CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The 2022 Presidents Cup began with an all-star matchup that had fans buzzing but got out of hand in a hurry.
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele rolled in their opener, 6 and 5, against International veterans Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama, putting the first point on the board for the Americans to set the tone and foreshadow what was to come: a leaderboard full of red.
The Americans were in charge for most of the day before a brief International resurgence on the back nine that saw the American advantage fall to, at most, 1 up through 12 holes in each of the final four matches. The Red, White and Blue held on in all but one of the final matches and will take a commanding 4-1 lead into Friday afternoon’s four-ball session.
Here’s a breakdown from each match on Day 1 of the 2022 Presidents Cup.
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Cantlay-Schauffele (USA) def. Matsuyama-Scott (Intl.), 6 and 5
The hats were lifted early in the first match as Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele of Team USA pounded Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott, 6 and 5. It marked the second-earliest finish for an American win in Presidents Cup history.
The dynamic duo for the U.S. improved to a perfect 3-0 in foursomes at the Presidents Cup to put the first point on the board. Cantlay-Schauffele grabbed the lead with a par at the third. It took five holes for the American side to make a birdie but once the seal was broken the U.S poured it on with three birdies in a row to open a 4-up lead. The Internationals won its only hole of the day at the short par-4 eighth when Schauffele rimmed out his birdie putt to halve the hole.
The International team had a chance to cut into its deficit when Matsuyama stuck his tee shot to 6 feet at No. 10, but Scott missed the putt. That took the wind out of the sails of the International side as they bogeyed the final three holes.
“You always expect your opponent to come back strong. We got lucky there on 10. That could’ve been a big one that they missed, and we used that as momentum to finish off this match,” Cantlay said. — Schupak.
Spieth-Thomas (USA) def. Im-Conners (Intl.), 2 and 1
Like the first match, Americans Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas matched the efforts of their International counterparts, Sungjae Im and Corey Conners, on the first two holes before pulling away. Spieth-Thomas won three of the next four holes – two by…
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