U.S. controlling closing holes and drawing closer to another Presidents Cup win

MONTREAL – As the sun set on Royal Montreal, and probably on the International team’s chances to win the Presidents Cup for the first time in nearly three decades, the U.S. team did what it has done all week.

Patrick Cantlay’s 17-foot birdie putt on the final hole dropped into the hole to ultimately secure a 1-up victory over South Korea’s Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim to give the visiting team an 11-7 lead going into Sunday’s singles session.

Of the 18 matches this week, 14 have reached the 16th hole with the U.S. team prevailing in 11 of those.

“Nos. 13 through 18 are dramatic holes. Again, I think my guys, like we did on Thursday, they played those holes down the stretch very well, able to close out some matches,” U.S. captain Jim Furyk said. “That 3-1 [margin in Saturday’s foursomes session] could have easily been 2-2. It could have been 3-1 or 2½-1½ their side. That’s kind of how team things go.”

That is how things normally go in match play but this week those bouts that have reached the final three holes have largely gone to the U.S. team.

The trend started on Thursday when the U.S. rolled to a clean sweep of the fourball session with Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau leading the way with a 1-up victory over Australia’s Jason Day and South Korea’s Byeong Hun An that included birdies at Nos. 17 and 18 for the U.S. team.

Friday’s reversal for the International team was not nearly as dramatic thanks to three of the four matches not going past the 14^th hole in a 5-0 rout that tied the matches.

But Saturday’s double-header featured plenty of late swings that largely went the U.S. team’s way, starting with Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler’s 2-and-1 victory over Aussie Adam Scott and Canadian Taylor Pendrith that was sealed with birdies at Nos. 16 and 17 for the Americans.

In the afternoon foursomes session, the U.S. tandem of Scheffler and Russell Henley closed out Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and South Korea’s Sungjae Im, 3 and 2, by winning the 16^th hole.

The final two matches of the day, meanwhile, both went to the final hole.

Collin Morikawa and Sam Burns won the 18th to secure a 2-up victory over the Canadian team of Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes, and Cantlay capped off the U.S. rally with his closing birdie in near darkness.

If the International team is going to pull off the comeback they’ll likely need to improve their fortunes on the closing holes.

“Our guys are keen to get out there and change that narrative, and they’ll be ready,” International captain Mike Weir said. “I can’t change that narrative. The guys have got to step up there and hit the shots and make the putts. Again, hat’s off to the U.S. guys. First few days they’ve done that, and hopefully we do it tomorrow.”