That’s the power of team golf, and nowhere was it more evident than in the last match on the course. Max Homa and Billy Horschel walked Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners 1 UP to close out Friday’s games, and Homa hit the Canadiens with a one-two cross that none of them will forget for a long, long time. With four games in the books and the Presidents Cup out of doubt (the USA are now -10,000 favorites to win their ninth in a row), Homa sent the carver to work with the 3-3 of his life and two the emphatic punch he hits ahead of – as he noted afterwards – 10 of the best golfers he has ever seen in his life. What makes team golf so special, and why does even one course cause drama? Why do I have chills on the Friday afternoon of a blast? It’s a million-dollar (or hundreds-of-dollar) question that doesn’t have a concrete or clear answer. The short answer: Because players rarely get to celebrate with anyone but their players, a red, white, and blue envelope looks less like the little circle it is and more like a ticker-tape parade in front of lots of people you care deeply about. . The bigger answer is probably much deeper and more complex. Regardless, Homa and Co. they’re thinking none of that right now, as the Americans lead 8-2 (tied for their longest past two days) in Saturday’s eight games and then Sunday’s singles. Davis Love III’s team will try to eclipse the record of 19 points it set in 2017 after the games moved from 34 total points to 30. While that number is up in the air, whether the United States wins is not. Still, there will be a few more moments like the one Homa experienced on the 18th green at Quail Hollow on Friday, and it will be a subtle reminder that team golf — at this level and this way — has always been unbeatable. It’s hard to imagine that changing. Here’s a breakdown of every match from Day 2 in the 2022 Presidents Cup.
Presidents Cup 2022 results, results
United States: 8 | International: 2
Day 2 — Fourball — United States: 4 | International: 1
1 Jordan Spieth & Justin Thomas 2&1 Adam Scott & Cameron Davis 2 Scottie Scheffler & Sam Burns BOUND UP Sungjae Im & Sebastian Munoz 3 Cameron Young & Kevin Kisner BOUND UP Mito Pereira & C. Bezuidenhout 4 Patrick Cantlay & Xander Schauffele 3&2 Hideki Matsuyama & Tom Kim 5Billy Horschel & Max Homa1 UPCorey Conners & Taylor Pendrith
Game 1: Spieth/Thomas 2&1 over Scott/Davis
A slow start was ultimately the collapse of the Australian partnership. With just one birdie between the two of them through eight holes, the international team found themselves 3 under early. Around the bend, the quality of golf increased as birdie after birdie was made. Scott finished to take a 2-down lead with a par on the par-4 ninth, and then the two teams traded birdies over the next three holes — drawing no blood. The Americans found themselves 7 under on their own ball until the 13th and added to the total when Thomas hit one of the shots of the week when he nearly bogeyed the par-3 14th. Extending their lead to 3 UP, a gutsy par from Spieth at the 15th put this match before an emphatic birdie from his blade at the 17th. With the win, Thomas became the first player in Presidents Cup history to start a career 5-0-0 quarterback.
Game 2: Burns/Sheffler tied Munoz/Im
This was easily the match of the afternoon as birdies flew. Burns got the party started when he connected from 80 feet for eagle on the par-5 seventh. He added a birdie at the ninth and then another at the 10th for a 2 UP lead as he and Scheffler played their first 10 holes at 5 under. Only then did the real fireworks begin. Im and Munoz tried their best to force a draw, but were met at every turn by the American duo. The internationals played Nos. 11-16 in 6 under — chipping away and pulling all the rabbits out of their hats — but only managed to bogey one hole. The tide finally turned when both Burns and Scheffler found trouble in the 17th and allowed the Internationals to tie the match. With games from Scheffler and Im at the end, the second game ended in a tie.
Game 3: Young/Kishner TIE Bezuidenhout/Pereira
Neither team had a lead of more than 1 UP all afternoon. Feeling each other out, back-to-back maidens from the internationals around the bend saw them take the lead heading into the back nine. They held it before a bogey at the par-3 14th allowed the US to tie the match. Despite some late drama, it stayed that way until the end and ended up in Day 2’s second tie.
Game 4: Cantlay/Schauffele 3&2 over Matsuyama/Kim
Kim’s American name may be a reference to a train, but the only one in this race was the runaway version of Cantlay and Schauffele. After Scott and Matsuyama’s throttle on Day 1, the two were back on the four foot. A perfect ham and egg recipe, Schauffele connected on a pair of birdies before giving way to Cantlay. Highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 seventh, the US once again led 4 UP through seven as they did on Thursday. This time, they left no doubt as another birdie at the eighth smothered Kim and Matsuyama before the quartet even made the turn. The international team took a breather late on the back nine with 14-15 wins but delayed their inevitable defeat. After going 0-2-0 in four balls at Royal Melbourne, Cantlay and Schauffele registered their first victory in that format in the Presidents Cup.
Game 5: Horschel/Homa 1 UP vs. Conners/Pendrith
The telecast called this match a “pillow fight” and I have no qualms with that assessment of the front nine. The Americans rattled off six straight out of the gate and it was enough to take an early 2 UP lead. They took that exact margin into the back half where it disappeared thanks to Conners’ birdies at the par-4 11th and par-4 13th. After exchanging birdies on the par-5 16th, the first big moment of the match came on the 17th green. With Pendrith’s birdie call, Homa stepped up and converted from 13 feet with Horschel cheering. It looked like that alone would be good enough to secure a full US grade, but Pendrith had other ideas. With the spotlight in the final match on the 18th green, the big Canadian delivered a rare birdie, only for Homa to match shortly after. The kid from California finished birdie-birdie to secure a second straight 4-1 victory and an 8-2 lead for the Americans — tied for the largest margin over two periods in Presidents Cup history.