Surprises, scenes, second-guessing, MVPs from Presidents Cup

Two of our writers at the Presidents Cup, Dylan Dethier and Sean Zak, are checking in after a wild Saturday at Medinah. Here’s what they saw — from their favorite scenes to pleasant surprises to second-guessing and biggest disappointments. There’s still one session left, but plenty has already happened…let’s dive in.

What scene stands out that tells the story of the day?

Dylan Dethier: I’ll start at the finish: Corey Conners! It’s no secret that the short-to-mid-length putts aren’t exactly his bread and butter; he entered this week at No. 155 out of 157 on Tour in putts from 4-8 feet.

Sure enough, his match — the last of the day — came down to exactly that. His partner Nick Taylor chipped his third shot on the 18th hole to six feet. And Conners, with the entire world watching, dripped that par putt right in the middle, securing a massive full point for the entire International team (and for Canada). Good on ya, Corey. 

Sean Zak: My scene of the day is actually a collection of scenes, in which I saw members of the International side (caddies, coaches, players, captains) looking like a red wave was hitting them. The wave came numerous times … and yet they lost just as single point across eight matches? I’m in a bit of disbelief. The Americans let a bunch of air out the balloon with their inability to finish off leads today. That stands out above all else.

What has been the biggest surprise up to this point? Get specific.

Dethier: “The score” jumps out — a three-shot International lead definitely defies expectations —  but more specifically it’s the way the matches have developed. As I write this, I’m now seeing Sean explored similar territory above, but it’s worth re-emphasizing: The Americans led in all four matches on Saturday morning. They led in all four matches again on Saturday afternoon. And yet they ultimately picked up just a single point on the day; we started at 7-3 and finished at 10.5-7.5. Given the way these matches have always broken — with the U.S. ultimately, inevitably surging ahead — we kept waiting for the red wave to hit. The fact that it never did (or at least hasn’t yet) is a real surprise.

Zak: It’s Justin Thomas for me. Not because he was expected to dominate coming into the week — but because, after the first session it felt like this might be his Cup. Ever since that opening victory, he’s been as bad as anyone in the field, really struggling off the tee. This is a big ballpark and he’s still missing fairways. Because he’s so instrumental to the Americans, it’s cost them a good bit.

Who’s the MVP in your mind? (If yours is taken, move to the next guy.)

Dethier: It’s been a remarkably even effort, but I’d hand it to Si Woo Kim thus far. He and Tom Kim finally lost this afternoon to Team Cantlay/Schauffele but they’re the only two players with three points to their name (3-1-0 each) and Si Woo has been the slightly more heroic of the two — particularly his Saturday morning finish, where birdies at 16 and 17 ended the match.

Zak: Si Woo is a great answer, but he also sorta broke up a bit on Saturday afternoon. That’s the tough part of being on in a Cup like this — your captain just keeps pushing you out there, and you’re soon battling stamina.

I’ll throw you a curveball and highlight play over results by giving you Wyndham Clark, whose record is a brutal 1-3 despite playing great throughout. No one has putted better than him, on either side, and that’s typically how matches get decided. He could easily be 3-1 instead.

Team golf means second-guessing. Anything that U.S. leadership should have done differently?

Dethier: Yeah — they shouldn’t have benched Scottie Scheffler on Saturday afternoon. I know his foursomes record is sketchy. I know, for whatever reason, it’s been tough to find him a perfect partner. But it’s Scottie Scheffler! Being out there this afternoon and seeing Scheffler yuk it up with the families and support staff really drove home how wrong it felt to leave him out. Two American teams watched their leads slip away and turn into deficits, including his could-have-been partner, Burns. I dunno. Call me a simpleton, but if you have Scottie Scheffler you play Scottie Scheffler.

Zak: Based on Snedeker’s Saturday night press conference, there’s apparently plenty he is already blaming himself for. In the end, there’s only so much a captain can do, but perhaps Brandt’s stressing over making sure his team is always comfortable, all the time — this trope American captains keep trotting out — in an event that’s just not made to be comfortable, is a mentality mistake that keeps repeating itself.

What match are you most looking forward to Sunday afternoon?

Dethier: Nico Echavarria vs. Scottie Scheffler. A couple levels to this one. First, the way these pairings work (with one captain throwing out a name, then the other captain countering) it’s risky to offer up a player’s name because it gives the other team the power — they are the ones who get to set the match.

If I’m the U.S. captain, I want Scheffler facing down the strongest International player and taking him out, strong over strong. Instead the Americans offered up Scheffler — and you could practically see the grins on the faces of Geoff Ogilvy and Co. as they countered with Nico Echavarria, who has only played once this week. Suddenly they have a slighted, pissed-off Echavarria going at the World No. 1 with nothing to lose, all while they’ve saved their stronger players for every other matchup.

Anyway, yeah. That match. (Also Ryo Hisatsune vs. Cameron Young is a fascinating first-match tone-setter.)

Zak: Adam Scott vs. Patrick Cantlay. These two have spent a lot of time together in recent years, working on the PGA Tour Policy Board. They’re both extremely polished and reserved, but if their match goes the distance, it has a real chance of deciding the winning point. For Scott to have that in his 11th Presidents Cup after never winning any of these things — wow, that would be fascinating to watch.

You can see individual records through four sessions below.

U.S. Team (7.5 points)

Scottie Scheffler 2-1
Chris Gotterup 2-1
Cameron Young 2-2
Sam Burns 2-2
Jackson Koivun 1-0-1
Justin Thomas 1-1-1
Collin Morikawa 1-2
Patrick Cantlay 1-2
Xander Schauffele 1-2
Wyndham Clark 1-3
Russell Henley 0-2
Jacob Bridgeman 0-2

International Team (10.5 points)

Tom Kim 3-1
Si Woo Kim 3-1
Min Woo Lee 2-1-1
Hideki Matsuyama 2-1
Nick Taylor 2-1
Ryan Fox 2-1
Corey Conners 2-2
Christiaan Bezuidenhout 1-0
Sungjae Im 1-2-1
Adam Scott 1-2
Ryo Hisatsune 1-1
Nico Echavarria 0-1

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