MONTREAL (AP) — Scottie Scheffler finished with two birdie putts for an American victory, and Patrick Cantlay made two big birdies to secure another Saturday in the Presidents Cup as the United States, freshly excludedrebounded to take an 8-6 lead.
On a day when play was delayed by heavy fog at Royal Montreal, there were still four games to four remaining, with the international team desperate not to lose further ground.
International captain Mike Weir sent out the same teams he used in four balls, meaning four players – Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Byeong Hun An – were out all Saturday.
Tom Kim was once again a spark of emotion for the Internationals, teaming up with Si Woo Kim for the only four-ball win of the morning. They birdied the first two holes and never trailed, beating Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley and Wyndham Clark, 4 and 3.
Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele never trailed in a 3-and-2 victory over the Canadian duo of Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes.
The United States’ lead was decided in the other two matches, each with key moments.
Collin Morikawa, playing with Scheffler, made a 40-foot birdie on No. 2. Adam Scott responded with a 4-iron to 3 feet for birdie on No. 3. They halved the next eight holes until which the Americans take the lead with a birdie on the par 5 12th.
They were looking to go up 2 on the 14th until a stunning turn of events. Taylor Pendrith fell into the water. Scott was 25 feet away after a bad corner, while Morikawa drilled his shot in from 5 feet. Scott made a birdieMorikawa missed and the match was square.
Pendrith looked to give Internationals their first lead with a 4-foot approach on the next hole. But he missed the birdie putt and Scheffler took over. The world No. 1 player holed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 16th for a 1-up lead, and Scheffler closed the match with a 15-foot birdie putt just short of the green.
In the anchor match, Sungjae Im three times matched birdies against Cantlay and Sam Burns to prevent the match from spiraling out of control. Cantlay contributed for Eagle the 12th for a lead of 2. And then Im and Hideki Matsuyama – mainly Im – tried to rally.
I’m hit from 6 feet on the 15th, only for Cantlay to reach in from 25 feet. I was tight again on the 16th and Cantlay made his 18 foot putt. Instead of the match being tied with two to play, the Americans were asleep and closed out the match when Matsuyama missed an 8-foot birdie attempt.
It’s already been an unusual week, the first time in a professional Cup – Ryder, Presidents or Solheim – that teams have taken turns pitching shutouts. THE The Americans opened 5-0 in four ballsthe Internationals responded with 5-0 in foursomes.
And then the Saturday morning session was interrupted for 90 minutes because of fog that prevented thick players from seeing the landing zone in the fairway. The sun finally came out and the afternoon was a race against time to finish before Sunday’s singles.
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AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
