Presidents Cup 2024: United States regains momentum at Royal Montreal on Saturday, taking an 11-7 lead

It was incredibly tight on Saturday during the Presidents Cup.

While the Internationals looked like they would be in a spot to repeat Friday’s sweep, it was the American team that took advantage of the stretch to get into position to retain the Cup on Sunday night.

The United States took an 8-6 lead after the morning session, but fended off international team pressure in the afternoon to take an 11-7 lead. The international team now needs a big day in the singles matches to secure their first victory in the event in more than two decades. No team in the history of the event has ever trailed by more than two points to win the Presidents Cup.

The American team advances in the morning session

A fog delay halted the action for more than an hour and a half early Saturday, but when the fairways cleared, both teams came out shooting. The gallery, which was scorched on Thursday for their inaction, kept the fire going from Friday by talking to both teams and especially cheering on international icon-in-the-making Tom Kim.

Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa started the day against Adam Scott and Taylor Pendrith, in a match that drew 12 of the 17 holes. The United States won 2 and 1, but never had more than a one-hole lead until the 17th hole.

Best putt of the day: Adam Scott’s 27-footer to stay alive and save a hole:

Next to finish: The devastating duo of Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim, who recorded a 4&3 victory over Wyndham Clark and future Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley. The international duo won the first hole and would never fall behind, winning six of the fifteen holes and tying seven.

Si Woo Kim closed the match with a classic hat-off-before-the-putt move:

Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele of the United States defeated Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes, 3&2. Neither side won a hole until the sixth of 16, when the United States took control and would never relinquish the lead.

In the final match, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns faced Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im. The Internationals took an early lead and won the second hole, but the Americans quickly fought back, forcing a tie two holes later and taking a lead two holes after that. The Internationals managed to bring the match back to a draw on the 10th, but the US immediately regained the lead on the 11th and would not relinquish it, eventually winning 2&1.

The US holds firm in the late wave

The biggest surprise outing of the afternoon seemed to come from Matsuyama and Im. The duo flew past Russell Henley and Scheffler after winning three of the first five holes of the match. Scheffler’s putter also went cold and he missed several very makeable par putts.

But Scheffler and Henley won four of the last five holes of the match to steal what looked like a surefire victory for the Internationals 3&2.

Pendrith and Scott took the lead late in their battle with Brian Harman and Max Homa to take a 2UP victory. Neither Harman nor Homa played in the morning wave and despite briefly jumping 1UP on the front nine, the pair lost three of the five holes around the turn, dropping their match.

It looked like Burns and Morikawa would face Conners and Hughes in their afternoon match after rallying from an early hole. But the Canadian duo recovered at the back, thanks in part to a wild chip-in-eagle from Hughes’ bunker.

Hughes then leveled the match with a deep birdie at the 16th, but Morikawa sank a par putt at the last spot to win 1UP and take another point for the United States.

After trailing the entire front nine, the Kims finally tied Cantlay and Schauffele on the turn, then tied them again after a ridiculous chip-in birdie on the 16th that set up an incredible moment on the green . Si Woo Kim’s shot, which came after a long search for the ball in the deep rough, sparked a Stephen Curry-esque celebration.

However, that was not enough in the end. Cantlay sank a deep birdie putt on the 18th as darkness hit the course, overtaking the 1UP victory for the Americans. That pushed them to a four-point lead going into the singles matches, and brought them that much closer to retaining the cup.