CHARLOTTE, North Carolina. – The United States was forced to work harder than expected to earn a ninth consecutive Presidents Cup on Sunday (Monday in Manila), taking down a scrappy International team that vowed to fight until the final bell.
Robbed of top players who defected to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, the depleted Internationals were expected to be easy pickings for an American squad packed with nine players in the world’s top 15.
But the biennial showdown was far from the blowout predicted ending in a respectable 17-1/2 to 12-1/2 scoreline.
“They were fighting. Man, they were fighting,” said International captain Trevor Immelman. “I hope fans out there really do appreciate.
“These guys have got massive hearts. Massive hearts.
“And I’ll go to battle with them any day.”
The Internationals, with a record eight Presidents Cup debutants in their 12-man squad, kept the outcome in doubt until late in singles when Xander Schauffele beat Canada’s Corey Conners 1-up to register the winning point.
Needing 4-1/2 points from 12 singles matches to reach the winning total of 15-1/2, the US got the job done with five contests to spare sparking early celebrations among the 40,000 mostly American supporters at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte.
“We just wanted to get it done,” said Schauffele. “It’s always hard to win.
“It’s not about me, you know.
“Everyone else got their points up on the board.
“It was close. It was stressful.”
Unable to match the US depth and quality Immelman challenged his player to go down fighting a call to action they took to heart.
What had looked like a rout after the US steamrolled through the opening two sessions on Thursday (Friday in Manila) and Friday (Saturday in Manila) turned into a tight contest after the Internationals hit back in stunning style on a marathon, splitting the morning foursomes (2-2) and then taking three of four points in the afternoon fourballs.
