You would be forgiven if you looked at the team score in the Presidents Cup — United States 11, Internationals 7 — and believed it to be going just about the same as it always has in this event. After all, it’s the same score through three days as the event two years ago, and it would surprise few if the U.S. finished off a 13th win in 15 tries Sunday at Royal Montreal Golf Club.
However, you’d be wrong! Quite a bit happened Saturday in Montreal. Drama. Late-afternoon (evening, really) thrills, as one golfer after another hit a big shot and celebrated in a way you rarely see in this sport. It was great, full stop. And Brody Miller and Gabby Herzig are here to talk about it and set up the Sunday singles matches.
What was the best thing you saw Saturday?
Brody Miller: The actual best moment? It was Si Woo Kim, dead to rights, standing on a steep hill above the bunker on 16 with the match seemingly about to end. Was the ball actually embedded to earn them a drop? Who knows. But Kim hit an absolutely incredible flop that landed just past the greenside rough and slowly rolled in the cup for an all-time Mongolian reversal (seemingly the buzz phrase of the week) to ultimately send the thrilling match with Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele to 18 holes.
And, yes, he did the “night-night” celebration for a tied match which backfired. It was glorious.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!
Si Woo Kim chips in from an impossible lie to win the hole! pic.twitter.com/8fxKNig54a
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 28, 2024
But the best thing I saw Saturday was Cantlay — in both sessions — ruining the hopes and dreams of two different pairs playing the rounds of their lives. In the first session, Sungjae Im found pin after pin after pin, and each time Cantlay robbed him and partner Hideki Matsuyama of any momentum.
Im birdies 12? Cantlay chips in for eagle. Im gets to 6 feet for birdie on 14? Cantlay gets to 3 feet. Im puts it to 6 feet again for birdie on 15? Cantlay sinks a 23-foot birdie of his own. Im gets to 5 feet on 16? Cantlay makes a 17-foot birdie. It was incredible theater overshadowed by the Scheffler-Morikawa duel with Scott-Pendrith.
And then the afternoon finale, in which Cantlay (and Schauffele) stared down the Kim show and pulled away on 18 in one of the grittiest matches I can recall. It was tied going to 13, and all the momentum was with the South Koreans. But once again, Cantlay and Schauffele sucked the life out of an incredible Si Woo Kim moment to make incredible saves on 13 and 17 and birdie 18 in the dark with everyone watching. We knew Cantlay was “Patty Ice,” but the legend keeps growing.
Gabby Herzig: The best thing was feeling the energy steadily build all day. And as the lights dimmed on Royal Montreal the atmosphere got progressively more intense, shot by shot. I caught Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley vs. Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im on the 10th tee box and watched the Americans execute a come-from-behind charge to victory that would be key for the American’s advantage heading into Sunday. You could sense the crescendo forming when captain Jim Furyk huddled on a USA cart with future Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley and Mike “Fluff” Cowen to talk strategy on the par-5 12th alongside Scheffler and Henley: That’s where they tied up the match. Then, just a few minutes later, it seemed as though the roars began to echo from every corner of the property, and the crowds gathered around the remaining groups.
Scheffler had missed several short putts on the front nine to give the Internationals a three-hole lead after the sixth hole, but like he did on Saturday morning — birdies on the final two holes of his four-ball match to secure the American point — the world No. 1 showed up for team play exactly when he needed to. After the Internationals poured an up-and-down on top of the Americans’ two-putt par on 13, assistant captain Kevin Kisner arrived for a pick-me-up on the 14th tee. The defining shot came on the 14th fairway: Scheffler stuck his 133-yard wedge shot to 17 inches, setting the tone for the next two holes, both of which the Internationals practically conceded to the Americans. Even though his game hasn’t been up to its usual standard (he’s ranked eighth out of 24 in total strokes gained for the event), it’s always thrilling to witness Scheffler do what he does best. The man shuts his opponents out when the pressure really piles on — and Saturday, the atmosphere was that and more.
What player has shown you the most through the first 3 days?
Herzig: I know I just gave a lot of credit to Scheffler, but I’ve seen so much team golf promise from Henley these past three days. Gaining 3.58 shots on the field for the week, he’s the fourth-best American player, statistically. The talk leading into the week was all about Henley’s iron game, but his putter has been a source of reliability to rival the International hot streak on the greens. He’s gained 1.52 shots on the field in strokes gained putting, landing him at No. 4 in the event overall in that category, behind Tom Kim, Si Woo Kim and Keegan Bradley. But most importantly, the Americans have found Scheffler a partner: Henley compliments Scheffler’s game and his demeanor perfectly.
Walking alongside the pair today, you could see how Henley’s calm nature aligns with Scheffler’s quiet confidence — both players never get too hot, but they turn it on when they need to. Henley and Scheffler were interacting throughout the tense end to the match, Henley patting Scheffler on the back after missed putts and Scheffler doing the same for his teammate. They’re the ultimate combination of statistics and personality, and I can sense that the Americans will want to get as much out of it as they can. Bradley kept a close eye on the duo Saturday afternoon — if Henley keeps up the consistent play that he is known for, it wouldn’t surprise me if we saw him on the Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black for this very reason.
Miller: Si Woo shakin’ that… never mind.
These cups have never been about just who plays good golf. They’ve always been about who gets it. As Paul Azinger once said about Ryder Cups, the winners don’t just care in their minds. They have it in their blood. It’s why cup history will look back and remember the Ian Poulter, Seve Ballesteros, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas types more than they will simply winning players like, say, Dustin Johnson. It’s the trash talkers, the fist pumpers, the ones who put it all on their sleeve, win or lose.
I did not know Si Woo Kim was one of those guys. He entered the week 4-3 in the event. Pretty solid! But these last two days, we’ve seen a killer. A showman. A historically terrible putter who suddenly hit nearly every crunchtime putt and celebrates with panache. His “come get me” to his team as he won on 18 on Friday was cold. His “Let’s (expletive) go” to Tom Kim on 11 with his jaw poked out was thrilling. And his little shimmy dance as he birdied 13 was fantastic.
And the golf. He leads the entire event in strokes gained thanks to the absolute best putting weekend of his life. Kudos, Si Woo. It’s been fun.
Which singles match are you looking forward to the most Sunday?
Miller: I’ll be surprised if Gabby doesn’t also pick Scottie Scheffler vs. Hideki Matsuyama. It’s a battle between the best players on each team, in that perfect third match spot where it will still feel like everything is up for grabs. Then you add in Scheffler having a strangely volatile three days, returning to some troubling putting woes while coming up clutch late. Both will be playing their fifth session. It’s somewhat unknown which versions we see of both. Volatility is fun!
Herzig: The best match-up is undoubtedly Scheffler vs Matsuyama, as both players are objectively the best on their respective teams. But I’m personally looking forward to watching Collin Morikawa vs. Adam Scott — two of the silkiest swings on either team going head-to-head. Morikawa’s game is made for this golf course, and Scott has so much on the line. The 44-year-old Australian has been chasing a win in this event for more than two decades. Scott and Morikawa both exhibit that stone-cold seriousness during these matches, unlike some of the other animated characters on either team. I know it’s a late match, so the likelihood is that things won’t matter much by then. But I thought this event was over after the Americans swept on Thursday — and boy, was I wrong. Anything can happen tomorrow, and those late matches will be key if things start to flip.
Prediction on winner/final score
Herzig: The Americans will win the Presidents Cup, but I can see a few matches going the Internationals’ way to make it feel close, just for a second — I think Tom Kim has a great opportunity to take a point from Sam Burns. Matsuyama could go on a wild run again and challenge Scheffler, and I’d take Si Woo Kim on giving Bradley a run for his money. (They’re two of the strongest putters this week, so it’ll be entertaining either way.) But overall, I think the Americans will win in dominant fashion, 18 1/2 to 11 1/2.
Miller: As the Saturday afternoon sessions made the turn, I was fully ready to jump on the Internationals. They had the energy. They had golfers on out-of-character heaters. And the Montreal crowd stepped up behind them.
But then it turned so fast. The U.S. took their best punch. All of the final three matches were decided on the final three holes, and that has to be deflating for an International Team thriving through emotion.
U.S. wins 17-13.
(Top photo of Si Woo Kim: Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images)
