MONTREAL — They had a chance. As incredible as it seemed on Thursday night, as unlikely as it was just an hour before sunset on Saturday, the Internationals had a chance to do something they have only done once in 30 years as the third day of the 2024 Presidents Cup approaches got up close and personal with an increasingly spirited Canadian audience. But as the sun finally disappeared over the Royal Montreal, it became clear that fate cannot be brought into being at will and there is no invisible energy between audience and players that can influence the results.

The Internationals had a chance to win, and to be fair, they still have a chance. But thanks to a time window of 34 minutes, that chance has become slim.

After falling behind by two points (8-6) at the end of the morning session, the Internationals had a chance to equalize in the afternoon and perhaps even take the lead before Sunday’s singles. Taylor Pendrith and Adam Scott dispatched Brian Harman and Max Homa in the first foursome match to reduce the Internationals’ deficit to one. Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes tied against Collin Morikawa and Sam Burns, and Si Woo and Tom Kim tied against Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. In the caboose match, it seemed as if Scottie Scheffler was out of gas and once again had the best time with the putter. You didn’t have to squint to see a leaderboard covered in yellow at the end of the night, a swing that could set the stage for the second win in the event’s three-decade history.

The fans, many of whom had been at the site for over 12 hours and had clearly spent some of that time enjoying adult libations, saw it too. They started hooting and screaming and acting like crowds do at hockey games. And considering who they showered that love on often returned the favor – the Kims turned celebrations into interpretive dances and Canadian duo Conners and Hughes raised their arms to the sky – it seemed as if the momentum behind the Internationals’ sign belonged. Indeed, given the way Americans seemed to grow visibly tired of hearing unrepeatable things about their games, their masculinity, and their families, it seemed as if the U.S. had moved on from this Presidents Cup and turned louder.

However, the rules of momentum do not apply in match play, especially in the alternative shot. Loud crowds may be a factor, but not the factor. And whatever forces or powers exist, they are fickle and bow to none other than their own.

It started at the end with Scheffler and Henley. The American pair trailed by three after six holes, and for a second you thought Scheffler would do his best to get Henley home in time for the Alabama-Georgia game. But the duo were on the right track with six minutes left in the game and took a 1-1 lead after Scheffler almost sank his approach on matchday 14. On the 15th, Sungjae Im continued his tee shot in the water; Within two shots, seven minutes apart, a throw turned into a win for the Americans, which they made official with a par on matchday 16. Scheffler, feeling the brunt of the audience’s cheers, was emphatic as the final putt fell, gleefully pushing Henely with a demonstrativeness rarely displayed by the stoic giant.

Before them, Conners and Hughes had taken their fight to the 18th against Burns and Morikawa. But Hughes splashed his tee shot and Conners’ approach was close. With Morikawa safely on the green, Hughes needed a chip-in for a possible win and at some point to use the range for the tie in the worst case scenario. Instead, Hughes, one of the best short-game players in the world, botched his chip, the ball barely reaching the green from five yards out when Hughes collapsed, his hands on his knees and his hat half-raised on his forehead. The weight of his country and his team was palpable and Hughes struggled to get back on his feet, knowing he couldn’t lift it from his shoulders. Conners couldn’t clean up the mess; The Americans stole another point with Morikawa adding a fist bump and punching Burns in the chest for good measure.

The Kims. It had to be the Kims. Their performance over the three days in Montreal was less a golf demonstration than a performance art, with every putt and shot punctuated by swaying arms, primal screams and chest-thumping. The fans knew this too, which is why they reacted with hostility on the final hole, shouting things like “I’m sorry you have to play with Patrick, X!” and “Remember you’re not getting paid for this!” The scene culminated in this , that Si Woo sank a flop shot on the 16th, and when his ball was gone, Kim ran around the green with his hands clapped in a sleeping position, which would have made sense if the shot had won the match, and not like that did it, which meant it was a draw. That was the score for the next 20 minutes after the teams traded pars on the 17th hole and reached the 18th green with both Cantlay and Si Woo with birdie attempts at their feet.

The Americans went first and Cantlay proved he could keep his cool, knocking down a 20-foot throw with an ease that shouldn’t be had at such a moment. Unable to repeat his feat on the 16th as his birdie putt didn’t come close, Si Woo was forced to watch in dazed resignation as many of the American caddies, players and family members waved their hats in Cantlay’s direction in a nod to his Ryder exploits Cup.

Worse still for Si Woo, just two holes into his “night-night” celebration, several Americans repeated the move among themselves and toward the crowd, letting everyone know that they — and not Si Woo — had turned out the lights. What could have been a draw just 34 minutes earlier, which could have meant an international lead, was now 11-7 for the Americans.

It was emotional, it was unforgettable, it was tiring. It was everything the Presidents Cup has to offer. One problem: Saturday essentially made Sunday irrelevant, as the Americans only needed four and a half points out of twelve to rule this baby out.

Even when playing on foreign territory, the advantage lies with the Americans, as individual matches reward frontline firepower and test a team’s strength. That doesn’t mean a miracle can’t happen. Friday showed that this team has strength and cannot be excluded. But unless the tournament moves to Madinah and Rory McIlroy finds out he has Canadian citizenship, that prospect is highly unlikely.

That’s not the Internationals’ fault. They are the underdogs and bouncing back from a disastrous 5-0 win was an exercise in grit and courage. It was special to even have the opportunity they had on Saturday night. But that’s the problem with moments; Sometimes they’re gone before you realize they were even there.