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It was easy (and maybe even en vogue) to be optimistic about the 2022 Presidents Cup entering Day 1 foursomes action Thursday. Perhaps that was wishful thinking or simply a nod of goodwill to those on both sides of the matches that stuck around to play this event rather than defecting to LIV Golf. Whatever the case, the United States put an end to it early and often, once again racing out to a massive lead to start the festivities at Quail Hollow.
The 4-1 advantage by the U.S. looks massive, but it could have been so much worse. The International team led after just three of the 83 holes played over five alternate shot matches on Thursday, and luckily for the visitors, two of those holes were the final two Cameron Davis and Si Woo Kim played against the titanic twosome on the American side of Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns. That was the lone bright spot on a difficult day for Trevor Immelman's side.
None of this was particularly unexpected given both the depleted International roster and the format of the event. The U.S. has now won or tied 16 consecutive foursomes (alternate shot) matches, which has proven to be the biggest format difference between them and the International team this century. The U.S. has not lost a Presidents Cup since 1998.
The problems for an International team that has moved to a 20-1 underdog, according to Caesars Sportsbook, are myriad. They'll play fourballs Friday across five more matches, but they will again have to go against the mighty U.S. side in foursomes Saturday, and it doesn't portend to go much better than it did Thursday. Furthermore, the U.S. now leads by a margin after the first day that has resulted in only one loss in Presidents Cup history (coincidentally, it was the International team that last blew a massive lead after the first session, and it came back in 2019 at Royal Melbourne).
United States wins Thursday foursomes, 4-1. Sides with a 3+ point lead after the first session are 5-1 all-time at the #PresidentsCup. Internationals led by 4-1 after the opening session in 2019.
The verbiage between the two captains after the matches was telling. Immelman, chin up but eyes belying his confidence, saying that the International team was going to keep fighting because that's all they know how to do. Davis Love III saying he was agonizing over who in the world he should sit out over the next few days.
A tale of two captains and the teams at their disposal. The optimism over a close Presidents Cup is completely gone after the first five matches this week. That doesn't mean there's not still plenty of value in continuing to follow the event, but it likely does mean what it's meant for the last eight Presidents Cups in a row: The United States will end up victorious.
Here is a breakdown of each match from Day 1 of the 2022 Presidents Cup.
Patrick Cantlay & Xander Schauffele
Adam Scott & Hideki Matsuyama
Jordan Spieth & Justin Thomas
Corey Conners & Sungjae Im
Cameron Young & Collin Morikawa
K.H. Lee & Tom Kim
Sam Burns & Scottie Scheffler
Cameron Davis & Si Woo Kim
Early and often the Americans took it to the internationals. Winning four of the first seven holes, Cantlay and Schauffele saw their lead balloon to 4 UP by the time they left the seventh green. Scott and Matsuyama tried their best to battle back and had a moment to tighten the match around the turn.
With an opportunity to cut the lead to 2 DN on the par-3 10th, Scott let his short birdie bid fall on the low side and later compounded this mistake by hitting his tee shot into the water on the par-4 11th. That was all she wrote in the first match off as Cantlay and Schauffele ultimately cruised to a 6&5 victory and improved their career foursomes record together to 5-0-0 between the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup.
6 and 5 is the largest margin of victory in the opening match of the week all-time at the #PresidentsCup.
This is the match most had circled as all four players are tremendous iron players. After trading par on the first two holes, Spieth and Thomas put their foot on the gas by winning three of the next four holes. With a 3 UP lead through six, Im punched back and led the international side to a pair of wins to cut the margin to one at the turn.
That was as close as the internationals would get as they let opportunity after opportunity fall by the wayside on the back nine. Despite receiving little help from Conners, Im held the international team afloat with his steady tee-to-green presence.
The biggest blow of the match came on the par-4 15th (typically the 18th for the Wells Fargo Championship) when it looked as if the international side would finally draw even. Instead, Thomas connected from 20 feet for par and Conners missed from inside 10 to push the U.S. margin back to two with three holes to play.
"It was the difference in the match," said Spieth.
FIRED UP 🔥 @JustinThomas34 with a clutch putt to go 2-up with 3 to lead @PresidentsCup. pic.twitter.com/BwYgzV36di
The U.S. held on from there and in the process improved Spieth's team record to 17-6-3 and Thomas' to 11-2-3 -- they both remain undefeated in Presidents Cup foursomes.
With no Dustin Johnson on the roster, Cameron Young was the man to pair up with Collin Morikawa. Seeing how he played on some of the biggest stages this past season, it should come as no surprise Young thrived in this arena. Hitting a booming tee shot off the very first tee, the presumed PGA Tour Rookie of the Year set the tone for the day.
#USTeam rookie Cameron Young is making his presence known early 💪 pic.twitter.com/lmPTiGtBLJ
Battling back-and-forth with Lee and Kim, the Americans grabbed their first lead on the par-3 sixth. Adding to their edge at the turn, a short miss from Young on the par-3 10th gave the internationals some hope. They took it and ran by winning the next two holes and tying the match.
A close approach on the par-4 13th from Morikawa immediately squashed any thought of upset as the U.S. bounced back to a 1 UP lead. With three consecutive pars from both teams, a 25-foot birdie from the blade of Young put this match to bed on the 17th.
The biggest shocker of Day 1 came from the fourth match. After making birdie on the opening hole, it felt as if Burns and Scheffler would run away with this, but Kim and Davis held steady in the face of adversity. The international team quickly tied the match but fell to 3 DN after Davis dumped his approach into the water on the par-5 seventh.
Clawing back to 2 DN by the time they made the turn, Kim and Davis caught fire on the inward half. Slowly, but surely eating into the American lead, after winning the par-4 15th with a par, they eventually drew square with a tremendous birdie on the par-5 16th.
What a turnaround from Si Woo Kim and @CamDavisGolf 💪 The @IntlTeam is now 1-up with one to play in Match 4 @PresidentsCup. pic.twitter.com/MuKQOkZObZ
Set up by Davis, another birdie followed on the par-4 17th to grab their first lead of the day. With the Americans in trouble on the 18th, Davis and Kim cozied up their birdie putt to secure a 2 UP victory and the international's first point of the 2022 Presidents Cup.
There wasn't a ton of quality golf in this match, but it was the most competitive and the second to reach the 18th. Pendrith and Pereira made bogey on four of their first six holes and only saw their deficit grow to 2 DN. The internationals eventually bounced back with birdies on the par-5 seventh and par-4 eighth to get to 1 DN by the time the two teams completed the front nine.
The Americans maintained their lead up until the internationals made birdie on the difficult 13th. As it was in the Thomas and Spieth victory, the pivotal moment came on the par-4 15th when U.S. made a miraculous par from no man's land to remain level with three to play.
A wild par for @MaxHoma23 and @TonyFinauGolf 🎢 Their match remains tied with 3 to play @PresidentsCup. pic.twitter.com/87KAJH2X5I
On the following hole, they were primed to retake their lead until Pendrith converted an international birdie from 23 feet – the only international putt from outside 15 feet to fall on Day 1. A wayward drive from Pereira on the 18th was the final straw to break the camel's back and opened the door for Homa and Finau to claim a 1 UP victory in the final match of the day.
Strong start for the U.S. Team @PresidentsCup pic.twitter.com/ZYL83fnWC1
The final point of the day goes to the #USTeam #PresidentsCup pic.twitter.com/PttVpvqOyj
By my count, team USA made 62 more feet of putts in today's matches than the International side. USA made 5 putts of 15+ feet, Internationals just 1.
One final point for the final match of the day.@MaxHoma23 and @TonyFinauGolf close strong as the U.S. Team takes a 4-1 lead @PresidentsCup. pic.twitter.com/GluAstNzMn
It had feelings of a 5-0 blowout and then it had the potential to be a 2.5-2.5 tie, but in the end the U.S. holds a 4-1 lead after opening foursomes. Winning in the foursomes format for the 16th straight time in the Presidents Cup, the U.S. continued to flex its strength and have put the internationals in quite a predicament moving forward. In their 11 prior victories, the U.S. have been on top after the opening session in each and are in perfect position to add the 12th cup to their case.
United States wins Thursday foursomes, 4-1. Sides with a 3+ point lead after the first session are 5-1 all-time at the #PresidentsCup. Internationals led by 4-1 after the opening session in 2019.
Four wins in a row to close the back nine and claim the point 🔥#PresidentsCup || #IntlTeam pic.twitter.com/YsEP80guZZ
The @IntlTeam storms home and is on the board.@CamDavisGolf and Si Woo Kim overcome a 3-hole deficit to secure their point @PresidentsCup. pic.twitter.com/4lzueFClpV
The @IntlTeam storms home and is on the board.@CamDavisGolf and Si Woo Kim overcome a 3-shot deficit to secure their point @PresidentsCup. pic.twitter.com/vhyMOde266
Si Woo Kim and Cam Davis beat Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns, 2 Up. It's the first time the reigning world number one has dropped his opening match at the Presidents Cup since 2005, when Adam Scott/Retief Goosen beat Tiger Woods/Fred Couples in foursomes.
Match 3. Point 3.#PresidentsCup || #USTeam pic.twitter.com/yKNai2b0LB
Clutch shot from the rough for Mito Pereira at 17. He ranked 6th on the PGA Tour last season in proximity to the hole from the rough, 2nd-best of anyone playing this week (Corey Conners, 2nd).
What a turnaround from Si Woo Kim and @CamDavisGolf 💪 The @IntlTeam is now 1-up with one to play in Match 4 @PresidentsCup. pic.twitter.com/MuKQOkZObZ
This emotion @JoohyungKim0621 🔥#IntlTeam #ForTheCup pic.twitter.com/ovt7CK1ppx
What a turnaround from Si Woo Kim and @CamDavisGolf 💪 The @IntlTeam is now 1-up with one to play in Match 4 @PresidentsCup. pic.twitter.com/MuKQOkZObZ
The Internationals have lead matches for two of the 80 holes that have been played so far today.
Huge putt from @TaylorPendrith! The final match is tied with 2 to play @PresidentsCup. pic.twitter.com/Be8qKgvdKK
From 2007-2019, the Americans had a +30 point differential in foursomes at the #PresidentsCup - but the Internationals were +2 in the other 2 formats combined. A 3-2 score going into four-ball would make this really interesting.
A birdie bomb on the 17th put the final nail in the coffin. Now commanding a 3-0 lead, this could be the very beginning of the Morikawa and Young partnership. Despite the current margin, there is a chance for the internationals to end this session only down 3-2 which captain Immelman would consider a win.
What a putt! Cameron Young and @Collin_Morikawa secure another point for the U.S. Team with a 2-and-1 victory @PresidentsCup. pic.twitter.com/WkXASoBsjz
Another point on the board for the #USTeam#PresidentsCup pic.twitter.com/RI7d4dl210
Cameron Young locks up a 3rd point this session for the Americans. This is the 16th consecutive foursomes session where the Americans have either won or tied. Last time the Internationals won a foursomes session was in 2005.
HUGE fist pump for @JoohyungKim0621 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jXzwKPHhkS
A wild par for @MaxHoma23 and @TonyFinauGolf 🎢 Their match remains tied with 3 to play @PresidentsCup. pic.twitter.com/87KAJH2X5I
The best buds win another as they both remain undefeated in Presidents Cup foursomes. It was the par-4 15th which ultimately proved to be a the difference as it looked as if the match would be tied, yet instead the Americans left the green 2 UP. It is another big blow for the internationals, but there is still a chance to flip some late points as all three matches on the course are within one.
I'm not sure we're appreciating how good Justin Thomas has been at Presidents Cups and Ryder Cups. With his win with Jordan Spieth over Sungjae Im and Corey Conners today he moved to 11-2-3 in alternate shot and four ball matches in those two events.
All smiles for this duo.@JustinThomas34 and @JordanSpieth secure another point for the U.S. Team @PresidentsCup. pic.twitter.com/lS4DNJR9EH
Jordan Spieth is now 6-0-0 in his Presidents Cup foursomes career. He's the only player in the event's history to play 6+ foursomes matches and win all of them.
Even @XSchauffele and @Patrick_Cantlay were hyped for JT 🔥 https://t.co/HldA8ZKKtN pic.twitter.com/NP1iSS8m23
Golf is hard.@JustinThomas34’s face says it all. pic.twitter.com/uHzY4VyxDQ
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