It happened again: The International team swept Friday foursomes for the second straight Presidents Cup, although this time it gives them a 7-3 lead heading into the weekend at Medinah Country Club. How in the world did things go so wrong for the U.S. team?
Sean Zak, senior writer: Anyone who has watched American team golf over the last five years has seen this happen a few times now. It starts slowly, just a drip of a hole here, a hole there, and then suddenly it’s a flood of yellow. (Or blue.) I think there’s some anxiousness that creeps in for the Americans during this event, in particular, when they’re considered such favorites. You hate to simplify it to Internationals putting better, but that’s how a lot of holes were won: made 10- to 20-footers from the boys in yellow. It can flip real quick back in the other direction.
Josh Sens, senior writer: It’s match play. Anything can happen. But as Sean notes, this does feel like a familiar script. Some putters go cold. Others get hot, which frees some guys up and prompts others to press. Momentum swings, and on it goes. Smart money says the U.S. will close the gap Saturday and then pull away in singles, their historical strength. But I hope not. How can you not be pulling for the Internationals in this? What kind of event is it if the same team wins over and over again? If I wanted that, I’d watch reruns of the Globetrotters vs. the New Jersey Generals.
Josh Berhow, managing editor: Foursomes have never been the Americans’ strength and Friday was just kinda weird. You saw guys make physical and mental mistakes they rarely do: Justin Thomas blasting one into the hazard when he absolutely couldn’t, Xander failing to get out of a bunker; a ton of missed mid-range putts. It happens. I think it’s too easy to say the Americans have won the last 10 of these and they should be favored. That’s all true, but when it gets close or when they start trailing the pressure really builds. Because they aren’t supposed to lose. But what’s funny is that the Internationals winning might be the best thing to happen to the Presidents Cup.
