The United States team, once holding a comfortable 3-2 lead after Thursday’s four-ball play, ran straight into a brick wall on Friday at the 2026 Presidents Cup. The International squad absolutely dominated the foursome matches at Medinah Country Club in Illinois, snatching all five points and completely reversing the score to take a commanding 7-3 advantage. Talk about a gut punch after starting strong!
International Team’s Historic Surge
Friday was all about the Internationals, plain and simple. They were relentless, sweeping all five matches and turning a small deficit into a massive lead. This squad is hungry to make history, trying to win the Presidents Cup for the first time since way back in 1998. Every single match was a battle, but the International pairings consistently found a way to close them out, showing some serious grit and clutch play under pressure. The US team just couldn’t get anything going, and you have to wonder what the mood in that locker room is like after such a devastating day.
Close Calls and Crushing Blows: Inside the Friday Foursomes
It started tough and never really got better for the US. In the opening match, Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns actually grabbed an early lead against Corey Conners and Nick Taylor, but the International duo birdied hole No. 6 to jump ahead. Even though the US pair tied it later, Conners and Taylor took another lead on No. 12, and Burns missed a birdie putt on No. 18 that would have tied the match, giving the Internationals a full point with a 1 UP win.
Then, Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman found themselves in an early hole against Sungjae Im and Hideki Matsuyama. Im and Matsuyama caught fire, carding three birdies across four holes from No. 3 through No. 6, and the Americans just couldn’t recover, falling 3&2.
The third match was a real dogfight. Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa were tied through five holes with Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee. Fox and Lee snagged the first lead with a birdie on No. 6, but Clark and Morikawa fought back to grab a lead of their own on No. 12. But again, clutch putting from Fox and Lee put the Internationals back in front for another 1 UP win and a full point.
Justin Thomas and Cameron Young struggled from the jump, picking up a bogey on the first hole against Adam Scott and Christiaan Bezuidenhout. The International duo was lights out, ending their match with five birdies compared to just one for the U.S. pair, securing a 3&2 win. Oh, and Adam Scott played his 56th Presidents Cup match, setting a new record. What a legend!
Finally, Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim put on an absolute clinic against Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. They never trailed at any point during the match, completely dominating before it ended after hole No. 15, grabbing a commanding 4&3 victory.
What a day. The Internationals are feeling it, and the US team has got to be reeling. Saturday is going to be HUGE, featuring both foursome matches and four-ball play. The US needs an unbelievable comeback, and fast. Can they rally, or will the Internationals keep rolling and make history? We’ll be watching every single shot.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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