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MEDINAH, Ill. – For a player who was ruthlessly heckled by fans at the U.S. Open, pointing out the relatively flat atmosphere on Day 1 at the Presidents Cup may seem misguided.
But Wyndham Clark wasn’t wrong.
“It was kind of dead out there. I felt like the momentum could have been better, to be honest, because we weren’t really feeling the fans, I think, as much as normal,” Clark said. “It was a little surprising. I’m saying this more as a challenge that hopefully tomorrow and the weekend the fans are out there really rooting us on, and regardless of what happens, we have the momentum.”
Snedeker echoed Clark’s take on the crowd, suggesting it was a byproduct of a difficult course setup that led to more conservative play and fewer birdies.
• Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns were an easy pairing for Captain Snedeker. As was Koivun and Thomas, who has become a mentor to the U.S. rookie.
But Clark and Collin Morikawa qualified as a genuine surprise for many outside the U.S. team room. For those inside the American walls, however, putting the two together was a no-brainer.
“Being on these teams, you kind of get to know these guys a little bit, what they want in a partner,” Snedeker said. “Just felt like with the way Wyndham has played this year and Collin is one of the best iron players in the world. He’s one of the straightest drivers in the world. You give somebody like that to Wyndham Clark, who’s got more firepower, horsepower than about anybody, especially the way he played this year, that’s a pretty powerful duo.”
Clark and Morikawa rolled to a 3-and-2 victory on Day 1, with a combined seven birdies. The duo will anchor the middle of the American lineup in Friday’s foursomes session.
•Match-play records at international team events can often be misleading (see: Scheffler, Scottie), and a fourball record can be downright impossible to explain, but Thomas’ better-ball mark needs no caveats.
JT had four birdies through 15 holes to help defeat the International duo of Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria, 4 and 3.
The victory improved JT’s fourball record at the Presidents Cup to 7-0.
“That’s sweet. I did not know that,” Thomas said. “Good partners is a great start. I don’t know, man. Match play is a bizarre thing. Some matches you just get away with some, and I’ve played great with some great partners.”
Thomas also moved to sixth on the all-time Presidents Cup list of fourball victories, which is led by Phil Mickelson with a 10-5-6 record.
