MONTREAL — Xander Schauffele ran off 4 straight birdies to guide an onslaught of purple scores on the board Sunday and the People made the end result as inevitable because it normally is, successful the Presidents Cup for the tenth straight time.
Sam Burns accomplished an unbeaten week, Russell Henley capped off his spectacular debut within the Presidents Cup with a win and Keegan Bradley — the Ryder Cup captain subsequent 12 months — delivered the clinching level when Si Woo Kim missed a 10-foot putt on the 18th gap.
With 5 matches nonetheless on the course, the People had the 15 1/2 factors required to win.
“Wow, that was unbelievable,” mentioned Bradley, who hasn’t performed for a U.S. crew in 10 years. “The final time I performed, I used to be the purpose to lose the Ryder Cup. If that is my final spherical as a participant — possibly it’s — I am pleased with that.”
The Internationals wanted every thing to go proper at Royal Montreal. All they might handle was an excellent combat, extra tight matches, however nonetheless no cup.
Their solely victory since these matches for gamers from in every single place however Europe got here in 1998 at Royal Melbourne, so way back that Tiger Woods was making his Presidents Cup debut. The U.S. successful streak dates to 2005.
The People made a winner out of captain Jim Furyk, who was on the helm in France 5 years in the past once they misplaced to Europe within the Ryder Cup.
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“These gamers had been superb,” Furyk mentioned. “It was a extremely good group of 12, a simple bunch. I had nice management on the prime. They made the captain’s job very easy, and these guys performed their hearts out this week. They actually performed nicely on the again 9.”
Furyk despatched out Schauffele within the opening match towards Jason Day, and the cool Californian made 5 birdies in eight holes to grab management early. It ended on the fifteenth gap.
“All of our 12 guys can compete,” Schauffele mentioned. “My aim was simply to set the tone, get purple up on that board as early as attainable, and I used to be in a position to try this.”
He holed a 45-foot birdie putt on the opening gap with Day in shut birdie vary, took his first lead with a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 fifth and by no means let his foot off the gasoline.
Burns was the one participant and not using a loss. Tom Kim missed a 6-foot birdie putt for the lead on the sixteenth gap and stuffed his tee shot on the par-3 seventeenth to inside 3 toes. Burns answered with a pitching wedge to 4 toes for matching birdies, and the American received up-and-down on the ultimate gap for a halve level, nudging the People nearer.
Kim has been the spark for the Internationals together with his fist pumps and the way in which he poked Scheffler together with his celebrations within the opening session. He mentioned the tide would flip sooner or later, and the 22-year-old South Korean firmly believed it could be Sunday.
Simply not this Sunday.
“While you lose so many instances, I really feel like there’s all the time a narrative the place individuals come again. Profitable does not final ceaselessly,” Kim mentioned. “There’s going to be instances the place lip-outs are going to go our means. A couple of breaks, a number of bounces are going to go our means, and that is going to make a distinction. We play nice and we preserve falling quick generally, however I am not shedding hope.”
The Internationals picked up some extent within the battle of Masters champions when Hideki Matsuyama took down Scottie Scheffler, and Corey Conners delivered a simple win over Tony Finau. However they had been trailing 11-7 going into the 12 singles. It was by no means going to be sufficient.
That they had solely received the 12 singles session at three Presidents Cup, every time once they trailed by six factors or extra.
Now the Internationals have to attend two extra years till the 2026 matches at Medinah outdoors Chicago.
The People averted not having any cup — they misplaced the Ryder Cup to Europe outdoors Rome final 12 months — for the primary time since 1998. Profitable this gold trophy has by no means appeared like arduous work, regardless that the matches have been tighter.
Adam Scott will probably be 46 in two years, and there is a probability he performed in his eleventh and closing Presidents Cup with out ever being on the successful aspect. He needed to play the ultimate hour of his match with Collin Morikawa, shedding 2 and 1, figuring out it would not matter.
