The International team built the largest 54-hole lead in Presidents Cup history on American soil, taking a 10.5-7.5 advantage over the United States into Sunday singles at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago — the first time in the competition's history that the Internationals have led entering the event's final day while playing in the U.S.
The lead was built gradually rather than in one session. The Internationals opened with a fourball edge on Thursday, extended it through Friday's foursomes, and then held on through a back-and-forth Saturday that included two sessions worth four points apiece. By the time the final Saturday putt dropped, the format had produced a scoreline that no International side had managed on the road in the event's 32-year history.
Saturday's matches split almost evenly. The U.S. won the morning four-ball session 2.5 to 1.5, getting victories from Chris Gotterup and Cameron Young over Nick Taylor and Corey Conners, and from Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns over Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune. The Internationals answered in the afternoon foursomes, splitting that session 2-2 — Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee beat Burns and Wyndham Clark, and Corey Conners and Nick Taylor edged Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman 1-up — enough to hold their overall lead. The lone U.S. bright spot in that session came from Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, who beat Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim, 2 and 1, according to the PGA Tour's recap of the day's play.
Ending a 28-Year Wait
The U.S. has won 10 consecutive Presidents Cups and has lost the event only once since it began in 1994 — a 1998 International victory in Australia. An International win Sunday would be just the team's second in 16 tries, and its first anywhere since that 1998 result. Twelve singles matches, worth 12 points, remain; the first team to 15.5 points wins outright. That means the Internationals need five more points to close it out, while the U.S. needs 7.5 to retain the cup on a tie or eight to win it outright, per Sky Sports' breakdown of the scoring.
Both captains struck notes of confidence after Saturday's play. International captain Geoff Ogilvy credited his team's response to a fast U.S. start:
What a day! They came out firing, as we knew they would...but the boys hung tough and sort of weathered the storm if you like and started making a few putts. To go into tomorrow with a lead, which was the goal at the start of the week, I'm very proud of them.
Geoff Ogilvy, International team captain
U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker, meanwhile, defended his roster decisions, including resting world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler for part of Saturday's play:
I've got the right guys in that team room. They're going to compete...Can't wait to see them go out there tomorrow and compete.
Brandt Snedeker, United States team captain
Sunday's Singles Draw
Sunday's pairings send several marquee names out early, including Cameron Young against Ryo Hisatsune, Wyndham Clark against Tom Kim and Scottie Scheffler against Nico Echavarria, with Patrick Cantlay facing Adam Scott and Jackson Koivun taking on Si Woo Kim later in the order, according to the PGA Tour's preview of the closing session. The full field and live scoring are available through the official Presidents Cup scoreboard.
Whatever happens Sunday, the week has already reset expectations for an event that had settled into a familiar rhythm of American dominance. The Internationals' roster, drawn from Australia, South Korea, South Africa, Canada and Japan, has produced a deeper, more experienced lineup than in past cycles — and, for the first time in nearly three decades, a real chance to prove it on U.S. soil.
A U.S. comeback would extend a run of near-total American control of the trophy dating back to the early 2000s and would be remembered as one of the largest final-day rallies in the event's history. An International victory would end the argument, voiced by American players and fans alike after a decade of lopsided results, that the biennial matches against Europe carry more competitive tension than this one does. Either way, Sunday at Medinah will settle a question the Presidents Cup has not seriously had to ask since the Clinton administration.
