Presidents Cup: 3 quick results from Day 1 as Team USA leads 5-0

The Americans played their A-game during the Presidents Cup on Thursday, beating the international team 5-0.

It was the third time in the event’s 30-year history that Team USA won all five matches.

So many players saw action for the Americans on Thursday after the international team fought hard.

Three of the five matches went to the 18th hole, as world number 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley defeated Tom Kim and Sungjae Im 3 & 2.

Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay defeated Corey Conners and Hideki Matsuyama 2 & 1.

Golf Channel’s Paul McGinley summed up Day 1 perfectly.

“The Internationals did their best, but the Americans seemed to have the answer to every question asked of them,” McGinley said during Thursday’s coverage.

Now that all the matches are over, here are three takeaways from Thursday’s four-ball session.

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

It’s been too long since Keegan Bradley has been part of Team USA

Keegan Bradley was huge for the Americans during Thursday’s session. His passion was incredible, proving that ten years is far too long to not be on a team.

The last time he appeared on Team USA was in 2013 for the Ryder Cup. He was infamously cut from the 2023 team, causing much controversy among fans.

Now Bradley is the 2025 Ryder Cup captain for Bethpage Black. After the energy he brought to Thursday’s game, next year can’t come soon enough.

Bradley’s putter secured the match for him and Wyndham Clark against Taylor Pendrith and Christian Bezuidenhout.

He made 34, 11 and 19 foot putts throughout the round. That 19-footer came on 18 and helped secure the 1UP victory.

The bottom line is that Bradley is a gem. He is so good in a team and is already proving himself, despite being 38 years old.

Scottie Scheffler has given his good friend Tom Kim some serious medicine

Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley played Tom Kim and Sungjae Im for the first session. The pettiness between Scheffler and Kim was like watching a blockbuster.

Seeing the two of them chatting on the 7th green was one of the highlights of the day. The Presidents Cup needs that kind of excitement, and Scheffler’s arrival was great.

It’s hard to get Scheffler to show any emotion, so it was shocking that he matched Kim’s energy.

“From my perspective, it looked like he poked the bear,” Scheffler said after the game Thursday.

It looks like Kim learned his lesson the hard way on Thursday.

Jim Furyk’s choice to split up normal pairs turned out to be brilliant

Typically, Team USA pairs Sam Burns with Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele with Patrick Cantlay. However, Captain Jim Furyk split these two up and placed them with new partners.

Burns and Cantlay played in the anchor match, while Scheffler played with Russell Henley in Match 3. Overall, his four-ball combinations were great options as each group complemented each other nicely.

Scheffler and Henley got into a good rhythm and ended the game early. Burns and Cantlay also finished early in the day.

However, I love that he paired Sahith Theegala with Collin Morikawa because they have similar characters and give off a great vibe. Morikawa’s experience helped the rookie settle in and play well.

Then it was great to put Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele in the first group. Two guys who knew what was at stake and what they had to do were exactly what Team USA needed.

They got that first point and set the rest in motion. Overall, it was a great first session that helped Team USA win the Internationals.

Will the international team be able to recover on Friday afternoon, or will the Americans walk away with a new Presidents Cup?

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow us for more golf coverage @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @golf_girl_sl.