US Complete Record Comeback to Win Presidents Cup 17-13 at Medinah
The United States produced the largest final-day comeback in Presidents Cup history at Medinah, overturning a three-point deficit to beat the International Team 17-13 and claim an 11th consecutive victory.
Brandt Snedeker's side trailed 10.5-7.5 going into Sunday's 12 singles matches and needed eight points to retain the trophy. They took 9.5.
A Session Without Precedent
The 9.5-2.5 singles margin is a record for the competition and surpasses the 8.5-3.5 haul the Americans managed in the same session at Bethpage Black during last year's Ryder Cup.
Cameron Young set the tone in the lead match, recovering from two down against Ryo Hisatsune. He won three consecutive holes and closed it out on the par-three 16th with a 31-foot birdie putt for a 3-and-2 win.
Patrick Cantlay followed by beating Adam Scott 2 and 1, levelling the overall score, and Collin Morikawa then edged out Hideki Matsuyama. Justin Thomas, who had entered the day 0-3-0 in Presidents Cup singles, finally broke through against Corey Conners. Scottie Scheffler beat Nico Echavarria 2 and 1, and rookie Chris Gotterup saw off Christiaan Bezuidenhout by a single hole.
Xander Schauffele dismantled Ryan Fox in the anchor match, leaving the Internationals needing to win all three of the remaining contests.
The winning point fell to another rookie. Jacob Bridgeman, one down with three to play against Min Woo Lee, came back to take the match on the final green, holing from inside five feet after Lee had bogeyed.
Snedeker was emotional afterwards. "I think these guys never lost faith. I know what that team room is like," he said. "Medinah has a history of funny things happening, and sure enough they went out there and played their asses off and I'm so damn proud of those guys."
Morikawa described what it took. "I know my focus is on my match, but it took every single ounce of energy for us to go out there and do what we had to do today."
How the Internationals Built Their Lead
The Americans had won Thursday's opening fourballs 3-2 before the Internationals responded with a 5-0 sweep of Friday's foursomes, the session that put them in front.
The US took Saturday morning's fourballs 2.5-1.5, Scheffler and Sam Burns winning their last three holes to beat Matsuyama and Hisatsune 2 and 1. The afternoon foursomes were split 2-2, with Geoff Ogilvy's side winning the final two matches to carry a three-point lead into Sunday.
It was the first time an International team had led going into the final day on American soil, and only the fourth time they had led at that stage anywhere.
Familiar Ground for a Comeback
The venue carried its own history. Medinah staged the 2012 Ryder Cup, where Europe came from 10-6 down to beat the United States 14.5-13.5. This time the comeback ran in the opposite direction.
The result extends the American record in the competition to 14 wins from 16 editions, with a tie in 2003 and the Internationals' only victory coming at Royal Melbourne in 1998. They are still waiting for a first win on American soil.
Ogilvy declined to second-guess his decision to play five of his players in all five sessions. Adam Scott, appearing in a 12th Presidents Cup, more than any other International player, finishes without a win yet again.
