The third day of the Presidents Cup saw the U.S. win the morning four-ball session, 3-1, highlighted by Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns winning 2 and 1 in the final group.
However, the action tightened up in the afternoon foursome matches. Three of the four matches were 1 up or tied late. The other match came down to the 18th as Taylor Pendrith and Adam Scott won 2 up.
Overall, it was a long day for most of the players as the same four players who competed in four-ball, also competed in foursomes. That meant 36 holes of competition.
Here are 10 winners and losers from Saturday at the Presidents Cup.
Winner: Team USA responds
The motivation after getting swept Friday helped the United States going into Saturday to put them in position tomorrow. Entering the day, it was tied 5-5. At the end of the day, the U.S. won both sessions 3-1 for a 6-2 day. That helped them take an 11-7 lead. Patrick Cantlay capped off the afternoon by making a 17-foot putt to give the Americans the four-point lead. Team USA needs just 4.5 points across 12 singles matches to secure their 10th consecutive Presidents Cup.
Winner: Scottie Scheffler
The World No. 1 was able to step up when it mattered on Saturday at the Presidents Cup. Scottie Scheffler made two birdies on 16 and 17 to seal the 2 and 1 win with Collin Morikawa. In the afternoon Scheffler teamed up with Russell Henley like yesterday. It was a different story than yesterday’s four-ball but the same script from this morning. After being tied after 13 because of a couple of missed short putts by Scheffler, he got his approach on 14 to tap-in birdie range. Henley got his approach on 15 to 12 feet to set up Scheffler for a birdie. On 16, Scheffler got his approach to 20 feet to secure a two-putt for the win.
Also read: Presidents Cup 2024: The 10 biggest winners and losers as Team USA dominates Day 1
Loser: Mike Weir’s decision making
On a day when 36 holes of competition takes place the opportunity to sit four golfers. Ultimately, International Team Captain Mike Weir decided to keep the same eight golfers who played in the morning to play in the afternoon. As a result, Min Woo Lee, Jason Day, Byeong Hun An and Christiaan Bezuidenhout did not compete at all Saturday. Furthermore, Lee has not played since Thursday. That is something that can hurt the entire team not only for that upcoming session, but for the rest of the tournament. On the other side, only Sahith Theegala did not play Saturday for the U.S.
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Winner: Collin Morikawa
Playing 36 holes is no easy feat, especially with the physical toll and the mental toll in match play. One player winning two points was going to be crucial heading into Sunday’s singles. Collin Morikawa accomplished that. He partnered with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler to win the morning four-ball match 2 and 1. Then in the afternoon foursomes, he nailed the winning putt on the 18th hole to win 1 up alongside Sam Burns. Getting the full point compared to settling for the half-point is the difference in the momentum heading into tomorrow’s final day.
Also read: Presidents Cup: Ranking all 12 players for Team USA, including Collin Morikawa
Loser: Hideki Matsuyama
As the day progressed, Hideki Matsuyama leaked. He did not have the same physicality as the afternoon session progressed. In addition, he had shots that did not go his way. A couple of lip-outs, a bad approach on 15 minutes after Sungjae Im went into the water were just a couple of mistakes.
Winner: Sam Burns
Like Morikawa, Sam Burns also secured two points. Burns partnered with Cantlay in the morning to secure a 2 and 1 win. He and Morikawa were paired in the afternoon in that winning match. Burns and Morikawa became the first duo this week by either side to come back from two down or more and win their match. They were two down after four. Four holes later that two down deficit turned into a 2 up lead with three straight birdies. Burns made a birdie putt on 14 to get the match back in their favor heading into the final four holes.
Losers: Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes
Corey Conners came up just short Saturday. In the morning, Conners struggled with his irons. In the afternoon, he could not save his teammate, Mackenzie Hughes on the 18th for the approach and the chip to get up-and-down. Conners and Hughes had the opportunity to steal at least a half a point, or even with the match against Burns and Morikawa but were unable to. When players have the home crowd, they have to seize the moment.
Winner: Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay
Xander Schauffele became the fourth American to secure two points Saturday. He and Tony Finau won their morning session 3 and 2. Schauffele got it to 2 up on the 9th and the 12th. He closed the door by matching Mackenzie Hughes with a birdie on 14 and Corey Conners with a par on 15 to win the match. In the afternoon, paired alongside Cantlay, Schauffele drilled a 33-foot putt to take a 1-up lead on 15.
Winner: Kim Possible provides the drama
Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim have shown energy all week long. It was a dramatic afternoon match between the Kims and Schauffele and Cantlay. Early on, Cantlay and Schauffele made Tom Kim putt out on the seventh. One hole after Schauffele made birdie on 15, Si Woo Kim drained a birdie putt to put the match back to all square. He even did the Stephen Curry “Night, Night” celebration.
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Loser: Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim
At the same time, Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim had opportunities to take the lead but were unable to. Like Matsuyama, the Kims had putts that lipped out. In addition, Si Woo had -1.51 strokes gained tee to green, the work mark in the afternoon session. Tom Kim had the second-worst mark for the International Team in that category at -0.90 strokes. Missing the complete aspect goes a long way. Although Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim made a lot of putts and made shots when they needed to, they were not able to put themselves in better position.