There is a saying in team sports: all that matters is the win column.
The United States added another on Sunday in Medina, turning a 10.5-7.5 deficit into a 17-13 victory in the Presidents’ Cup.
The Americans won Sunday singles 9.5-2.5, the largest margin in that session in the history of the Presidents Cup. They have now won 11 consecutive Presidents Cups and 14 of the 16 played. The International Team has not won since 1998.
Those numbers deserve celebration. They also make it easy to deny what happened before Sunday.
The United States entered the week with a substantial advantage in the world ranking. However, after three days of team matches, it was the Internationals who were five points away from victory.
The Americans produced a remarkable escape. They should also leave Chicago wondering why they needed to.
The lack of talent makes the first three days harder to explain
The International Team had many accomplished players. Ryan Fox came in as the reigning Open champion and veterans Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott brought considerable experience. The Korean trio of Si Woo Kim, Sungjae Im and Tom Kim gave the team energy and excellent play.
But the list does not have the depth of the American side. Entering the event, the average world ranking of the US team was about 15th compared to about 50th for the Internationals. LIV Golf’s exclusion also kept potential international selections such as Joaquin Niemann and Cameron Smith out of consideration.
This disparity is what makes the American performance in the team sessions so troubling. A narrow Thursday four-ball win gave way to a 5-0 loss in Friday’s foursomes. The U.S. regained some ground Saturday, but still entered singles three points behind. For the first time in the history of the Presidents’ Cup, the Internationals headed to American soil to go to Sunday.
Credit to Geoff Ogilvy’s team for creating this position. The Internationals played superbly in stretches and almost won an event they expected to lose. His performance also exposed a recurring weakness in a U.S. team that had more than enough individual talent to control the week.
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Another sweep frame requires a response
For the second straight Presidents Cup, the Americans lost all five games in a foursomes session on Friday. They split four Saturday afternoon games this year, making their overall record alternate to Medinah 2-7.
It is nine of the 30 points of the competition. At the Ryder Cup, foursomes count for eight out of 28. The United States cannot treat problems in that format as an occasional inconvenience.
There are familiar explanations. Maybe the pairings are questionable, the players don’t prepare enough together or changing golf balls complicates things. Maybe the favorite feels more pressure when every poor shot suddenly becomes a partner’s problem. Any of these theories may contain some truth.
From the outside, it’s hard to tell who matters more. There are definitely questions with the set of partnerships like Scottie Scheffler-Sam Burns and Xander Schauffele-Patrick Cantlay without much thought. And the vague answer of captain Brandt Snedeker when asked why Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman were paired, does not inspire confidence that there is a definitive process to create a duo. If there is a process, it is not being communicated very well (and the results speak for themselves).
What we do know is that the Americans were swept in the same session twice in two Presidents Cups. Sunday’s return changes the outcome of this. Don’t delete that template.
The United States should examine how to build pairs, practice an alternative shot and respond when a session begins to turn against.
Sunday doesn’t always offer an escape
The 2027 Ryder Cup is in Ireland where the Americans can expect an experienced European team and a demanding road environment. The next Presidents Cup is at Kingston Heath in Australia in 2028.
It would be a mistake to assume that either opponent will arrive with the same list they have today. It would be equally risky to assume that the United States can continue to rely on superior depth to save a deficit in singles. Even this historically lopsided Sunday was tense until the points started to arrive.
Snedeker and his players have earned the right to celebrate what they accomplished in Medinah. Winning 9.5 points in singles under that pressure was extraordinary.
When the celebration ends, however, they need to count with the three days that made it necessary. The United States won the Presidents Cup.
The question of how to make their best players betterteamremains largely unanswered.
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