MEDINAH, Ill. – It wasn’t quite an American wipeout, but the U.S. Presidents Cup team still managed to cut into its sizable deficit during Saturday morning’s fourballs session.
The U.S. led in all four matches at one point but only earned a one-point session win, 2 ½ to 1 ½.
That cut the Internationals’ overall lead to 8 ½ to 5 ½, with slightly more than half of the competition (16 of 30 points) still to play at Medinah.
The three-point cushion still represents the Internationals’ largest lead through three sessions since 2019. It is their biggest advantage ever on American soil.
After two quiet days at Medinah, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finally erupted with a momentum-altering birdie on 15 that tied the match. After Sam Burns nearly aced the watery 16th and holed another short birdie on 17, the Americans earned a full point that served as the decisive moment in what was otherwise a tight session full of high drama.
Despite the victory, Scheffler was benched on Saturday afternoon — the first time he has been sat for a session since the 2023 Ryder Cup. Burns, Wyndham Clark and Cameron Young will be the only players to go all five sessions for the U.S.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for the Americans, who are trying to avoid losing for just the second time in 16 tries, and the first at home.
The Americans responded at the back of their lineup, with Scheffler and Burns’ late heroics, as well as Young and Chris Gotterup teaming up for a comfortable 2-and-1 victory. Young was the best player on either side on Saturday morning, playing 6 under on his own ball, including the usual match-play concessions, and Gotterup, a cup rookie, rolled in key putts on 14, 15 and 16 to earn his first point of the week.
In the leadoff match, the International team of Sungjae Im and Min Woo Lee set the tone for what appeared to be a scrappy comeback, scratching out a half point by flipping a 2-down deficit with four to play into a tie against Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun.
The best player on the course on Day 1, Thomas has now been, statistically, the worst player on the U.S. side in back-to-back sessions. The 21-year-old Koivun, meanwhile, making his cup debut, carded four birdies to keep the U.S. in the match.
In what was billed as the match of the day between two powerhouse teams, the Internationals stole a full point after Si Woo Kim buried 15-foot birdie putts on 16 and 17. The American team of Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa made five birdies in the first seven holes to jump out to an early lead, but they played the rest of the match in just even par, allowing the visitors to mount a comeback.
The first foursomes group is slated to go off at 2:15 p.m. ET.