‘This team is no joke’, Trevor Immelman defended ‘his’ internationals after the game. “I’m tired of being talked about like that. We were down 8-2 on Friday evening.
Strong language, and unfair, but these words can’t hide the fact that the Presidents Cup (once drawn) has been a pretty one-sided story for decades, with the score 12-1 in favor of the US.
However, the South African was right, the internationals returned to action last weekend and the final singles created some more tension. The Sessions won 5-3 on Saturday to cut the deficit to four points on Sunday-morning (11-7).
That’s reason enough for US captain Davis Love III to start with his strongest players. with mixed results.
Justin Thomas had to concede his superiority to Si Woo Kim in the opener, Scotty Scheffler lost to Sebastian Munoz, and Hideki Matsyama earned half a point against Sam Burns. That gave the internationals some hope, but it didn’t come as a stunt – the American team was too strong in width.
Jordan Spieth won his fifth game and became the sixth player in game history to win one. Great success. Patrick Cantlay and Tony Finau then brought the USA to 14.5 before Xander Schauffele was credited with the winning run. ‘It feels good to win,’ said the match winner. “It’s a little more exciting.”
That was a good description of the fourteenth Presidents Cup: a bit exciting. Seeing the glass as half empty, America won for the ninth time in a row, and a different result never lurked for a moment. If you’re half full, the Internationals – suffering from a shortage of LIV cannons – have sold their skins dearly to make it an entertaining match.
During the Ryder Cup the glass is at least three-quarters full.
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