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Kim Si-woo sank a 15-foot par putt winner to give the Internationals a sweep of Friday’s four-way match and tie the United States at 5-5 at the Presidents Cup.
Kim’s exploits on the 18th hole completed a stunning fightback from golfers around the world, who had not won a session in the alternate shot format since 2005, losing 17 in a row.
“I saw the top four groups gaining points and I knew I needed them,” Kim said. “We are in play.”
After losing all five four-ball matches Thursday at Royal Montreal, the Internationals routed an American team comprising 12 of the 25 best players in the world.
Kim capped the incredible rally with his putt to earn a one-point victory for him and compatriot Ben An over top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley. Neither team has ever been higher than 1.
“It was amazing,” said An. “We came back strong. Happy to be back in the game.”
The Americans, who lead the overall rivalry against the non-European team 12-1-1, swept Thursday’s five four-ball matches to take command in pursuit of a 10th straight victory.
“Every great comeback story starts with a deficit,” Internationals captain Mike Weir said. “That was the message and the guys were very motivated.
“We responded amazingly. I believed in the guys. We just wanted to get back into this game – 5-0 was a bonus – and the guys played amazingly.”
Never before in the history of the Presidents or the Ryder Cup have there been sweeps in consecutive sessions.
“They played a lot of good golf. We have a tough match on our hands,” said U.S. captain Jim Furyk. “I hope it sticks with everyone. I hope they get a pit in their stomach tonight.”
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and South Korea’s Im Sung-jae beat Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay 7&6 in the first match to tie the biggest win in Cup history.
“From the beginning, our vibe was vibrant,” Im said through a translator. “Our teamwork was incredible. When I hit the shot, he finished with a perfect putt.”
They birdied the last seven holes, eight in total, and never lost a hole.
“Really happy. It was a tough challenge for us,” Matsuyama said through a translator. “But Sung-jae hit a perfect tee shot on the first hole. That gave us the momentum.”
Australia’s Adam Scott and Canada’s Taylor Pendrith beat Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa 5&4, with Scott’s 22nd Cup point surpassing Ernie Els for the all-time Internationals record.
“We weren’t deflated,” Scott said. “We knew we were playing well and we had to keep going.
“There’s a lot of fighting on this team and we’re not going to go away.”
Canadians Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes beat Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau 6&5, South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Australian Jason Day won 1-up against Max Homa and Brian Harman in other matches.
“It was good to see the first game go with a score of 7&6,” said Bezuidenhout. “We got off to a good start, all the teams. It was incredible.”
The Cup continues with four matches in each format on Saturday before 12 closing singles matches on Sunday.
– ‘A special day’ –
World number seven Matsuyama, 32, the 2021 Masters champion and top-ranked player at the Internationals, holed a six-foot birdie putt to win the second after the American duo lost the first with bogey.
Matsuyama holed a 16-foot birdie putt with a fist pump to win eight, then added a 12-foot birdie putt to win 10 and close in for wins on 11 and 12.
Scott and Pendrith only lost one hole and never trailed. Scott won the fourth with a nine-foot birdie putt and sank a 39-footer to win the par-3 fifth and the duo rolled from there.
Conners and Hughes never trailed and only lost one hole, making birdies on five of the final six holes.
“It was a special day,” Conners said. “We kept our foot on the gas and played some awesome golf.”
Day and Bezuidenhout never trailed and took the lead for good when the Australian holed a 28-foot birdie putt to win the par-3 seventh.
Bezuidenhout found water off the tee to drop the par-3 17th, but the American duo lost when Homa missed a 26-foot chip at the 18th.
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