Montreal (AFP) – Patrick Cantlay made a dramatic birdie putt at 18 from just inside 17 feet in near-darkness to give the United States an 11-7 lead over the Internationals after Saturday’s matches at the Presidents Cup. Cantlay delivered a 1-up foursomes victory with second-ranked Xander Schauffele over South Koreans Tom Kim and Kim Si-woo, the latter missing a tying putt at 18 after a tough fight at Royal Montreal.
“The Kims played unbelievably well. They stuck it to us on a lot of holes,” Schauffele said. “We’re just happy to get away with a 1-up.” Cantlay hoped his emotional putt could inspire the Americans to a 10th consecutive victory. They need only 4.5 points from 12 Sunday singles matches to win the Cup again. “A putt like that will make me sleep a little better tonight,” Cantlay said. “We’ll get rested, we’ll get prepared and we’ll come out firing.”
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Added Schauffele: “There’s something about putting in the dark and PC hitting the last putt — maybe we should do it more often.” A 97-minute morning fog delay pushed the finish well past sunset, with the Americans going 3-1 in the foursomes and morning four-ball sessions to seize command. The Americans, who lead the overall rivalry against the non-European side 12-1-1, swept five four-ball matches on Thursday before the Internationals swept five Friday foursomes matches.
“We woke up today with a little bit of fierceness,” Morikawa said. The Americans, who boast 12 of the world’s top 25 players, thrived while the Internationals, who used the same eight players in both sessions, faded late. Tom Kim sank a 38-foot birdie putt at the ninth and Kim Si-woo made a 15-foot birdie putt to win 10 and square the match. Schauffele sank a 33-foot birdie putt at 15 for a 1-up US lead but Kim Si-woo sank a 40-foot birdie pitch from sloped greenside rough to win the 16th and tie the match, setting up Cantlay’s closing heroics.
Australian Adam Scott and Canada’s Adam Pendrith outlasted Max Homa and Brian Harman 2-up. Pendrith sank a 13-foot birdie putt to win nine and made a four-footer for birdie to win the 12th for a 2-up advantage. Harman’s four-foot birdie putt won 17 but the US made bogey at the last to fall. “It was worth it coming out this afternoon to win a point. I’m stoked with that,” Scott said. “Hopefully I can recover. It’s going to be close tomorrow. It’s going to be a big day.”
Americans Collin Morikawa and Sam Burns, 2-down after three holes, rallied to beat Canadians Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes 1-up. Hughes holed out from a bunker from 63 feet for eagle to win the par-5 12th and tie the match. Burns sank an eight-foot birdie putt to win 14, but Hughes won 16 on an 11-foot birdie putt to level. At 18, Hughes missed an 11-foot par putt and Morikawa sank a four-foot par putt to win the match.
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley, 3-down after five holes, won four of the last five to beat Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and South Korean Im Sung-jae 3&2. Scheffler, the reigning Olympic and Masters champion, made a five-foot birdie putt to win 12 and tie the match then dropped his approach at 14 inches from the hole to win on a concession birdie for a 1-up lead. Im found water off the 15th tee and the US won the hole then captured the match when Scheffler sank a three-foot par putt at 16. “We just tried to keep hitting quality shots and we got some momentum,” Henley said.
In morning four-ball matches, Cantlay made three birdies and an eagle in his last six holes in a 2&1 victory for himself and Burns over Im and Matsuyama. Ninth-ranked Cantlay eagled from 49 feet to win the par-5 12th then sank birdies from four, 23, and 17 feet to match Im birdies and tie the next three holes to deny a late charge. Scheffler and Morikawa never trailed in beating Scott and Pendrith 2&1. South Koreans Tom Kim and Kim Si-woo never trailed in beating Keegan Bradley and Wyndham Clark 4&3, while Schauffele and Tony Finau lost only one hole and never trailed in beating Conners and Hughes 3&2.
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