CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Presidents Cup captain Davis Love III said one of the most difficult parts of his job this week is determining which of his star players to sit.
That was apparent with his Saturday foursomes lineup.
On the bench for the first of two sessions Saturday will be Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, who improved to 2-0 this week after another dominating performance on Friday at Quail Hollow. After setting the tone with a record-tying 6-and-5 victory in the opening session, Cantlay and Schauffele teamed up for another 3-and-2 win that helped give the Americans a decisive 8-2 advantage at the halfway point.
“You’ve seen it in what we’ve done the last five or six teams,” Love said. “We don’t just hide people or make a guy sit out two days in a row or all day in the Ryder Cup. So it’s mixing and matching and making sure everybody gets in the game and keeps the momentum going.”
Full match scoring from the Presidents Cup
Cantlay and Schauffele have now played six Presidents Cup matches together, one off the record (seven by Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen). Cantlay and Schauffele are all but guaranteed to match that mark in Saturday afternoon fourballs.
Still, it was surprising to see Love opt to sit them for the first session since Cantlay and Schauffele are undefeated (3-0) in the foursomes format in the Presidents Cup. Afterward, Love didn’t directly address the Cantlay-Schauffele partnership, but it’s possible they asked for extra rest given the early start time Saturday (7:12 a.m. ET) and Cantlay’s lengthy pre-round regimen for his back. Billy Horschel and Kevin Kisner will also sit out Saturday morning, as they did in the first foursomes session.
“We have guys that say, ‘Hey, I’ll sit out in the morning, and we’ll let those other guys go play,’” Love said. “We have no selfishness. Nobody’s mad to sit out.”