International team member Tom Kim of South Korea celebrates a birdie putt on the 7th hole during their first round four-ball match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. The International team stormed back with a 5-0 shutout at the Presidents Cup to tie the United States 5-5 in the overall score.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
L’ÃŽLE-BIZARD”“SAINTE-GENEVIÈVE, Que. – The International team stormed back with a 5-0 second-round shutout at the Presidents Cup to tie the United States 5-5 in the overall score.
A 15-foot putt by South Korea’s Si Woo Kim sealed the fifth foursome, alternate ball, match of the day.
He and fellow Korean Byeong Hun An beat world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley 1 Up in Friday’s final match.
The elite biennial tournament sees 12 Americans face 12 golfers from around the world, excluding Europe.
Each match is worth a point and the first team to 15 1/2 wins the tournament, which made the American’s 5-0 first-round lead seem insurmountable before the comeback.
Three Canadians are playing in the event for the first time as the event returned to Royal Montreal Golf Club.
Unlike the Americans’ 5-0 four-ball sweep in Thursday’s first round, the Internationals’ victories were not close.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and South Korea’s Sungjae Im set the tone early with a 7&6 win over Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in the day’s opening match.
Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Australia’s Adam Scott kept things rolling with a 6&5 victory over Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa.
Although the fourth match of the day, the all-Canadian team of Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., won next with a 6&5 triumph over Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau.
Nearly an hour later, South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Australia’s Jason Day emerged as 1-Up winners over Max Homa and Brian Harman.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2024.
