{"id":783080,"date":"2026-09-26T09:30:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T09:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/783080\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T09:30:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T09:30:20","slug":"near-ace-keeps-internationals-close-at-medinah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/783080\/","title":{"rendered":"Near ace keeps Internationals close at Medinah"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"South Koreans Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim form the International squad\u2019s most dynamic duo at the Presidents Cup. Michael Reaves, Getty Images<\/p>\n

MEDINAH, ILLINOIS | By the time Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim reached the par-3 16th tee late Thursday afternoon at Medinah Country Club, the first session of the Presidents Cup had already found its footing.<\/p>\n

As expected, the Americans won three of the first four matches, the biggest being a grinding 1-up victory by Scottie Scheffler and his buddy Sam Burns over Sunjae Im and Min Woo Lee in the opening match that assured a U.S. lead after the first session.<\/p>\n

But Kim and Kim, the International team\u2019s most dynamic duo, were on the verge of closing out Patrick Cantlay and Chris Gotterup in a match in which they never trailed and when Tom Kim rattled the flagstick with a 7-iron to close out the match, it had a lightning-crack quality to it for the International side.<\/p>\n

While it may ultimately be a footnote to a familiar story, Kim\u2019s near ace on 16 left the Americans with a 3-2 lead and the Internationals with a buzz heading into Friday\u2019s foursomes session. It was redemption of sorts after losing the opening session 5-0 two years ago in Montreal.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s definitely better than last time. It was a brutal start last time. I think we did really well,\u201d Si Woo Kim said.<\/p>\n

If the International team is to push the issue over the next three days against the heavily favored Americans, it needed to stay close and captain Geoff Ogilvy\u2019s team accomplished that with Kim and Kim getting the crucial final point.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just the way that draw unfolded, but they love that situation. They clearly enjoy each other\u2019s company, and they sort of thrive when they play with each other. \u2026 They just got off from where they took off last time,\u201d Ogilvy said.<\/p>\n

Next up are five foursomes matches, a format in which the International team went 5-0 on Friday two years ago. It was a different time and a different place but the Internationals are starting from a better spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would have loved to have won the session, but 2-3, we had a chat when we got back to the room, and I\u2019m proud of the boys and I\u2019m proud of how they played today.\u201d \u2013 International team captain Geoff Ogilvy<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was decent. I mean, look, we obviously wanted to win the session, but I thought all the boys did really well. We got some rookies out there. This is not an easy thing to do the first time you play. I saw a lot of good golf out there,\u201d Ogilvy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would have loved to have won the session, but 2-3, we had a chat when we got back to the room, and I\u2019m proud of the boys and I\u2019m proud of how they played today.\u201d<\/p>\n

There were no real surprises to the first day other than the 3-and-1 victory Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune posted over Cameron Young and Xander Schauffle.<\/p>\n

American rookie Jackson Koivun picked up a victory with Justin Thomas, an ideal start given the attention focused on the 21-year-old.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jackson Koivun (left) and Justin Thomas picked up a point for the U.S. Presidents Cup team on Day One. Luke Hales, Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was fun to be out there with him and doing his thing. He\u2019s really impressive to watch, and I\u2019m really happy he\u2019s on my team,\u201d said Thomas, who is now 7-0 in four-ball matches in the Presidents Cup.<\/p>\n

U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker indicated he is content with where things stand after one day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you have a game plan coming in, and then you kind of see how things unfold today and what kind of changes you need to make, if you need to make any changes at all,\u201d Snedeker said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI keep saying, everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Mike Tyson said that famously. We had a really good plan coming in, and we\u2019re still sticking to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first day of the Presidents Cup doesn\u2019t typically crackle and while this one had a few pulse-pushing moments, it had a workday quality to it.<\/p>\n

It was a beautiful early fall afternoon, the temperature hovering around 70 degrees, and it was easy to hear acorns cracking underfoot as spectators made their way around the freshly shorn but still tree-rich Medinah layout.<\/p>\n

The first day of the Presidents Cup doesn\u2019t typically crackle and while this one had a few pulse-pushing moments, it had a workday quality to it. The golf course is long and difficult, rewarding persistence more than pizazz, muting some of the noise that might otherwise be created by birdie binges.<\/p>\n

It was also still a workday for many in the crowd who could be seen and sometimes heard making work calls while waiting for the next group to arrive where they were waiting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was kind of dead out there. I felt like the momentum could have been better, to be honest, because we weren\u2019t really feeling the fans, I think, as much as normal,\u201d Wyndham Clark said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Wyndham Clark said of the quiet gallery at Medinah: \u201cWe weren\u2019t really feeling the fans, I think, as much as normal.\u201d James Gilbert, PGA Tour via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cThere [were] a few shots \u2013 I mean, Collin [Morikawa] hit a 5-wood on 11 to like 10 feet, and we didn\u2019t even know if it was on the green because no one clapped. It was a little surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most importantly, what happened on Thursday made Friday more interesting. Ogilvy\u2019s International team couldn\u2019t afford to fall into a pit of despair on the opening afternoon.<\/p>\n

It did not.<\/p>\n

In the Friday foursomes, Scheffler and Burns will go out together against Corey Conners and Nick Taylor, Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman will face Im and Matsuyama, Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee will meet Morikawa and Clark, Thomas and Young will face Adam Scott and Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Cantlay and Schauffele will face Kim and Kim.<\/p>\n

TEE TIMES<\/a> | HOW TO WATCH<\/a> |\u00a0SCOREBOARD<\/a><\/p>\n

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