09/25/26 05:56:00
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09/25 17:54 CDT International sweep puts Team USA in a 7-3 hole at the
Presidents Cup
International sweep puts Team USA in a 7-3 hole at the Presidents Cup
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) --- Ryan Fox and Nick Taylor each delivered clutch moments
Friday that carried the Internationals to another stunning sweep in foursomes
at the Presidents Cup, giving them a 7-3 lead going into the weekend as they
look to end more than two decades of losing.
"It was an incredible day for us," International captain Geoff Ogilvy said.
It was the second straight time the Americans were shut out in foursomes.
Unlike two years ago at Royal Montreal, they had swept the opening session and
could afford getting blanked.
Now the Internationals have their largest lead after two sessions since Royal
Melbourne in 1998, the only year they won the Presidents Cup.
Taylor and Corey Conners were 1 up over Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns going
to the 18th hole at Medinah when Taylor went into the trees and Conners could
only punch back to the fairway. The Canadian duo were playing their third shot
before Scheffler hit his second.
Taylor hit a cut 9-iron from 151 yards that plopped down a foot from the cup
for a par, and Burns' birdie putt to halve the match rimmed out.
"Maybe I bailed myself out after that drive," Taylor said. "Yeah, when it
mattered most, it was nice to hit a close one in there and apply the pressure
back to them."
Fox and Min Woo Lee were in match equally tight with the Americans taking their
first lead on the 12th hole. Fox holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th
to square the match, and he made a birdie putt from 20 feet on the par-3 16th
to go 1 up. They halved the last two holes, with Fox making a 4-footer for par
on the 18th.
The other matches weren't close. Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im won four
straight holes on the front nine to build a 3-up lead, and after Russell Henley
and Jacob Bridgeman narrowed the deficit to 1 down, Matsuyama made a 20-foot
birdie that carried them to a 3-and-2 win.
Adam Scott and Christiaan Bezuidenhout never trailed in a 3-and-2 victory over
Justin Thomas and Cameron Young, while Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim had an easy time
against the once formidable duo of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay,
winning 4 and 3.
"You're going to have sessions like this in these things," U.S. captain Brandt
Snedeker said. "I feel terrible for the guys because I know they grinded out
there and gave me everything they had today, and it wasn't meant to be. That
being said, there's still 20 points out there.
"There's a lot of golf left to play."
Saturday is pivotal in this format. After two days of one session each, there
are four matches of fourballs in the morning and four matches of foursomes in
the afternoon. Two years ago in Canada, the Americans won six out of eight and
sailed to another win.
"There's a lot of golf left," Scott said. "Tomorrow is a big day. I think we
had a similar situation two years ago in Canada. Hopefully we learned from
that, and we can back a great day up tomorrow."
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