Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley brushes off the 'walk-off' incident with International players at Presidents Cup
Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley brushed off the "walk-off" incident involving Tom Kim and Sungjae Im during the first day of the Presidents Cup. The duo felt it wasn't a big deal and was all in good fun.
The Presidents Cup 2024 began with the four-ball session on Thursday, September 26. The Scheffler/Henley duo registered a 3&2 win over Ki/Im of the International team, giving Team USA a 5-0 lead after the first day.
During the post-round interview, Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley denied being bothered by the walk-off incident, adding that they didn't even notice their opponents walking off.
"Look, we're all out here competing, trying to win points," Henley said. "I play so much golf with those guys. I love both their caddies, Pauley and Willie."
He added that it was all in good fun since everyone was trying to win for their team.
"To be fair to them walking off, I did like scream at them on the hole (laughter)," Scottie Scheffler added. "I'm not going to say it was their fault, you know what I mean?"
Earlier, during the third fourball match between the two teams, controversy erupted when the International Team duo walked straight to the 9th tee box while the US pair was still playing the hole. As a result, their action received significant backlash on the internet. For the uninitiated, it is considered disrespectful to move on to the next hole before the opponent has holed out.
Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley win the fourball match as team US takes clean sweeps on Day 1
Team USA gave no chance to the hosts on Day 1 at the Royal Montreal Golf Club, taking a 5-0 lead at the Presidents Cup. Notably, this marked their first sweep of a fourball session since 1994.
Russell Henley and Scottie Scheffler played the most dominant golf in the first session, registering a 3-and-2 win over South Korea's Tom Kim and Sungjae Im. Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele won 1-up against Byeong Hun An and Jason Day. The match was tied until the 16th hole, but the U.S. triumphed with a birdie on the last hole.
Collin Morikawa and debutant Sahith Theegala defeated the Aussie duo of Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee 1-up. Both teams were tied after 13 holes, but Morikawa's birdie on the 14th was enough to secure the lead for the rest of the match.
Wyndham Clark and US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley never lost their lead against Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Taylor Pendrith throughout the match. They only tied on the 10th and 12th holes, but Bradley made a birdie on the next hole and sealed the team's win with a putt on the last hole.
Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns completed the sweep, winning 3&2 against Corey Conners and Hideki Matsuyama. The International team led this match until the fourth hole, but Team USA made a brilliant recovery to finish the match in their favor.