International team stage remarkable comeback to level Presidents Cup

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Louise Thomas

Editor

The International team staged a remarkable comeback on day two of the Presidents Cup, winning all five of the Friday foursomes matches to level the contest at 5-5 heading into the weekend.

Beaten in the last nine editions of the biennial contest, Mike Weir’s side were whitewashed 5-0 by a rampant United States team in Thursday’s opening fourballs at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Quebec.

But it was a different story as the format switched to foursomes with the International side taking the session 5-0.

There are 20 points available over Saturday and Sunday with a total of 15 1/2 needed to win outright.

Sungjae Im had not made a single birdie in a 3&2 defeat to Russell Henley and Scottie Scheffler alongside Tom Kim, but paired with former Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama secured a 7&6 thrashing of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in the top match.

The US pair lost three of the first four holes - two of them to pars - and had no reply as the International duo reeled off seven successive birdies from the sixth to make it the joint-shortest match in the tournament’s history.

Adam Scott and Taylor Pendrith put a second point on the board, wrapping up a 5&4 win against Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa.

Corey Conners almost holed his tee shot on the 13th as he and fellow home favourite Mackenzie Hughes closed out a 6&5 win against Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Jason Day clung on to beat Max Homa and Brian Harman 1UP, while Si Woo Kim and Byeong-Hun An completed the whitewash by beating world number one Scheffler and Henley by the same margin.

PA