The national players take revenge and win against the USA to level the Presidents Cup

MONTREAL — Tony Finau could feel a big change when he stepped onto the first tee at the Presidents Cup on Friday. The horseshoe-shaped stand was full and loud. The gallery was four deep in the first fairway. The mood was completely different.

The biggest difference was the scoreboards. They changed from red to gold.

All of them.

In a stunning turnaround at Royal Montreal, the Internationals flipped the script on the U.S. team by winning the four-a-side session, a performance so lopsided that the Americans only led in one of the five games, and that was by just over a hole.

Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im set the record for the largest victory in the Presidents Cup. Jason Day secured the full point with a chip that was great even by his standards. Si Woo Kim capped off a perfect day with a 15-foot par putt.

Three of the games didn't get past the 14th hole.

“Unbelievable,” said Adam Scott, who was playing in the Presidents Cup for the 11th time without ever winning. “To come back after a hard day yesterday and show everyone what this team is made of is just incredible. … This team knows what it’s capable of now.”

Tom Kim didn't have a big role and played it anyway. The 22-year-old from South Korea said Thursday that the crowd was too quiet and he hoped Canadian fans would “help us a little more.”

They did, and scorecards filled with golden international clues weren't even necessary. The noise throughout Royal Montreal made it clear what was happening. Inside the bonds, the Americans could do nothing about it.

“We definitely felt the energy from the start,” Finau said. “I hit the first tee shot in our group yesterday, and I hit the first tee shot today. It was a night and day difference, I think, just the noise and the energy.”

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, 3-0 in foursomes at the Presidents Cup, never had a chance against Matsuyama and Im. The Internationals had birdies on their final seven holes, a stunning streak considering they were alternating shots, resulting in a 7-6 win.

It tied a Presidents Cup record last set in 2011, when Scott and KJ Choi defeated Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker in 12 holes. The Americans didn't help matters by failing to reach a fairway until the eighth hole. On the other hand, Matsuyama and Im had the equivalent of 8 under through 12 holes.

Right behind them, Scott and Taylor Pendrith made three straight birdies. They never trailed, losing just one hole in a 5-4 win against Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa. Scott became the most successful international player of all time, overtaking Ernie Els with his 22nd career point.

The Canadians also delivered. Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners won the first two holes in a 6-and-5 win over Wyndham Clark and Finau. They only lost one hole, and that was only after they had a lead of 6 after 11 holes.

It was the first time in Presidents Cup history that a team won three games in a single session by the 14th hole.

“There was a lot of belief in the room and among the guys that we can still do this. We’re still a great team and we still have a lot of golf ahead of us,” Hughes said. “We came here this morning with our heads held high, our heads held high and ready to play.”

Two games went the distance and the Internationals were just as relentless.

Day and Christiaan Bezuidenhout were in 18th place ahead of Max Homa and Brian Harman. Day stood in front of a field of muddy grass that had been tamped down by spectators. One of the best chippers in golf, even he was impressed when he saw it roll out to 30cm.

“The lie wasn’t that great. It was wet,” Day said. “So I just tried to understand the lie a little better through practice swings. Will it bounce? Will it dig? Just because it’s so wet.”

“Halfway through the shot I held my hand up because I knew it was going to be a good shot.”

And then Si Woo Kim gave one final cheer. In a match where 13 holes were halved, Kim and Byeong Hun An were 1 ahead of Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley when An hit left into a thick, awkward lie in the rough and Kim hit the green couldn't reach.

“It was a tough second shot, so I told him, 'Just get me within 15 feet and I'll do it.' And I knew I had a chance to win,” Kim said.

Henley missed a 25-foot birdie putt. Kim made a 15-foot par putt to secure another 1-up win, another full point and a deadlock heading into the weekend.

There are two sessions on Saturday – four four-ball games, four four-a-side games – before the 12 singles games on Sunday.

It's almost like starting over, and now it becomes a sprint.

“I’m just so proud of the boys and really excited about them,” said International captain Mike Weir. “Playing so well yesterday and not having any points on the board was disappointing. So I couldn’t be happier to see how hard they work, how they persevere and that we captains and I ask them to persevere and believe.”

It was the sixth time a Presidents Cup session had been won and the first for the international team since a 6-0 four-way win in South Africa in 2003.

It was the second time that the Presidents Cup was played in a draw after two meetings. In 2003, it was 5.5-5.5 and ended in a tie at 17-17 after Woods and Els tied through three sudden-death playoff holes and captains Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player tied under cover of darkness agreed.

Weir produced three of his best foursome matches for Saturday morning's Fourballs session; US captain Jim Furyk retained three of his four-ball partnerships from Thursday.

“I said yesterday: ‘Your back is against the wall. They’re going to come out firing,'” Furyk said. “Well, I’m sure my guys in the team room are a little upset right now. The idea is to come out and shoot tomorrow.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.