Just Sunday’s singles remain at the Presidents Cup. Given the Americans’ historical dominance in the biennial team event, many expected this year to follow a similar script. However, Friday’s foursomes flipped that narrative. The U.S. tried to fight its way back to the top on Saturday, but the International Team still held a three-point lead into Sunday. U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker, for his part, was quick to praise his players rather than dwell on the deficit.
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“Stay the course. This golf course is difficult. It’s going to be a long, hard day tomorrow,” Snedeker said about being three points down. “I’ve got the right guys in that team room. They’re going to compete. So proud of how they’ve kind of hung in there this week despite all of my mistakes. They’re doing great. I’m so proud of them. Can’t wait to see them go out there tomorrow and compete.”
After the International Team thoroughly dominated the Americans on Friday with a clean sweep to build a 7-3 lead, the U.S. bounced back by securing 2.5 points in Saturday morning’s four-ball session, cutting the deficit to 8.5-5.5. Snedeker was therefore hoping the afternoon foursomes would help the Americans close the gap further. However, the International Team responded strongly to maintain its advantage.
The four points on offer that afternoon were split evenly, leaving the International Team ahead 10.5-7.5 heading into Sunday’s singles. Despite failing to erase the deficit, Snedeker said he was proud of what his players had managed to accomplish.
“I thought our guys battled hard. It was a tough day out there. This golf course got really tough this afternoon,” he said. “There’s such a fine line between good shots and bad shots, and I was proud of the way the guys hung in there and battled. Guys came out and did what I expected them to do. They had a ton of energy. They competed their ass off. Really proud of how they hung in there today.”
It’s also worth noting that before the afternoon session, Snedeker opted to bench several players, including Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, and Jackson Koivun. When asked how the players responded to the decision, Snedeker said he felt the reaction was positive.
“I thought they did a great job. As I said at the beginning of the week, Scottie Scheffler is not going to go out there and win us 15 points, so we’ve got to go out there as a team and do this together,” Snedeker said. “I challenged the guys this afternoon to go out there and be that team that we need them to be, and got Scottie some much-needed rest so he can go out there tomorrow and be the Scottie Scheffler that we know he is.”
On the International side, captain Geoff Ogilvy also opted to bench Nico Echavarria, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Ryo Hisatsune, and Hideki Matsuyama. With the foursomes and four-ball sessions now complete, Sunday will see all 12 players from each team go head-to-head in singles matches, with the results ultimately deciding who lifts the Presidents Cup.
If the International Team can carry this momentum into Sunday, they will secure their first victory at the Presidents Cup since 1998, when they defeated the U.S. 20.5 to 11.5 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. However, it’s easier said than done. Don’t forget, the Americans bounced back from a 5-0 Friday sweep in 2024.
They eventually cruised to a dominant 18.5-11.5 victory on Sunday to secure their 10th consecutive Presidents Cup trophy. Whether that will happen this time around is yet to be seen.