Captain Brandt Snedeker orchestrated a remarkable turnaround for the United States at the Presidents Cup, leading his team to their 11th consecutive victory in the tournament. After being outplayed throughout the opening three days of team matches, the Americans entered Sunday facing a three-point deficit. However, they delivered the most significant final-day rout in the event’s history to secure a definitive 17-13 win. Going from a 2-down deficit to a 2-up victory and hitting clutch shots on the 18th to secure a win, and there he was Sunday.
President Donald Trump, serving as the tournament’s honorary chairman, appeared on the first tee to address the field ahead of the 12 singles matches. “It’s going to be a very interesting game of golf,” he remarked before staying to witness the trophy presentation, echoing his attendance at the 2017 victory at Liberty National. That it was, even if the outcome was all to familiar.
The U.S. squad dominated the singles session, winning nine of the 12 matches and halving another. While the atmosphere at Medinah brought back memories of the 2012 Ryder Cup, the home crowd provided an energizing advantage for the Americans this time. Tension spiked briefly when a spectator shouted during Nico Echavarria’s backswing; Scottie Scheffler confronted the heckler and later showed sportsmanship by conceding a 30-foot par putt to the Colombian after missing his own birdie attempt. Scheffler ultimately secured a win, joining Cameron Young, Justin Thomas, and Chris Gotterup in building the surge. The U.S. rally wasn’t on edge the way it was in 2012 when Europe stormed from a 10-6 deficit at Medinah to win the Ryder Cup. Causing him to drop the driver as his ball sailed to the right, someone yelled in the backswing of Nico Echavarria. Who just over a year ago was on the winning Walker Cup team for amateurs, that group included Koivun. He helped Auburn to an NCAA golf title, just four months ago.
Snedeker reflected on the atmosphere, noting he had warned his players about the unpredictable history of the course. “I told the guys last night that funny stuff happens here. Medinah has a history of funny things happening. Sure enough, they went out and played their tails off today,” he said.
Key performances fueled the rally, most notably from 21-year-old rookie Jackson Koivun. Despite being 2 down against the Internationals’ top performer, Si Woo Kim, Koivun won three consecutive holes on the back nine to clinch a 2-up victory. Snedeker praised the young talent, calling him special for his ability to execute under pressure. Similarly, Collin Morikawa flipped his match on the back nine, while Patrick Cantlay drained a massive 60-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to maintain momentum. He’s different,” Snedeker said. “You saw that for a 21-year-old kid to stand up there and hit those last two balls like he did.
The clinching point for the U.S. came from Jacob Bridgeman. Trailing by one with three holes to play, Bridgeman rallied to win the match 1-up, sinking a 3-foot par putt to guarantee the 15 1/2 points required for victory. Internationals captain Geoff Ogilvy acknowledged the difficulty of overcoming the American team on home soil, noting that while the results stayed on a “knife’s edge” for much of the day, the U.S. players capitalized on the crowd’s energy once they began turning the scoreboard red. And it was a rush of red scores at the end.
Looking ahead, the Internationals will attempt to regroup for the next edition of the event in two years at Kingston Heath, Australia. The team continues to seek their second-ever win, having only triumphed at Royal Melbourne in 1998, with one previous draw occurring in South Africa in 2003.
