The Internationals fended off a Saturday finish with two big points from the morning foursomes.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After losing the first two sessions on Thursday and Friday the International squad stopped the bleeding Saturday morning at the 2022 Presidents Cup.
The worldwide all-stars split the morning foursomes session, 2-2, with big wins from veterans Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama, who both have struggled this week at Quail Hollow Club. Speaking of struggling, Americans Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns lost yet again in foursomes, just as they did on Thursday, while the prosperous pairing of Tony Finau and Max Homa earned another win in the alternate-shot format.
Here’s a breakdown of each match on Day 3 at the 2022 Presidents Cup.
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Jordan Spieth-Justin Thomas (U.S.) def. Sungjae Im-Corey Conners (Intl.), 4 and 3
Did you really think this pair of pals would lose? Spieth improved to 7-0-0 in Presidents Cup foursomes and has yet to lose with Thomas yet this week (3-0-0). After losing the second hole to fall behind 1-down, the Americans took control and never trailed again in the match thanks to wins on Nos. 3, 4 and 7. The only other win for the Internationals came with birdie on the par-4 8th. The U.S. put the first point on the board with wins on Nos. 9, 13 and 15 to win, 4 and 3.
Adam Scott-Hideki Matsuyama (Intl.) def. Cameron Young-Collin Morikawa (U.S.), 3 and 2
Scott and Matsuyama were blown out in foursomes on Thursday, had new partners on Friday and fared no better separately. But International team captain Trevor Immelman had faith in reuniting them for Saturday’s foursomes and the pair of former Masters champions delivered.
Matsuyama and Scott defeated Americans Morikawa and Young, 3 and 2.
“We had to, you know,” Scott said. “It was kind of story of the week. Slow starts, at least for me, and they’ve been tough. But we played a few good holes, and they had a bit of a battle for a couple of holes, and we managed to hang on and we got on top of them and held on.”
It was a tale of two nines on Saturday morning with the U.S. taking the early lead thanks to bogeys at the second and fifth by the Internationals. Scott and Matsuyama turned it on starting at the ninth, erasing the 2-down deficit with a par at nine followed by three consecutive birdies. Scott rolled in putts of 13 feet at 10, 15 feet at 11, and just over a foot at 12. When the U.S. went from bunker to bunker at 13 and made double bogey, the Internationals had opened a 3-up lead. Pars at 13-15 and the match was over, a much-needed point for Team International.
K.H. Lee-Tom Kim (Intl.) def. Scottie Scheffler-Sam Burns (U.S.), 2 and 1
Kim walked in a 15-foot birdie putt at 10, then dropped in a 36-foot eagle putt at 11 and dropped his putter, screamed, “Come on! Let’s go! Woo!” and walked off to the next tee, leaving his caddie to collect his ball and putter. Ladies and gentleman, a star is born.
“Tom’s like the Energizer bunny, just keeps going,” said foursomes partner K.H. Lee.
Kim and his fellow Korean Lee secured a full point with a 2-and-1 victory over the American team of Burns and Scheffler.
Before the matches got underway, American Kevin Kisner told Captain Davis Love III that he’d be crazy if he didn’t play Sam Burns and Scottie Scheffler together in all four sessions of team play. But the partnership of good friends didn’t produce the goods – they went 0-2-1 – and world No. 1 Scheffler, who shanked a tee shot at a par 3 on Saturday, is riding the pine as Burns hooks up with Billy Horschel for an afternoon four-ball match.
It was a back-and-forth affair through 14 holes with neither side gaining more than a 1-up lead. Kim broke the deadlock with a 14-foot birdie putt at 15 – clenching his fist while holding onto his putter in celebration – and when the U.S. made bogey at 16, the International team grabbed the first 2-up lead of the match and held on for the win.
It meant the morning foursomes session was split and the score heading into the afternoon session of four-ball stood at 10-4 in favor of Team USA.
Tony Finau-Max Homa (U.S.) def. Si Woo Kim-Cam Davis (Intl.), 4 and 3
Like the first match, the last of the morning was another 4-and-3 win for the Americans. Finau and Homa never trailed against the Internationals and lost just two holes consecutively on Nos. 5 and 6. The Red, White and Blue then won Nos. 8-10 to take a 3-up lead and ended the match on the 15th with a par for the win.
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