Presidents Cup: Team USA secure 5-0 fourballs clean sweep after Scottie Scheffler-Tom Kim tension | Golf News

Group USA delivered a day one-thrashing of the Worldwide aspect to make a dominant begin to their try to win a tenth successive Presidents Cup.

For simply the third time within the fifteenth staging of the biennial groups competitors, the USA produced a round-one clear sweep to ascertain a commanding 5-0 lead within the fourballs going into Friday’s foursomes.

It marks a dream begin for US captain Jim Furyk’s bid to retain the title at Canada’s Royal Montreal Golf Membership and already leaves Mike Weir’s Worldwide workforce with an enormous process to show the match round over the subsequent three days.

Regardless of Thursday’s one-sided general scoreline, three of the 5 fourball matches did go all the way down to the 18th gap with the Worldwide aspect left to rue a succession of missed alternatives and gilt-edged birdie putts on the again 9.

Xander Schauffele and debutant Tony Finau – who chipped in brilliantly from the perimeter on the 14th for one of many spherical’s standout pictures – have been paired collectively within the opening match and delivered the USA their first level to set the successful tone, regardless of a late wobble in opposition to Jason Day and Byeong Hun An.

‘We’re buddies after, we’re not buddies throughout’ – Scheffler and Kim’s flashpoint

World No 1 Scottie Scheffler and enjoying associate Russell Henley delivered the day’s most complete win, beating South Korean pair Tom Kim and Sungjae Im 3&2, but the match nonetheless contained the spherical’s principal level of intrigue.

Kim and Scheffler are recognized to be good buddies away from the course however their match appeared to briefly get heated on the seventh and eighth holes.

Already two down by the seventh, a jubilant Kim shouted ‘let’s go!” in delight after rolling in a 21-foot birdie putt earlier than Scheffler then roared ‘what was that?’ in the direction of his good friend in response moments later after sinking his personal comparable putt to halve the opening.

Kim then celebrated strongly once more when he sunk a good longer putt to birdie the eighth earlier than, controversially, he and Im left the opening to go to the adjoining ninth tee field earlier than Scheffler had accomplished his personal try at birdie.

Scheffler subsequently missed his putt to present the Worldwide aspect the opening win, bringing their deficit on the time again to only one. Kim and Im didn’t win one other gap thereafter because the Worldwide pair’s problem pale, with a half on the sixteenth in the end confirming the US pairing’s snug win.

On Kim and Im leaving the eighth gap early, Sky Sports activities Golf’s Paul McGinley stated: “That is bordering on unhealthy behaviour there. That is disrespectful in my view. I do know it is aggressive on the market but it surely actually reveals you there’s an underlying edge right here. It isn’t all enjoyable and video games.”

Scheffler performed down the strain with Kim after finishing the spherical.

“That was a little bit of enjoyable,” stated the American.

“It was the identical factor I’d have achieved at residence if he had made a putt and we have been enjoying ‘wolf’ and he celebrated like that. So it is all in good enjoyable, we get pleasure from competing in opposition to one another, and that is what it is like out right here.

“It is enjoyable to compete and enjoyable to signify our nation, then on the finish of the match take your hat off and shake palms. We’re buddies after, we’re not buddies throughout, I suppose!”

Scheffler’s level was his first within the Presidents Cup having suffered three losses and one draw on his event debut at Quail Hole Membership in 2022.

Can the Worldwide aspect flip it round?

Thursday was the primary time since 2007 – coincidentally the one different event the Presidents Cup was staged in Montreal – {that a} aspect had misplaced all matches in a single session.

Weir’s 2024 workforce now face a pivotal Friday within the foursomes if they’re to nonetheless harbour any real looking ambitions of claiming a primary Worldwide triumph within the competitors since 1998.

“It is only a hammering right now,” stated Sky Sports activities Golf’s Wayne Riley.

“It is nearer [in terms of the score in each match], but it surely would not matter, it is nonetheless 5-0.

“It isn’t fairly however all shouldn’t be achieved. [Friday] is very large although and the Worldwide workforce have to come back again and win each match.”

Wealthy Beem, the 2002 PGA champion, added: “I do not perceive how the US aspect did it. It did not seem like they have been going to win it by that a lot. It appeared a bit nearer early within the matches however unexpectedly America saved placing all types of strain on and the Internationals could not reply.”

Who will win the Presidents Cup? Reside protection continues on Friday from 6pm on Sky Sports activities Golf. Stream the Presidents Cup and extra with NOW.

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