Sungjae Im, Hideki Matsuyama defeat Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay; tie largest victory margin record at Presidents Cup
Sungjae Im and Hideki Matsuyama scripted history after tying the largest victory margin ever in a Presidents Cup in their foursomes match on Friday. The International Team duo went up against Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay of the US and won 7-6.
Im and Matsuyama won the first hole after a concession and soon capitalized their lead by winning the second hole with a birdie. They kept extending their lead and were 3-up by the fourth hole. The US team conceded yet again on the sixth hole. Sungjae Im and Hideki Matsuyama didn't look back after that as they continued their run.
Matsuyama sank a 16-foot putt on the eighth hole while Im hit an 11-foot birdie putt on the next one. Both teams nailed birdies on the 12th hole. The game concluded after that. The International Team won a whopping seven holes while Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay couldn't win even one.
This match possibly set the precedent for the International Team as it recorded an incredible comeback after sub-par fourball events on Thursday.
"From the beginning, our vibe was vibing" - Sungjae Im on Hideki Matsuyama
International Team players Sungjae Im and Hideki Matsuyama were pairing up for the first time in a team competition and managed to create history on their first outing together. The pair tied with the biggest ever win margin in the Presidents Cup.
In their match against Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay of the US, the duo didn't give their opponents any chance and dominated the opening game throughout. They laid the foundation for a remarkable turnaround for their team after a poor 0-5 show on the first day.
Sungjae Im commended the teamwork between him and Hideki Matsuyama. He said via sbnation.com:
"From the beginning, our vibe was vibing, and we were trying to win the match. With Hideki, our teamwork was amazing. When I would hit the shot, he would finish with the putt, so it was a great job."
Matsuyama reflected on the below average round 1.
"We had a tough start to the first day. Five losses wasn’t the result we wanted to have. But we knew that we could come back from this."
Im and Matsuyama really set the tone for round 2 as the International Team won all five of its foursomes on Friday in a splendid clean sweep. The two teams are now tied at 5-5.