Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
Day 1 of the 2024 Presidents Cup is complete, so these are the three takeaways from the Americans’ dominant performance.
The Americans brought their A-game Thursday at the Presidents Cup as they swept the International team 5-0.
It was the third time in the event’s 30-year history that Team USA won all five matches.
So many players came up clutch for the Americans Thursday after the International team fought hard.
Three of the five matches went to the 18th hole while World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley took down Tom Kim and Sungjae Im 3 & 2.
Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay defeated Corey Conners and Hideki Matsuyama 2 & 1.
Golf Channel’s Paul McGinley summed up Day 1 perfectly.
“The Internationals have tried hard, but the Americans have seemed to have the answer to every question thrown at them,” McGinley said during Thursday’s coverage.
Now that all the matches are over, here are three takeaways from Thursday’s four-ball session.
Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
It has been too long since Keegan Bradley was on a Team USA
Keegan Bradley was massive for the Americans during Thursday’s session. His passion was incredible, proving that a decade is far too long for him not to be on a team.
The last time he appeared on Team USA was in 2013 for the Ryder Cup. He was infamously snubbed off the 2023 team, which caused much controversy among fans.
Now, Bradley is the 2025 Ryder Cup captain for Bethpage Black. After the energy he brought to the match on Thursday, next year cannot come fast enough.
Bradley’s putter secured the match for him and Wyndham Clark against Taylor Pendrith and Christian Bezuidenhout.
He made 34, 11 and 19-foot putts throughout the round. That 19-footer came on 18 and helped secure the 1UP victory.
The bottom line here is that Bradley is a gem. He is so good on a team and is already proving himself despite being 38 years old.
Scottie Scheffler delivered some tough medicine to his good friend Tom Kim
Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley played Tom Kim and Sungjae Im for the first session. The pettiness between Scheffler and Kim was like watching a blockbuster movie.
Seeing them two trash-talk each other on the 7th green was one of the day’s highlights. The Presidents Cup needs that kind of excitement, and coming from Scheffler was awesome.
It is difficult to get Scheffler to show any emotion, so it was shocking that he matched Kim’s energy.
“It looked like he poked the bear, from my perspective,” Scheffler said after the match on Thursday.
It seems like Kim learned his lesson the hard way on Thursday.
Jim Furyk’s choice to split up normal pairings proved to be brilliant
Usually, Team USA pairs Sam Burns with Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele with Patrick Cantlay. However, Captain Jim Furyk split these two up and put them with new partners.
Burns and Cantlay played in the anchor match, while Scheffler played with Russell Henley in Match 3. Overall, his four-ball pairings were great options because each group complimented each other nicely.
Scheffler and Henley got into a great rhythm and ended the match early. Burns and Cantlay also finished early on the day.
However, I love that he paired Sahith Theegala with Collin Morikawa because they have similar dispositions and give off a great vibe. Morikawa’s experience helped the rookie settle in and play well.
Then, putting Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele out in the first group was amazing. Two guys who knew what was on the line and what they had to do were just what Team USA needed.
They got that first point and set the rest in motion. Overall, it was a great first session that set up Team USA to sweep the Internationals.
Will the International Team be able to bounce back Friday afternoon, or will the Americans run away with another Presidents Cup?
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @golf_girl_sl.
