across four sessions below.
Team USA (7.5 points)
Scottie Scheffler 2-1 Chris Gotterup 2-1 Cameron Young 2-2 Sam Burns 2-2 Jackson Koivu 1-0-1 Justin Thomas 1-1-1 Collin Morikawa 1-2 Patrick Cantlay 1-2 Xander Schauffele 1-2 Wyndham Clark 1-3 Russell Henley 0-2 Jacob Bridgeman 0-2
International Team (10.5 points)
Tom Kim 3-1 Si Woo Kim 3-1 Min Woo Lee 2-1-1 Hideki Matsuyama 2-1 Nick Taylor 2-1 Ryan Fox 2-1 Corey Conners 2-2 Christian Bezuidenhout 1-0 Sungjae In 1-2-1 Adam Scott 1-2 Ryo Hisatsune 1-1 Nico Echavarria 0-1
Jeff Passan joins SportsCenter to discuss the latest information on the injuries to Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees star...
Top Dodgers prospect Josue De Paula spoke ahead of his highly anticipated Major League debut after receiving a surprise call-up directly from Double-A. “You’re...
