The United States has won yet another Presidents Cup, this time by a score of 18 1/2 to 11 1/2, throttling a feisty but overmatched International Team and continuing a remarkable two-decade-long run of domination. The United States has now won the Presidents Cup 13 of the 15 times the event has been played.
Xander Schauffele set the pace early Sunday with a complete singles-match domination, 4&3, of former World No. 1 Jason Day at Royal Montreal Golf Club. A few matches later, Keegan Bradley, the captain of the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team, outlasted Si Woo Kim to clinch the winning point.
“That was incredible. I was saying all week I didn’t know if I’d ever get to do this again,” Bradley said afterward. “To just play in this tournament and then to win the point, my goodness, the last time I played, I was the point to lose the Ryder Cup. If this is my last round as a player, maybe it is, I’m happy with that.”
The United States entered the day with an 11-7 lead, thanks to a five-match Thursday sweep paired with a pair of 3-1 victories on Saturday. Needing 4 1/2 points to claim the 2024 Cup, the Americans began dismantling the International Team from the very first match.
Day took an early 1 Up lead on Schauffele, but the two-time major winner roared back, tying the match on the fourth hole, then winning the next five straight to take a 5 Up lead at the turn. After a bit of back-and-forth on the back nine, Schauffele won the match on the 15th hole. He, Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay each finished the week with a record of 4-1-0, leading the United States side.
Sam Burns and Tom Kim tied their match, giving each squad half a point apiece. Hideki Matsuyama struck a blow for the Internationals, winning 1 Up over world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. The International squad’s Corey Conners took out Tony Finau, 5&3. But Team USA’s Russell Henley brought home a 3&2 win over Sungjae Im, and Cantlay’s 3&1 win over Taylor Pendrith put the United States within a single point of victory.
In a bit of match-play justice, Bradley claimed the clinching point over Si Woo Kim, winning 1 Up on the 18th hole. Bradley, who’s been outspoken about his love of team match play, was notoriously left off last year’s Ryder Cup squad, but later named Ryder Cup captain for next year. He’s experienced a career rebound in recent years, performing well enough on the course to be named to Jim Furyk’s American Presidents Cup squad this year.
“I can’t even describe how it felt out there today,” Sahith Theegala said. “It was so intense in the morning, and even in the afternoon, every shot felt like it meant the world, and it did. Every shot meant the world. You can never let the International Team in because they have so many talented guys over there and you can’t give them any bit of light or any bit of hope.”
After the clinch, Wyndham Clark and Min Woo Lee tied, as did Theegala and Byeong Hun An. Morikawa knocked off Presidents Cup legend Adam Scott 2&1. The Internationals’ Christiaan Bezuidenhout knocked off Brian Harman 2&1, and Max Homa closed out Mackenzie Hughes 2&1 to begin the official celebrations.
“We take all the energy we have to try to beat each other into, ‘now let’s put it together and channel it and try to beat someone else,’ which is really fun,” Clark said. “It’s really refreshing for golf, too. It’s so individual, and then now you’re turning for each other, you’re rooting for each other, you’re helping each other. It’s really a lot of fun.”
Coming into this year’s competition, the United States had won 12 of the 14 competitions, with the Internationals winning one, in 1998. The teams tied in 2003. There should be talk about the future of this event, given the United States’ overwhelming advantage, but for now, the United States’ reign seems secure for at least another two years. The next Presidents Cup will be held in 2026 at Medinah Golf Club near Chicago.
Source Agencies
