What We Learned on Day 1 of the Presidents Cup
The United States leads the International team 3-2 after Day 1 of the Presidents Cup at Medinah. GOLF.com’s editors assess the teams’ depth, the Internationals’ competitiveness and the atmosphere around the course.
- Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns held on to win the final match of Thursday’s session, giving the United States a 3-2 lead over the International team on the opening day of the Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club.
- Josh Berhow, managing editor: Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im reiterated that the Americans are deep, and that the Internationals cannot afford to lose close matches in which they have a chance.
- They could not make enough birdies late, though, and the International team enters Day 2 trailing.
- Another example of American depth: Jacob Bridgeman did not play Thursday but will make his Presidents Cup debut Friday.
Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns held on to win the final match of Thursday’s session, giving the United States a 3-2 lead over the International team on the opening day of the Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club.
Josh Berhow, managing editor: Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im reiterated that the Americans are deep, and that the Internationals cannot afford to lose close matches in which they have a chance. Scheffler and Burns played well early but gave Lee and Im several opportunities to take control and inject energy into their lineup. They could not make enough birdies late, though, and the International team enters Day 2 trailing. In general, 2-3 is not a bad position. Another example of American depth: Jacob Bridgeman did not play Thursday but will make his Presidents Cup debut Friday. He won on the PGA Tour four days ago.
Dylan Dethier, senior writer: We learned that the Internationals can absolutely hang. If we could replay certain moments, I would say Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im had plenty of chances to put the hammer down against Burns and Scheffler. But honestly, I think both teams are fine with where things stand after Day 1; a one-point margin with 25 points still available is nothing.
Sean Zak, senior writer: Medinah has the potential to become something special. But it needs more energy. The typical member routing was changed so that more matches could reach the current 16th hole, a par-3 over water. The surrounding landscape and grandstands offer plenty of potential for fireworks over the weekend. Several players hit incredible approaches there today, but the crowd barely reacted. Wyndham Clark pointed that out during his Thursday evening press conference: he wants the American crowd to get rowdy. It is hard to blame him.
Alan Bastable, executive editor: “Si Woo, Si Woo…” I learned that Si Woo Kim shows no signs of slowing down in this event. He is fun to watch: four birdies today over 16 holes, playing alongside another American irritant, Tom Kim, in their 3-and-2 thrashing of Chris Gotterup and Patty Ice. Si Woo is now 7-5-0 in the Presidents Cup, and there is no reason to think he will not add another couple of points before the week is out.
Based on reporting by GOLF.com.
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