Americans win 10th straight Presidents Cup
The United States has won the Presidents Cup for the 10th straight time, with a dominant singles session Sunday leading to the biggest road victory in the history of the event.
The Americans entered Sunday needing just 4.5 points from the 12 matches and hit that number by the sixth game thanks to Keegan Bradley's 1-up win over Si Woo Kim.
Despite the cup already clinched, the Americans continued their push down the stretch to make the final score 18.5-11.5.
Here's how the matches went to close out the event at Royal Montreal.
Match 1: Xander Schauffele (USA) 4&3 over Jason Day (INT)
Xander Schauffele began the match with a 45-foot bomb on the first hole and ended up with a dominant 4&3 victory over Jason Day. There was a time when Day was on par with the world's best, but the gap between the Australian and the World No. 2 was evident as Schauffele won the last five holes of the opening nine to build an insurmountable advantage. The victory caps a 4-1 week for Schauffele to finish out the best season of his professional career.
Match 2: Sam Burns (USA) tied Tom Kim (INT)
The second match of the day had firework potential with arguably the loudest American versus undoubtedly the most boisterous International. Sam Burns flew out of the gates with four birdies on his first six holes to build a 2-up lead on Tom Kim. The energetic 22-year-old responded on the closing stretch by winning holes 13 and 15 to send the match to the 18th tied. The stage was set for Kim to deliver yet another wild Presidents Cup moment with a 14-footer to win the match, but his putt slid to the right and the points were halved.
Match 3: Hideki Matsuyama (INT) 1-up over Scottie Scheffler (USA)
The highest-ranked player on each team faced off in Match 3 with Scottie Scheffler taking on Hideki Matsuyama. The performance was exactly what you'd expect from the world-class talent on hand, with Scheffler starting things off by dunking a bunker shot for birdie on the first hole. The pair would combine for a whopping 13 birdies with Matsuyama's exceptional tee shot on the 17th leading to a 1-up lead on 18. Both players would make par to secure the win for the Japanese star.
Match 4: Russell Henley (USA) 3&2 over Sungjae Im (INT)
Russell Henley capped his brilliant first team event for the United States with an impressive win over Sungjae Im on Sunday. Henley never trailed in the contest, making four birdies against zero bogeys to secure the victory. The 35-year-old rookie finished the week with a 3-1-0 and proved to be an excellent partner for Scheffler in team play. That should give him the inside track to be on the Ryder Cup team next fall in New York.
Match 5: Patrick Cantlay (USA) 3&1 over Taylor Pendrith (INT)
Patrick Cantlay is officially a problem for the opposition in team events. The American - proudly wearing a hat this time around - backed up a strong showing in last year's Ryder Cup with exceptional play in Montreal to post a 4-1 record in the event. The singles match saw Cantlay outclass Taylor Pendrith, who shockingly played all five sessions for the International team. Cantlay made seven birdies across 17 holes to secure the full point for the visitors.
Match 6: Keegan Bradley (USA) 1-up over Si Woo Kim (INT)
Keegan Bradley being left off the Ryder Cup team last year was one of the most heart-wrenching scenes on Netflix's "Full Swing." Since that point, he's been named the captain of next year's American Ryder Cup team and now clinched the Presidents Cup for the United States. Bradley built a 3-up lead after 15 before things got tense as Si Woo Kim won holes 16 and 17. However, the Korean couldn't make the final putt on 18 to halve the match and Bradley walked off with the full point to decide the event.
Match 7: Corey Conners (INT) 5&3 over Tony Finau (USA)
The strongest of the International team's Canadian contingent delighted the home crowd one more time by boat-racing Tony Finau in singles. Corey Conners actually fell 2-down after 4 holes before winning seven of the next 11 to close the match out on the 15th green. Conners played strong Sunday, but a large part of the victory was due to Finau's really poor play. The American shot 2-over par for his round and failed to make a birdie after the second hole.
Match 8: Wyndham Clark (USA) tied Min Woo Lee (INT)
Min Woo Lee showed no rust early after sitting out both the Friday and Saturday sessions to build a 2-up lead heading to the back nine. However, Wyndham Clark made his charge on the back nine with four birdies to grab a 1-up lead heading to the 18th tee. Lee rose to the occasion in the moment, flagging an incredible approach to a foot for a birdie to claim half a point.
Match 9: Sahith Theegala (USA) tied Byeong Hun An (INT)
Sahith Theegala and Byeong Hun An were likely quite amped to be back in action after sitting out of Saturday's action. The Korean built a 2-up lead through the opening nine, but Theegala battled back with three birdies in a four-hole stretch. That sent the match to 18 tied with the full point up for grabs. Theegala then hit a remarkable approach inside 10 feet to give him a chance at the win, but his putt never had a chance and the point was shared with pars.
Match 10: Collin Morikawa (USA) 2&1 over Adam Scott (INT)
The event was essentially decided by the time Collin Morikawa and Adam Scott hit the back nine of their match on Sunday. Morikawa pulled away on the closing stretch to remain perfect in Presidents Cup singles play while Scott, the oldest player in the event, played all five sessions for the International team, posting a 2-3 record.
Match 11: Christiaan Bezuidenhout (INT) 2&1 over Brian Harman (USA)
Christiaan Bezuidenhout sat out both sessions on Saturday and came to Royal Montreal for singles action with a point to prove. An out-of-form Brian Harman was on the receiving end of that - the South African finished the match on the 17th hole. Harman was clearly struggling to find his game all week, ending as the only American without a point. On the other side, Bezuidenhout's 2-1-0 mark made him the only International to finish the tournament with a winning record.
Match 12: Max Homa (USA) 2&1 over Mackenzie Hughes (INT)
Max Homa made sure the final match of the Presidents Cup was also the one with the most electric start. The American provided one of the highlights of the event by holing out for eagle from 102 yards in the fairway. He nearly did the same thing on the second hole as well - a sign that it would be a long day for Mackenzie Hughes. Homa ended up shooting a remarkable 7-under through 17 holes to win his first point of the event after falling twice alongside Harman in foursomes action.
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