The International squad edged even closer to a landmark Presidents Cup triumph on American soil, entering Sunday’s singles matches with a 10.5‑7.5 advantage over Team USA. After a dominant start to the competition at Medinah Country Club, Geoff Ogilvy’s contingent built on a four‑point cushion earned during the opening two days, highlighted by an unprecedented sweep of the Friday foursomes and a solid 1.5‑point contribution from four tightly contested four‑ball matches on Saturday. Team USA’s captain, Brandt Snedeker, made the bold decision to sit world‑number‑one Scottie Scheffler for the afternoon foursomes. The move sparked debate, especially as the Americans briefly threatened a session sweep by taking early leads in all four pairings.
Nonetheless, the International side held firm, capitalising on the momentum they had generated. In the morning foursomes, Cameron Young and Chris Gotterup dismantled the Australian duo of Adam Scott and Sungjae Im, winning 6&4. Their compatriots Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele followed suit, outplaying Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim 2&1, further chipping away at the deficit. The International pairings then displayed resilience in the closing stages.
Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee, after a slow start, rallied to defeat Sam Burns and Wyndham Clark 3&2 in the bottom match, securing a historic lead for the Internationals that would only be the fourth time in the event’s history. The lead was extended when Canadian teammates Corey Conners and Nick Taylor, who had dropped the first three holes and found themselves three down with eight to play, turned the tide to win 1‑up over Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman. Their comeback epitomised the tenacity that has characterised the International campaign so far. With a shared foursomes session now behind them, the Internationals stand on the brink of ending a decade‑long streak of Presidents Cup defeats.
A victory would mark their first triumph since 1998 and only the second in the tournament’s history. To clinch the cup, they need just five more points from the twelve singles matches on Sunday. Conversely, Team USA must secure 7.5 points to stave off an upset on home turf, or eight points to pull off a dramatic comeback. Captain Snedeker addressed the media after the session, acknowledging the difficulty of the day and praising his players’ perseverance.
“I thought our guys battled hard. It was a tough day out there. This golf course got really tough this afternoon.
There's such a fine line between good shots and bad shots and I was proud of the way the guys hung in there and battled,” he said. He also explained the rationale behind resting Scheffler: “I challenged the guys this afternoon to go out there and be that team that we need them to be and got Scottie some much‑needed rest, so he can go out there tomorrow and be the Scheffler that we know he is.” Snedeker added that the final day would be “long and hard,” but expressed confidence in his roster, noting, “I've got the right guys in that team room.
They're going to compete. So proud of how they've kind of hung in there this week, despite all of my mistakes.” International captain Geoff Ogilvy echoed the sentiment, highlighting the ebb and flow of the competition. “What a day! They (Team USA) came out firing, as we knew they would.
They were up in all four in the morning and we thought we stole a point and a half a little bit, to get out of that with only 2.5‑1.5,” he recounted. He praised his side’s resilience in the afternoon: “The United States came out playing well, which we know they're going to. They're some of the best players in the world, but the boys hung tough and sort of weathered the storm… It's tough when there's all red on the board, but to get 2‑2 out of that afternoon session and to go into tomorrow with a lead, which was the goal at the start of the week, I'm very proud of them.” Other notable moments included Min Woo Lee and Im rallying from two down with four to play to halve the top match against the American pair Jackson Koivun and Justin Thomas, who later admitted he felt he had let his rookie teammate down.
In another dramatic finish, Kim and Kim recovered from a two‑down position after eight holes to defeat Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark 2&1, silencing the crowd with a quiet celebration. Gotterup and Young dominated the first four holes against Taylor and Conners before the Canadians narrowed the gap at the turn. Gotterup then unleashed three spectacular birdies—from beyond 30 feet—on holes 13 through 15, sealing a 2&1 victory. In the bottom match, Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune clawed back from one down to take the lead, only for Scheffler to respond with a 20‑foot birdie on the 15th, shifting momentum.
Scheffler watched as Burns captured consecutive holes to clinch a 2&1 win, trimming the International lead. Reflecting on the pivotal 15th, Scheffler said, “The hole felt small for a while, but it opened up there on 15.
It was an important one because Ryo was basically on the same line as me. It was nice to be able to hole that one and put some pressure on them.” Fans can tune in to the final day live on Sunday from 4:30 pm on Sky Sports Golf, with streaming options available without a contract. Golf enthusiasts across the UK and Ireland can also find special rates for booking rounds at over 1,700 courses, making it easy to experience the excitement of the Presidents Cup firsthand.