The Internationals came into Day 1 of the Presidents Cup with an opportunity to strike first, but Sungjae Im and Min Woo Lee could not pull off the upset in the opening match.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and No. 8 Sam Burns defeated the pair 1-up in the only four-ball match at Medinah Country Club on Thursday to reach the 18th hole, securing the victory in the Chicago suburbs.
The United States holds a 3-2 advantage heading into Friday, with five additional points available in the alternate-shot foursomes format.
“I saw a lot of good golf out there — 2-3 in our favor isn’t too bad,” said International team captain Geoff Ogilvy. “We had a couple of really solid matches, and one went to the 18th hole, which would have been great if it went our way. But 2-3 is a solid start, and the boys have their first round under their belt.”
While the Internationals have little to be discouraged about, their performance was commendable given their role as road underdogs and the U.S. team’s dominant 13-1-1 all-time record in the event.
However, stealing that opening match would have carried significant weight.
The leadoff match in any Presidents Cup is crucial, often setting the tone for the rest of the event. This was especially true on Thursday, as an International victory would have generated massive momentum, not just by winning the opener, but by dethroning the world’s top-ranked player.
Scheffler and Burns birdied the first four holes, but Im and Lee matched them on holes two through five to stay tied. The match remained level until Im rolled in a birdie putt on the par-3 13th, while Scheffler missed a close-range attempt. This gave the Internationals the lead in three of the five matches, all on the back nine, until a Burns birdie on the next hole squared the contest.
“Both teams got off to hot starts, and we cooled down a bit after that,” Scheffler said. “But Sam hit what I think was the shot of the match on 14. We went down 1 after losing the 13th, and he hit it to a couple of feet to square the match. That was a huge moment for our team, and he stepped up when we needed him to.”
With the other matches appearing one-sided, the opener seemed destined to determine who took the lead into Friday. Fortunately for the Americans, they didn’t even need a birdie on the 17th to secure the win. Scheffler and Burns won the hole with par and closed out the match when Im and Lee failed to birdie the 18th.
Behind them, Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun never trailed in a 4-and-3 victory over Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria, earning the first point of the week. The 21-year-old Koivun struggled at times, but Thomas was stellar again, improving his Presidents Cup four-balls record to 7-0-0. Shortly after, Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune defeated Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele 3-and-1.
Scheffler and Burns sealed their victory for the U.S.’s second point, and soon after, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa wrapped up their 3-and-2 win over Ryan Fox and Adam Scott.
In the final match of the day, Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim held a slim lead over Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay before winning the 13th and 14th holes to take control. They secured a 3-and-2 victory after Tom Kim nearly holed his tee shot on the par-3 16th, prompting the Americans to concede.
However, plenty of golf remains to be played. In the previous Presidents Cup two years ago at Royal Melbourne, the U.S. won all five Thursday four-ball matches, only for the Internationals to win all five Friday foursomes matches.
The U.S. ultimately won 18.5-11.5 in 2024, marking their 10th consecutive victory in the Presidents Cup.
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