United States team member Collin Morikawa shakes hands with partner Scottie Scheffler as International team member Adam Scott of Australia,left, looks after winning their third round four-ball match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
L’ÃŽLE-BIZARD – SAINTE-GENEVIÈVE – Patrick Cantlay drained a birdie putt on No. 18 to help the United States build an 11-7 lead over the International team in a long day at the Presidents Cup.
Back-to-back 3-1 rounds on Saturday gave the Americans the four-point lead over a 12-hour day at Royal Montreal Golf Club.
Cantlay and partner Xander Schauffele faced the South Korean pairing of Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim in a dramatic match that was tied through 17 holes. Cantlay sank a nearly 17-foot putt for the win.
Sunday’s final round will have all 24 golfers playing individual matches.
The elite biennial tournament sees 12 Americans face 12 golfers from around the world, excluding Europe.
Each match is worth a point and a score of 15 1/2 is needed to win the tournament. The Internationals have lost nine Presidents Cups in a row.
Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Australia’s Adam Scott traded holes with Brian Harman and Max Homa to emerge with a 2-Up win, the Internationals’ only point of the afternoon wave.
Collin Morikawa and Sam Burns then eked out a 1-Up win over the all-Canadian duo of Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. That match was tied after 17 holes
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley won their final three holes for a 3&2 victory over Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and South Korea’s Sungjae Im.
A fog delay that last nearly 100 minutes early in the morning session backed up the entire day’s proceedings. Pendrith and Scott were back out on the first tee for their afternoon match with Homa and Harman as Cantlay and Burns were on No. 17, finishing a 2&1 victory over Matsuyama and Im from the first wave.
The other afternoon matches were delayed by 30 minutes to allow the golfers time to refresh themselves after playing all morning.
The U.S. had recaptured the lead after a 3-1 third round of four-ball play in the morning.
Scheffler and Morikawa earned a 2&1 win over Scott and Pendrith, then Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim picked up the lone point for the Internationals in the morning session with a 4&3 victory over Keegan Bradley and Wyndham Clark.
Tony Finau and Schauffele then dispatched Conners and Hughes 3&2. Cantlay and Burns earned the Americans’ third point of the day with a 2&1 win over Matsuyama and Im.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2024.
