Friday At The (Mixed) Presidents Cup
U.S.A. women dominate Foursomes before International's men sweep the afternoon session. Plus, early morning police drama and an unexpected Greg Norman visit spice up the day.*
The Presidents Cup took several dramatic turns Friday when all 32 players got in on the historic action.
Round 2 and 3 featured gender-specific sessions a day after the U.S.A. team took a 3-2 lead in Thursday’s mixed Four-balls. The American men have had a particularly bizarre relationship with Foursomes, generally playing the format well in the Presidents Cup while stinking it up in the Ryder Cup. That script flipped Friday.
The Internationals lead 7-6 heading into the weekend, where 22 points are available. The United States needs 11.5 of those points to retain the Presidents Cup.
“So much for how our AI models gamed this one out,” said Jim Furyk who confused artificial intelligence with the “Task Force” analytics modeling that inspired a 0-4 session. Co-captain Stacy Lewis’ numbers-driven team helped craft a 3-1 session under different statistical parameters.
“Mainly the numbers said to not put out any pairs where the players aren’t on speaking terms,” Lewis said with a wink, causing writers to start texting each other to ask what she was referring to.
A day of high-energy golf played under the glorious fall sun took an early backseat to another bizarre police incident involving Scottie Scheffler. The World No. 1 was driving fast in a team golf cart with hopes of catching up to the Alison Lee/Rose Zhang match. Wearing a hoodie and sporting the same thick beard that made him tough to recognize in Louisville, Scheffler was on his way from the range and close to arriving spectators, Scheffler blew by a group of Royal Canadian Mounted Police already on edge with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and three former U.S. presidents expected on site.
In a scene eerily reminiscent of a PGA Championship incident when Scheffler failed to heed a police request to stop, the Masters champion was pursued and briefly detained by “Mounties” after they gave chase on horseback. He was released upon showing his player ID.
Following his afternoon match, Scheffler professed to being unaware that law enforcement officers were asking him to stop.
Scheffler’s post-round exchange with press:
Q: So you’re saying you did not know they were law enforcement of some kind?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: That’s right, I just thought they were crazy fans dressing up to root for the Internationals. I heard people say “Mounties” were chasing me and I figured they were one of those groups the Tour pays to come root for the other side.
Q: But they were on horseback?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I don’t know the fan policies. Are horses not allowed? Look, they were just guys in red jackets with weird hats who started yelling at me. I just wanted to do was see Alison and Rose tee off at 10 before getting ready for my match with Max. No where did it say POLICE in big letters.
Q: But they’re one of the most famous police forces in the world?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Well maybe they should wear something clearly saying that?
Once Scheffler was freed, attention turned back to the course where sensational play again highlighted the talent on hand. Almost all players and WAG’s were out watching both sessions if they were not playing, but various team hanger-on’ers were seen out in fairways, on approaches and even greens in a trend that seems destined for a Brooklineesque brouhaha.
Match capsules:
Nelly Korda/Megan Khang (U.S.A.) defeat Brooke Henderson/Jin Young Ko (Int) 2 up. A day after losing to Henderson in a mixed four-ball match, Korda dominated this one and quieted the raucous crowd (for Canada) several times. She and Khang never gave the opponents a putt after Korda confirmed she heard of co-Captain Karrie Webb’s strategy the day prior and “wanted to return that &^%$#$ Christmas gift.” Getting chippy!
Alison Lee/Rose Zhang (U.S.A.) defeat. Minjee Lee/Lydia Ko (Int) 3&2. All square through nine, Lee and Zhang went on a stunning run after hearing of Scheffler’s brief arrest. They turned their hats backwards and wrote his initials SS on to their ball as inspiration.
Ruoning Yin/Ayake Furue(Int) defeat Lauren Coughlin/Ally Ewing (U.S.A.) 2&1. The young China/Japan duo held off the American veterans in a weird back and forth where only two holes were halved. Ewing recently announced plans to retire at the end of 2024 and was a suspect pick by co-Captain Stacy Lewis after going 0-4 at the Solheim. But she and Coughlin held it together against Japan’s Furue, winner of this summer’s Evian, and Yin, the 2023 Women’s PGA Champion.
Lilia Vu/Allisen Corpuz (U.S.A.) defeat Hannah Green/Amy Yang (International). 1 up. Vu woke up with a tight back but after receiving help from the USA team’s six physios and a 3-minute cryotherapy session inside the team’s on-site chamber, Vu and Corpuz saw Green and Yang battle back from four down after six holes before ultimately succumbing to the Americans.
Hideki Matsuyama/Sungjae Im (INT) defeat Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele (U.S.A.) 7&6. An astounding eight birdies in 12 holes embarrassed the Americans whose driving woes do not bode well for the weekend’s play. Cantlay and Schauffele were the only American men not to arrive early and watch the women’s foursomes action. They denied wanting to be paid for their presence.
Adam Scott/Min Woo Lee (INT) defeat Sahith Theegala/Collin Morikawa (U.S.A.) 5&4. Another rout saw the Americans win just one hole. Scott’s 51st Presidents Cup match saw him move to 18-26-6 but still seeking his first winning team effort. Greg Norman, who picked Scott for 2011’s Cup and still takes credit for resurrecting his fellow Aussie’s career, tried to follow the match inside the ropes but was rebuffed by PGA Tour security.
Jason Day/Byeong Hun An (INT) defeat Max Homa/Scottie Scheffler (U.S.A.) 1 up. Wearing converted black drapes sourced from a nearby funeral home and made into roomy Malbon-style slacks, Day carried Ben An around Royal Montreal. The match saw six lead changes as Scheffler attempted to put the morning drama behind him. But Homa’s stout iron play was wasted on three key shots where Scheffler could not convert key birdie putts.
Corey Conners/Tom Kim (INT) defeat Wyndham Clark/Keegan Bradley (U.S.A.) 1 up. Kim said this one should never have gone to the 18th hole. He cited having to play Conners’ second at the par 5 12th out of a greenside divot made earlier in the week by Live From’s Johnson Wagner. “We play great two shots,” Kim said of the 578-yard par 5, “and I’m right where I’d seen JW chunking the total !@#$ out of it the other day. But we got the W and a team lead heading into Saturday so I’m happy.”
Also…
Former International captain-turned-LIV Commissioner Greg Norman’s appearance was not expected. He entered with a corporate hospitality ticket and confirmed that the PGA Tour had not invited him. Unable to get inside the ropes, Norman stood outside of the media center to take credit for bringing the men and women together. “There was a lot of headwinds in the beginning because the monopolists really control the game on a global basis,” Norman said. “And I came along with a platform model that could work side-by-side within the ecosystem. But Finchem, then Monahan, both said ‘no way.’ And I said boys, ‘product is product, you must do this product.’ As usual, I was right.”
Norman also piled on after the International men bounced back in Friday Foursomes. “Imagine if they had Niemann and Oosthuizen and Cam? We could field a team that would beat both of their products.”
NBC has reprised the “cart cam” and insiders say it would have caught most of Scheffler’s run-in with the Canadian Mounted Police had it been activated.
Seen on course: embattled PGA Tour and LPGA Tour Commissioners Jay Monahan and Mollie Marcoux. They were constantly asked to sign autographs and pose for selfies, with fans grateful for bringing mixed-team golf into reality.
Following play, a lengthy “snake draft” took place to sort out Saturday’s mixed Foursomes and Four-ball matches. There was no major drama this time, though Furyk conceded that the USA Foursomes lineup was made entirely by Lewis after Furyk realized his Task Force analytics team was 2-18 for the Foursomes sessions during his two Captaincies.
Most noticeable in the USA lineup: Lewis decided to break up the Zhang/Scheffler duo to spread out in-form players better.
8:05 a.m.: Nelly Korda/Scottie Scheffler (U.S.A.) vs. Ayaka Furue/Hideki Matsuyama (International)
8:19 a.m.: Rose Zhang/Xander Schauffele (U.S.A.) vs. Minjee Lee/Min Woo Lee (International)
8:33 a.m.: Lauren Coughlin/Keegan Bradley (U.S.A.) vs. Brooke Henderson/Corey Conners (International)
8:47 a.m.: Lilia Vu/Max Homa (U.S.A.) vs. Hannah Green/Adam Scott (INT)
9:01 a.m.: Megan Khang/Sahith Theegala (U.S.A.) vs. Jin Young Ko/Sungjae Im (INT)
Saturday afternoon’s mixed Four-ball:
1:05 p.m.: Ally Ewing/Wyndham Clark (U.S.A.) vs. Ruoning Yin/Byeong Hun An (INT)
1:19 p.m.: Allisen Corpuz/Collin Morikawa (U.S.A.) vs. Amy Yang/Tom Kim (INT)
1:33 p.m.: Nelly Korda/Patrick Cantlay (U.S.A.) vs. Brooke Henderson/Corey Conners (INT)
1:47 p.m.: Alison Lee/Max Homa (U.S.A.) vs. Hannah Green/Adam Scott (INT)
2:01 p.m. Rose Zhang/Scottie Scheffler (U.S.A.) vs. Lydia Ko/Jason Day (INT)
Get some sleep, it’s going to be a wild and weird Saturday at Royal Montreal.
*Yes, this is fictional. Coverage is somewhat inspired by this week’s Presidents Cup and influenced by hopes of making the event showcase the global sport. Coverage of the actual matches is available across the multiple global golf outlets.
Painter pants, black drapes from a nearby funeral home, ........makes me think of Ebeneezer and the ghost of golfing past.....
LOL