Corey Conners and Nick Taylor were instrumental in giving the International Team a commanding lead at the Presidents Cup. The two Canadian golfers helped secure a point for their team during a crucial Friday session at Medinah Country Club.
The International Team now holds a four-point advantage in the competition. The Internationals swept all five foursomes matches Friday to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 7-3 lead over the United States.
Conners and Taylor got the International Team started by defeating Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns in the opening match. The Canadians won 2 and 1 to put the first point of the afternoon on the board.
Taylor was making his first Presidents Cup appearance after being left off the International Team for the 2024 competition in Montreal. He and Conners faced a difficult assignment against Scheffler and Burns.
The victory was particularly notable because Scheffler is the world’s top-ranked golfer. Conners and Taylor took control of the match and closed it out before reaching the 18th hole.
The International Team’s overall performance was strong throughout Friday. Matches were closely contested in some cases, but the Internationals managed to win every point available in the foursomes session.
Sungjae Im and Hideki Matsuyama added another point by defeating Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman 3 and 2.
Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee defeated Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark 1-up in one of the closest matches of the session. Fox and Lee secured their victory after taking a late lead and holding it through the final hole.
Adam Scott and Christiaan Bezuidenhout also delivered for the International Team. They defeated Justin Thomas and Cameron Young 3 and 2.
Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim completed the sweep by defeating Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele 4 and 3. Their victory gave the International Team its fifth point of the Friday session.
The result represented a dramatic change from Thursday. The United States had taken a 3-2 lead following the opening four-ball session. One day later the Americans found themselves trailing 7-3.
U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker acknowledged that his team faced a difficult situation after the sweep. However, the Presidents Cup still had two days of competition remaining.
The International Team is captained by Geoff Ogilvy. His team is trying to end a long period of American dominance in the event. The International Team’s only Presidents Cup victory came in 1998.
The competition continued Saturday with both four-ball and foursomes matches. The final day features 12 singles matches with each golfer competing individually against a player from the opposing team.
The International Team entered the weekend with an opportunity to win the Presidents Cup for only the second time in the event’s history.
IMAGE: University of the Fraser Valley – https://www.flickr.com/photos/ufv/18872230025/ CC2