Team USA Dominates Day 1 of the Presidents Cup

The 2023 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal commenced with a dominant performance from Team USA, who swept all matches on the opening day, leaving the International team scrambling for a comeback. The day ended with Team USA securing a 5-0 lead, a feat only accomplished twice before in the event’s history.

Adam Scott, a veteran of the International team, described the day’s results as a significant setback. “It obviously didn’t go our way at all today,” Scott commented. “We’re now in a really tough spot, but thankfully there’s tomorrow.” The International team, led by captain Mike Weir, faces the daunting task of reversing their poor performance to avoid a historic 1-13-1 record over the event’s 30-year history.

Team USA’s performance was described as a “huge statement” by American player Patrick Cantlay. “We’re obviously on the road, the last couple of road games have been close,” Cantlay said. The dominance of Team USA was evident on the scoreboard, where they led for 61 holes compared to the Internationals leading only for 10 holes.

The day began with some promise for the Internationals, as Jason Day and Ben An won the first hole against Team USA’s Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau. However, this early promise quickly faded. “Reality is, it wasn’t a great day, but it’s like the first period of a hockey game the way I look at it,” said Weir. “You’re down, but there’s a long way to go.”

The foursomes, or alternate-shot format, awaited on Day 2, a format historically favoring Team USA. The Internationals were left contemplating their strategy as their captain asked whether it was too early to “pull the goalie.”

Meanwhile, tensions flared during a match between Scottie Scheffler of Team USA and Tom Kim of the Internationals. After Kim’s enthusiastic celebration of a long birdie putt, Scheffler calmly matched his effort. The American’s response, “What was that?!” added a competitive edge to the match. Assistant captains Camilo Villegas and Kevin Kisner were reported to have exchanged words following the tense interaction.

“That was a bit of fun,” Scheffler remarked on the exchange with Kim. “It’s the same thing I would have done at home if he had made a putt and we were playing the betting game Wolf.” Despite the tension, Scheffler and his partner Russell Henley went on to win their match 3-and-2 against Kim and Sungjae Im.

Play continues at Royal Montreal, but the Internationals have a significant challenge ahead if they are to close the gap against the formidable American squad.