U.S. Leads Presidents Cup After Opening Four-Ball Matches at Medinah
The United States and International teams are tied 1-1 after the first round of four-ball matches, with the U.S. holding a narrow lead in the overall competition.
The Presidents Cup began Thursday afternoon at Medinah Country Club in Chicago with five four-ball matches. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns represented the United States against South Korea's Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im, taking a 1-up lead through the final hole.
Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele paired for the U.S. but fell 3&1 to Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune, giving the International side its first point.
Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun secured a 4&3 victory over Canada’s Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria, adding another point for the United States.
Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa were 3-up through the 15th hole against New Zealand’s Ryan Fox and Adam Scott, extending the U.S. lead.
Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay split the final match with South Korea’s Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim, leaving the overall score tied at one point each.
The competition will continue until one team reaches 15.5 points, with each match worth a full point and halves awarding half a point to each side.