The 2022 Presidents Cup is effectively over, and it has been for a while. However, the four-ball game at Quail Hollow Golf Club on Friday afternoon was as much fun as golf, even with the US leading the International 8-2 after two days of competition.
That’s the power of team golf, and it’s most evident in the final game on the course. Max Homa and Billy Horschel beat Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners 1 UP to close Friday’s game, and Homa hit the Canadians with a setter that neither of them will forget for long, long.
With four games on record, the Presidents Cup is almost unquestionable (the U.S. is now the -10,000 favorite for a ninth straight win), Homa sent the Carver to a 3-3 finish of his life and twice as As he later pointed out, he threw his punches in front of 10 of the best golfers he had ever seen in his life.
What makes team golf so special, and why is even a rout so dramatic? Why do I get chills on a blowout Friday afternoon? This is a multi-million dollar (or hundreds of millions) question with no specific or clear answer. Short response: Because players rarely celebrate with anyone other than their caddies, the red, white and blue surround feels less like a small circle and more like a ticker parade in front of a lot of people you care about .
Longer answers may be deeper and more complicated.
In any case, Homa and Co. aren’t thinking about any of that right now, as the Americans go 8-2 in eight games Saturday (tied for biggest two days later) before heading into Sunday’s singles. Davis Love III’s team will attempt to break the 2017 record of 19 points after the game’s total points rose from 34 to 30. While that number is up in the air, the jury is still out on whether the U.S. will win.
Still, there will be more moments, like what Houma experienced Friday on the 18th green in Quail Hollow, that will be a subtle reminder of how team golf — at this level, with this One way – undefeated all the time. It’s hard to imagine the change.
Below is a breakdown of each game on Day 2 of the 2022 Presidents Cup.
2022 Presidents Cup Scores, Results
US: 8 | International: 2
Day 2 — Four Ball — US: 4 | International: 1
|
1 |
Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas |
2&1 |
Adam Scott and Cameron Davis |
|
2 |
Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns |
time |
Sungjae Im and Sebastian Munoz |
|
3 |
Cameron Young & Kevin Kisner |
time |
Mito Pereira & C. Bezuidenhout |
|
4 |
Patrick Cantley & Zander Schauffele |
3&2 |
Hideki Matsuyama & Tom King |
| 5 | Billy Horscher and Max Homa | 1 on | Corey Connors and Tyler Pendress |
Game 1: Spieth/Thomas 2&1 vs Scott/Davis
A slow start eventually led to the demise of the Australian partnership. The pair made just one birdie in eight holes, and the International found itself three shots behind early. When turning around, the quality of the golf goes up as the birdie goes up.
Scott hit a par on the par-4 ninth to cut the lead to two, then the two teams exchanged birdies — no blood-sucking — on the next three holes. The Americans found their ball at 7-under until 13, adding to their score when Thomas hit a shot of the week on the 14th hole, when he almost hit a 3-for-three. .
Extending the lead to 3 UP, Spieth put the game to sleep with a valiant par on the 15th, before he made a birdie to close the game on the 17th. With the win, Thomas became the first player in Presidents Cup history to start a four-goal career 5-0-0.
Game 2: Burns/Schaeffler tied for Munoz/Im
This could easily be an afternoon game because the birds are flying. Burns got the party started with an eagle from 80 feet on the par-5 seventh. He birdied No. 9 and another on No. 10 to take a 2 UP lead as he and Scheffler were 5 under for the first 10 holes.
Only then did the real fireworks begin. Im and Munoz tried their best to get a tie, but the American duo ran into each other at every turn. The international team played first. 11-16, 6 under — cut in and pulled all the bunnies out of their hats — but only picked up a hole.
The tide finally turned when Burns and Scheffler found trouble on the 17th and allowed the internationals to equalise. On the final hole, Scheffler and Im both par, and the second game ended in a tie.
Game 3: Jan/Kisner tied for Bezudenhout/Pereira
Throughout the afternoon, neither team had a lead of more than 1 UP. The internationals made consecutive birdies on the turn to give them a lead on the back nine. Before bogeying on the par-3 14th, they held the score and allowed the Americans to tie the game. Despite some late drama, it held to the end and led to the second draw on Day 2.
Game 4: Cantlay/Schauffele vs. Matsuyama/Kim 3&2
Kim’s American name may refer to a train, but the only one in this game is a runaway version of Cantlay and Sheaffele. After beating Scott and Matsuyama on the first day, the pair again led by four goals. A perfect ham and egg recipe, Schauffele hooked up a pair of birdies before giving way to Cantlay.
The eagle on the par-5 seventh highlighted the U.S. team, which again led by 4 points to a 7-point lead, as they did on Thursday. This time, they unquestionably made another birdie on the eighth, choking Kim and Matsuyama before the foursome could turn around. The International took a breather late on the back nine, at 14-15, but delayed their inevitable defeat.
Cantlay and Schauffele shared their first win of this format in the Presidents Cup after four goals in a 0-2-0 win at Royal Melbourne.
Game 5: Horschel/Homa 1 UP over Conners/Pendrith
The telecast called the match a “pillow fight,” and I have no qualms about the top nine rating. The Americans hit six straight pars at the gate, which was enough to give them an early 2 UP lead. They took that precise dividing line to the back half, which disappeared thanks to Connors birdies on the par-4 11th and par-4 13th.
After a birdie swap on the par-5 16th, the first big moment of the game came on the 17th green. With Pendrith’s birdie bid, Homa stepped forward, changing his profile from 13 feet to the cheers of Horschel.
It feels like that alone is enough to secure a perfect score for America, but Pendrith has other ideas. As the final game on the 18th green came into focus, the Canadian big made a rare birdie, but Houma caught up soon after. The California kid made birdie for a second straight 4-1 win and an 8-2 lead for Team USA – tying the biggest two-game gap in Presidents Cup history.