Jim Furyk disastrously extends his and Team USA's unique Friday foursomes loss record in team competitions
Jim Furyk's disastrous record in the Friday foursomes continued as Team USA got swept by the International team. This is the third straight team event where the US has lost all matches in the Friday foursomes, and Furyk has been part of the leadership.
On Friday, September 27, Jim Furyk and the US team arrived at The Royal Montreal Golf Club with a 5-0 lead over the hosts. However, the International team made a remarkable comeback in the foursome session, equalizing the scoreline by sweeping the visitors.
Jim Furyk had captained Team USA in the 2018 Ryder Cup, where they finished the Friday foursomes with a 0-4 scoreline. This happened again last year when Furyk was the vice-captain for Team USA. The streak has continued in the Presidents Cup, making it the third Friday foursome sweep in the past five events for the US team.
In the first match, Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im were up against close friends Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. Coming in with a 3-0 record at the Presidents Cup, the US duo had the upper hand. However, the Matsuyama and Im duo were on target right from the start and never gave their opponents a chance. Eventually, they triumphed over the visitors with a dominant 7&6 win.
Taylor Pendrith and veteran Adam Scott posted a 5&4 win over Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala in the second match of the day.
In the third match, Jason Day and Christiaan Bezuidenhout claimed a 1-up victory over Max Homa and Brian Harman. The duo was 3-up after 12 holes, but the American pair fought back, winning two holes, though they still fell just short.
In the next match, Canadian duo Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes carried forward the momentum and registered a 6&5 victory over Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau.
In the final foursome of the day, Si Woo Kim and Byeong Hun An recorded a win against Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley, who had won on Thursday. The duo won the thirteenth hole and maintained the lead for a 1-up win against the US pair.
"Those guys played really well" - Jim Furyk reflects on the 5-0 sweep at the Friday foursomes
Reflecting on the Friday foursomes sweep, US captain Jim Furyk praised the International team for the epic comeback.
"My hat's off to them," he said. "Those guys played really well. For alternate shot, there was a lot of birdies made and a lot of guys that were well under par."
"I said yesterday in some interviews, 'their back's against the wall. They're going to come out firing.' Well, I'm sure my guys are a little pissed off right now back there in the team room. The idea is to come out firing tomorrow," he added.
On Saturday, September 28, ten points will be up for grabs for the teams. The foursomes will take place on Saturday morning, followed by the four-ball session in the afternoon. Both teams will focus on taking the lead ahead of the Sunday singles.