U.S. bench Scottie Scheffler in controversial foursomes decision
U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker rested Scottie Scheffler for Saturday afternoon’s Presidents Cup foursomes despite the Americans trailing the International team 8.5–5.5.
- Scottie Scheffler will not play in Saturday afternoon’s Presidents Cup foursomes.
- captain Brandt Snedeker said his lineup included “a couple wrinkles” and split the Scheffler-Sam Burns pairing, which had gone 2–1 through the first three sessions.
- “I feel like Scottie’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders, carrying Team USA, and it’s time for us to carry him for a session,” Snedeker told NBC’s Cara Banks.
- The decision was made while Scheffler and Burns were trailing after 14 holes in the anchor match from the previous session.
Scottie Scheffler will not play in Saturday afternoon’s Presidents Cup foursomes. It is the first time in three years that the world No. 1 has sat out a session in U.S. team competition.
Before the session, Scheffler was spotted on the first tee with his shirt untucked, eating chips and chatting with U.S. family members and support staff. The International team led 8.5–5.5 at the time.
U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker said his lineup included “a couple wrinkles” and split the Scheffler-Sam Burns pairing, which had gone 2–1 through the first three sessions. “I feel like Scottie’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders, carrying Team USA, and it’s time for us to carry him for a session,” Snedeker told NBC’s Cara Banks.
Snedeker said sitting the world No. 1 was difficult. “It was tough, that’s probably why my head is still spinning. We want him to get some rest and get ready for tomorrow’s singles matches,” he said.
The decision was made while Scheffler and Burns were trailing after 14 holes in the anchor match from the previous session. It is therefore unclear whether Scheffler’s birdie putt at No. 15 influenced the captain, or whether Snedeker would have made the same call after Burns birdied Nos. 16 and 17 to win 2 and 1.
Scheffler likely learned of the decision during his post-match interview. He remained positive: “Our team is a great team, and I’m looking forward to going out and supporting the guys. I’ll cheer them on and get a little rest.”
The move was surprising because of Scheffler’s status. He is the unquestioned best player at the event and the most dominant world No. 1 since Tiger Woods. He played all five sessions at both the 2024 Presidents Cup and the 2025 Ryder Cup.
Still, Scheffler’s foursomes record remains puzzling. After Friday’s loss with Burns, his Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup alternate-shot record fell to 1–8–0. Strokes-gained numbers have also offered a mixed picture, with Burns stronger across the main categories.
“We’re always prepared for anything. I’ve played a lot of golf this year, so I’ll just sit there and cheer the boys on. I’ll watch Sam—he’s one of my favorite people to watch—and get ready for tomorrow,” Scheffler said.
Burns, Wyndham Clark and Cameron Young will play all five sessions for the U.S. Along with Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jackson Koivun and Collin Morikawa will sit Saturday afternoon.
Five International players will play all five sessions: Si Woo Kim, Tom Kim, Sungjae Im, Min Woo Lee and Corey Conners. Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Nico Echavarria will play only twice.
At the time of publication, the strategy appeared to be working: the U.S. team led in all four afternoon matches.
Individual records through three sessions:
U.S. Team Sam Burns — 2–1 Scottie Scheffler — 2–1 Jackson Koivun — 1–0–1 Justin Thomas — 1–1–1 Wyndham Clark — 1–2 Cameron Young — 1–2 Collin Morikawa — 1–2 Chris Gotterup — 1–1 Russell Henley — 0–1 Jacob Bridgeman — 0–1 Patrick Cantlay — 0–2 Xander Schauffele — 0–2
International Team Tom Kim — 3–0 Si Woo Kim — 3–0 Hideki Matsuyama — 2–1 Sungjae Im — 1–1–1 Min Woo Lee — 1–1–1 Christiaan Bezuidenhout — 1–0 Nick Taylor — 1–1 Adam Scott — 1–1 Ryan Fox — 1–1 Ryo Hisatsune — 1–1 Corey Conners — 1–2 Nico Echavarria — 0–1
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