Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns not only clinched victory with a late comeback, but also put the US team back in contention at the Presidents Cup – the gap to the Internationals shrinks to three points after the Saturday morning Fourball session. What a finish in the last early match in Medinah: Burns sank birdie putts from just over a meter on 16 and 17, after Scheffler had already birdied the 15th to win the hole. A nail-biting 2&1 victory over Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune left the Internationals with an 8.5 to 5.5 lead.
“I felt like if I struck a 7-iron perfectly, it would be the ideal distance,” Burns commented on his brilliant approach shots. “Fortunately, I was able to pull off a great shot.”
The hosting US team, decisively beaten in Friday's Foursomes and having fallen behind 7-3, now hopes to take the lead in the four upcoming Foursomes in the afternoon (Alternate Shot). The Americans, who lead the all-time rivalry 13-1-1, are chasing their eleventh consecutive victory. 15.5 points are needed to hoist the trophy after the final Sunday singles matches.
The USA, boasting eight of the top eleven golfers in the world, quickly secured early leads in all four Saturday Fourballs (Best-Ball) – but then watched as three of those leads slipped away.
South Koreans Kim Si-woo and Tom Kim were in top form, improving their record this week to 3-0 by defeating Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa 2&1. Morikawa took the second hole with a birdie and sank a six-meter birdie putt on the par-3 seventh hole for a 2-up lead. Kim Si-woo countered: a birdie from just under two and a half meters on the par-3 ninth hole, then another birdie from three meters on the 11th, and the match was back to all square. The highlight of the match: after a three-and-a-half-meter birdie putt that halved the 12th hole, Tom Kim put his finger to his lips to silence the US fans. A move that definitely sparked conversation! Kim Si-woo sank a three-and-a-half-meter birdie putt on the 16th, before sealing the match on the 17th with a five-meter birdie putt.
“Those last two putts were real crunch putts,” admitted Kim Si-woo. “My own read would have been off, but Tom gave me such strong reads that I simply trusted him, played the line, and believed in myself.”
Frustration ran deep for Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun, who had to share the point with Australian Min Woo Lee and South Korean Im Sung-jae after the Asian pair snatched two of the last four holes. The 21-year-old US rookie Koivun got off to a dream start, taking the first hole with a birdie putt from just under two and a half meters and pushing on the par-5 sixth
