Inside U.S. golf’s latest foursomes nightmare: How shocking sweep happened

At the outset of Friday’s session, the United States led 1‑0 in the Presidents Cup foursomes. The early advantage, however, would prove fleeting.

The opening match pitted the world’s top two players, Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns, against Canada’s Nick Taylor and Corey Conners, instantly highlighting the talent imbalance between the squads.

Further evidence of the disparity appeared in the ranking gaps: the U.S. side’s top eight players all outrank the International squad’s leading golfer, Si‑Woo Kim (World No. 14), while the Americans left No. 12 J.J. Spaun off the team. Even the U.S. assistant captains, Gary Woodland (No. 43) and Keegan Bradley (No. 50), sit above both Conners (No. 55) and Taylor (No. 85).

Yet the United States failed to secure a single point in the five foursomes matches, falling 7‑3 behind heading into the weekend.

The collapse unfolded gradually, then accelerated, culminating in a dramatic loss.

Match I: Sam’s Spinout

Nick Taylor briefly threatened a tie with a late‑hole approach, but Sam Burns’ birdie putt spun out, handing Scheffler and Burns a 1‑up victory.

Match II: Sungjae’s Session

Sungjae Im and Hideki Matsuyama took control with four straight holes, only to see Jacob Bridgeman and Russell Henley force a sudden turn when Matsuyama’s par putt missed and Bridgeman’s short putted in, securing a 3‑and‑2 win for the Internationals.

Match III: Out‑Foxed

Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark built a 1‑up lead, but Ryan Fox twice supplied decisive birdies at 15 and 16, while Morikawa’s putts dropped short, sending the match to extra holes and ultimately ending in a tie.

Match IV: Great Scott

Cameron Young and Justin Thomas briefly posted the only U.S. birdie after the match was decided, as Christiaan Bezuidenhout’s 30‑foot birdie sealed a 3‑and‑2 win for the Internationals. Post‑round, captain Zach Johnson reflected on the pairing choices, noting the players’ effort despite the defeat.

Snedeker was asked post-round about the pairing and said he’d wanted to keep both players in the lineup after what he’d seen from them Thursday.

“That’s one of the things as captain you look back on, maybe when this thing is all over, with it might not have been the right decision, but it seemed like the right decision at the time,” he said. “But love those guys. They battled their ass off today. Just didn’t quite get the right momentum we wanted.”

Match V: Let’s Get Out of Here

The day’s final humiliation came when Xander Schauffele rookie‑hopped a 3‑foot putt at 15, capping a 4‑and‑3 loss to Si‑Woo Kim and Tom Kim. Schauffele commented that the session was over and that the U.S. still had 70 % of points remaining.

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