Presidents Cup match previews: Sunday Singles
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Written by Staff
Presidents Cup players on the rerouting of Green Mile at Quail Hollow
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Presidents Cup comes down to this.
A dozen Singles matches Sunday at Charlotte’s Quail Hollow Club will determine who wins the Cup.
The U.S. Team holds a four-point lead, 11-7, entering the final day but the International team holds the momentum after winning Saturday’s final three matches to keep its underdog hopes alive.
Largely due to the United States’ dominance, the Presidents Cup has not been defined by Sunday comebacks. The largest in this event’s history came three years ago in the previous Presidents Cup’s, as the U.S. overcame a two-point deficit to win the Cup at Royal Melbourne. To prepare you for the final day of this year’s Presidents Cup, here are our previews for Sunday’s singles session.
MATCH 19
Justin Thomas (U.S.) vs. Si Woo Kim (Intl.), 12:02 p.m.
Two former PLAYERS champs lead off Sunday’s proceedings. Thomas is the emotional leader of the U.S. Team and coming off a 4-0-0 performance in team play alongside Jordan Spieth. Kim, meanwhile, went 2-1-0 and will undoubtedly be charged up after riding alongside Tom Kim in Saturday’s emotional afternoon match. Kim lost his lone Presidents Cup singles match in 2017, while Thomas is 0-2 in Presidents Cup Singles.
MATCH 20
Jordan Spieth (U.S.) vs. Cameron Davis (Intl.), 12:14 p.m.
Spieth and Thomas formed a successful duo in the team play, and now Love III is hoping they’ll be a successful leadoff pair. Spieth, who is 0-3 in Presidents Cup Singles, is facing the rookie Davis, who has gone 2-2-0 this week, including a clutch eagle-birdie-birdie finish to author a 1-up win in Saturday afternoon Four-balls.
MATCH 21
Sam Burns (U.S.) vs. Hideki Matsuyama (Intl.), 12:26 p.m.
They combined for five wins this season but just 1.5 points between them. That can be misleading in team play, however, as both have showed signs of good play. Burns has been especially dangerous in the Four-balls, where he has made birdies in bunches. Matsuyama nearly won the PGA Championship here at Quail Hollow and is 2-1-1 in Presidents Cup Singles.
MATCH 22
Patrick Cantlay (U.S.) vs. Adam Scott (Intl.), 12:38 p.m.
This one should be a ball-striking display. Both come in after strong performances in the FedExCup Playoffs, with Cantlay winning the BMW Championship and Adam Scott playing his way into the TOUR Championship with a pair of top-five finishes. Scott is 5-4-0 in Singles, and a win would put him behind only Tiger Woods on the list of most Presidents Cup Singles matches won.
MATCH 23
Scottie Scheffler (U.S.) vs. Sebastian Munoz (Intl.), 12:50 p.m.
This match is between a pair of Presidents Cup rookies, but one of them is the world No. 1. Munoz has impressed in his debut, however, going 1-0-1, including a stretch of back-nine birdies to halve with Burns and Scheffler in an electric Four-ball match on Friday.
MATCH 24
Tony Finau (U.S.) vs. Taylor Pendrith (Intl.), 1:02 p.m.
Break out the popcorn. This will be a Home Run Derby, a match between two of the TOUR’s longest drivers. Both players were in the top 15 in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee last season. Finau is 2-1 this week while Pendrith will be looking to avoid going 0-4. Finau is 0-0-1 in his lone Presidents Cup Singles match after he tied Hideki Matsuyama in 2019.
MATCH 25
Xander Schauffele (U.S.) vs. Corey Conners (Intl.), 1:14 p.m.
Schauffele was clearly frustrated with himself in the media center Saturday evening after he and Cantlay lost on the final hole of their afternoon match. How does Schauffele play when he’s mad? “Like a toddler,” he said. Conners, like his former college teammate Pendrith, will be looking to avoid going 0-4 this week. Schauffele, 2-1 with Patrick Cantlay this week, is looking to run his Presidents Cup Singles record to 2-0 after he beat Adam Scott in 2019.
MATCH 26
Cameron Young (U.S.) vs. Sungjae Im (Intl.), 1:26 p.m.
A former PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year is playing against this year’s likely winner. Im won the award in 2019 and has won twice on the PGA TOUR since thanks in part to a strong short game that has been on display this week. Young, on the other hand, is known for his prodigious power, an asset that pays off at Quail Hollow, and his ability to play in big moments, including two top-threes in majors this year.
MATCH 27
Billy Horschel (U.S.) vs. K.H. Lee (Intl.), 1:38 p.m.
The lone player on the property who’s gone hatless, in part to show off an impressive head of hair, is playing against a man who once expressed his desire to be known as the sexiest golfer alive. Horschel won this year’s Memorial Tournament presented by Workday and Lee claimed the AT&T Byron Nelson, but they’ve each appeared in just two matches this week. Horschel went 1-1 in two Four-balls while Lee went 1-1 in two Foursomes matches with Tom Kim
MATCH 28
Max Homa (U.S.) vs. Tom Kim (Intl.), 1:50 p.m.
Twitter isn’t ready for this match. The king of Golf Twitter is taking on this week’s ascendant star, whose exuberant celebrations have become a viral sensation. Homa and Kim have each authored 18th hole heroics this week. Homa won his first PGA TOUR title here in 2019 and is coming off a win last week at the Fortinet Championship. Kim already has made history in North Carolina, winning the Wyndham Championship earlier this year to become the second-youngest TOUR winner since World War II.
MATCH 29
Collin Morikawa (U.S.) vs. Mito Pereira (Intl.), 2:02 p.m.
Presidents Cup rookies Morikawa and Pereira should each go into the Sunday Singles well-rested as each has played just twice so far. Both sat out the Saturday afternoon Four-ball session. Morikawa, 25, is a five-time PGA TOUR winner with a PGA Championship and Open Championship to his name. He will be the favorite in this match against Pereira, who won three times on the Korn Ferry Tour but has yet to win on the PGA TOUR. Pereira was leading the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in May but double-bogeyed the 72nd hole.
MATCH 30
Kevin Kisner (U.S.) vs. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Intl.), 2:14 p.m.
Match play specialist Kisner went undefeated at the 2017 Presidents Cup (2-0-2), is a three-time finalist at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play – he won it in 2019 – and will be favored to win this match against South Africa’s Bezuidenhout. Kisner, 38, is the oldest player on the U.S. Team but was an obvious choice for U.S. Captain Davis Love III after Will Zalatoris went down with a back injury last month. Bezuidenhout is a strong putter whose performance in his and Mito Pereira’s tied Friday Four-ball match against Kisner and Cameron Young was one of the International Team’s few highlights over the first two days. Like Kisner, Bezuidenhout was a captain’s pick and is a longtime favorite of International Captain Trevor Immelman, a fellow South African.