The International team seized a commanding 7-3 lead over the United States at the Presidents Cup after a dominant performance in Friday’s foursomes at Medinah Country Club. This marks the largest advantage for the Internationals after two sessions since their only Presidents Cup victory in 1998.
Ryan Fox and Nick Taylor each contributed pivotal moments in closely contested matches to help the Internationals maintain momentum. Taylor, paired with Corey Conners, narrowly defeated Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns on the 18th hole. After Taylor’s drive veered into the trees and Conners had to punch out to the fairway, Taylor delivered a precise 9-iron from 151 yards that landed within a foot of the cup, securing a par and applying pressure that caused Burns to miss a birdie putt. “Maybe I bailed myself out after that drive,” Taylor said. “Yeah, when it mattered most, it was nice to hit a close one in there and apply the pressure back to them.”
Meanwhile, Fox and Min Woo Lee overcame an early deficit against the American pairing of Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman. The match was tied on the 15th hole when Fox holed a 15-foot birdie putt, and he followed with a 20-foot birdie on the 16th to take the lead. The pair maintained that advantage to close out a halved match.
Other International pairings recorded more decisive victories. Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im stormed ahead with four consecutive front-nine wins and held off a late charge to defeat Henley and Bridgeman 3 and 2. Adam Scott and Christiaan Bezuidenhout never trailed en route to a 3-and-2 win over Justin Thomas and Cameron Young. Similarly, Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim claimed a 4-and-3 victory against the American duo of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay.
United States captain Brandt Snedeker acknowledged the difficult day but emphasized the team’s effort and the opportunities still available. “I feel terrible for the guys because I know they grinded out there and gave me everything they had today, and it wasn’t meant to be,” Snedeker said. “That being said, there’s still 20 points out there.”
The Presidents Cup format shifts on Saturday to fourball matches in the morning followed by foursomes in the afternoon, with eight matches total. Two years ago at Royal Montreal, the Americans rebounded by claiming six of eight matches on the second day to eventually secure victory. Players and captains alike recognize the importance of the upcoming sessions.
“There’s a lot of golf left,” Scott said. “Tomorrow is a big day. I think we had a similar situation two years ago in Canada. Hopefully we learned from that, and we can back a great day up tomorrow.”
The International team appears poised to continue their rare resurgence, aiming to end more than two decades of Presidents Cup losses against the historically dominant United States squad.