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Presidents Cup 2024: Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im lead a wild international victory to stun the Americans on Friday
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Presidents Cup 2024: Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im lead a wild international victory to stun the Americans on Friday

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - SEPTEMBER 27: Sungjae Im and Hideki Matsuyama of the International Team react to a birdie putt on the 10th green during Friday's Foursomes on the second day of the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club on September 27, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

The international team won its first alternate shot session at a Presidents Cup since 2005 on Friday afternoon. (Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

Not even the top-ranked golfer in the world could hold his own against the International Team’s lightning attack on Friday afternoon in Quebec.

After the second historic day in a row at the Royal Montreal, we suddenly find ourselves in a fight for the Presidents Cup.

The international team, led by a wild 7&6 win from Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im, prevailed over the Americans in Friday’s foursomes. Not only was this the international team’s first victory in an alternate shots match since 2005, it was also the first time in history that there were back-to-back victories in a Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup.

Suddenly, thanks to a clutch putt from Si Woo Kim to end the day, the game is tied 5-5 at halftime.

“I believed in the boys,” said international captain Mike Weir. “Whether it was 3-2, 4-1 or 5-0 was obviously a bonus (for us today). We just wanted to get back in there. “The boys played incredibly, they really reacted incredibly.”

Matsuyama and I started the day and wasted no time. The duo achieved the largest margin of victory in Presidents Cup history. They needed just 12 holes to eliminate Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele and score the first points their team has scored all week.

It was pure domination. Cantlay and Xchauffele didn’t win a single hole in the match and Matsuyama and Im finished their match with seven straight birdies. Of course, there was a big celebration on the 12th green when play was official. A 7&6 victory has only occurred twice in the history of the Presidents Cup, and only through international pairings.

Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes weren’t far behind either. The duo prevailed in their match against Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau. The Canadians won on holes 1, 2, 5, 8 and 9, and then Conners sank a deep birdie putt on the 11th hole that suddenly put them ahead by six. That brought them to their 6&5 victory.

Despite being a little slow to get going, Adam Scott and Taylor Pendrith beat Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa 5&4 in their match. They won holes 4, 5 and 6 to take the lead after a few close opening holes, and then they won three in a row to start the final nine before ending their match early. Theegala and Morikawa won a single hole on the 7th, which was the United States’ only win among the three blowout groups.

The win for Scott also made him the winningest international player in Presidents Cup history, surpassing Ernie Els’ points record of 21.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Jason Day finished their match with Max Homa and Brian Harman 1UP after also running late, bringing the international team to a single point. Then, in by far the closest game of the day, Kim and Ben An finally overtook Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley on the home stretch. After splitting the holes on the front twice, Kim and An finally birdied again on the 13th after throwing a dart off the tee.

Kim and An also almost stumbled on the 18th after their drive landed in thick rough on the left side of the fairway. But Kim made a deep par putt to convert the up-and-down, completing the session sweep and making history.

The Americans hold a dominant 12-1-1 record in the Presidents Cup and have rattled off nine straight wins heading into this weekend’s event in Canada. Based on how Friday went, the U.S. team will need a strong showing early Saturday to regain control of the tournament. Otherwise, the 12 individual games on Sunday could be very interesting.

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