International Team in deep hole after Round 1 shutout

MONTREAL – Keegan Bradley let out a guttural roar as his peeling birdie putt dropped at the 18th to win his Four-ball match and fittingly cap a historic day for the Americans. It was also a release, the moment Bradley shed 10 years of pent-up emotion that had festered since his last team event appearance. He pumped his fists, chest-bumped his partner Wyndham Clark and looked up into the sky. Redemption felt good.

Twenty yards away, just short of the green, International Team Captain’s Assistant Trevor Immelman leaned on the wheel of his golf cart, staring blankly off into the distance, his gaze unchanged by the American celebrations in front of him. Just behind Immelman, Captain Mike Weir dropped his head, took off his hat and meandered toward the green to shake the players’ hands and accept reality: They wouldn’t be granted the same emotional release or a triumphant moment to rid them of their demons. This was more of the heart-wrenching disappointment that has defined the International Team for multiple decades.

It’s been 26 years since the Internationals last won the Presidents Cup. There was reason to believe this week could be different. The last two International-hosted Presidents Cups were decided by two points or less. The buy-in that began in 2019 when the team united under a common identity had grown stronger year after year, despite the losses. Even in defeat at Quail Hollow two years ago, the Internationals found optimism and belief in what may come.

That will be tested over the next three days at The Royal Montreal Golf Club.

For the third time in Presidents Cup history, the Internationals were swept in the opening session. They face a 5-0 deficit, one that has never been overcome in the event’s lifespan, and a U.S. Team that is only further emboldened after its opening-day domination.

“Reality is it wasn't a great day,” Weir said in his post-round press conference, “but it's like the first period of a hockey game, the way I look at it. You're down, but there's a long way to go.”

The score looks worse than the golf that was played. Three of the five matches reached the 18th green. The U.S. Team’s largest lead was 3-up and only the pairing of Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley reached that mark. The Internationals were competitive, but there’s no reward for that – only the stinging feeling that things could’ve gone differently, and the fleeting hope that maybe there’s still a chance.

“I'm disappointed,” said Adam Scott, who lost his match with Min Woo Lee 1-up to Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala. “I think Min Woo and I could have won that match today. It's disappointing that we didn't do just a little bit better."

The Australians were 1-up through 11 but went cold in the middle of the back nine. The Americans birdied the 12th to tie the match and took a 1-up lead with another birdie at 14, while the Australians missed several birdie attempts inside 15 feet. Scott holed a birdie at the 18th, but it was too late. Theegala stuck his approach to 18 inches, leaving just a tap-in to close the match.

It’s a feeling widely shared. Christiaan Bezuidenhout missed back-to-back 7-foot birdie attempts on the 16th and 17th. The Internationals tied both holes with par and lost 1-up to Bradley and Clark on 18.

Byeong Hun An lipped out a lengthy birdie on 17 that would have kept their match tied. Instead, Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau won the hole and held on to their 1-up lead on the final hole. Hideki Matsuyama missed a 10-foot putt on 17 to extend his match with Corey Conners.

“We're going to have to find another gear to beat a tough American team," Scott said.

It’s a gear they haven’t historically reached, at least in Foursomes, the format for half of the remaining four sessions. While Four-ball has been competitive between the two teams, Foursomes has not. Entering this year, the U.S. had outscored the Internationals by just two points in Four-ball in the Presidents Cup’s history. In Foursomes, the U.S. has a 37-point advantage.

Weir isn’t changing course, admitting in his presser that the five Foursomes pairings he announced Friday evening were unchanged from what they planned for the session at the start of the week. He wasn’t going to be reactionary, however tempting as it may have been. Tom Kim is sitting, as is Lee. Sungjae Im didn’t make a birdie on Thursday but is in the first match out on Friday with Hideki Matsuyama. That was always the plan. Conners and Mackenzie Hughes will play together, the first all-Canadian pairing this week on their home soil. That, too, was already set.

Playing from this deficit wasn’t, but that’s now their reality. The Internationals will be looking for a spark anywhere they can find it.

“We've fought our whole careers to get into this team,” Scott said. “We've faced many challenges as pro golfers. This is another one coming.”