International sweep puts Team USA in a 7-3 hole at the Presidents Cup

MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) — Ryan Fox and Nick Taylor provided crucial moments on Friday that propelled the Internationals to a remarkable foursomes sweep, extending their lead to 7-3 heading into the weekend in the Presidents Cup. This marked the second consecutive time the Americans failed to secure a victory in foursomes. The Internationals now boast their largest lead following two sessions since the win at Royal Melbourne in 1998, which remains their sole triumph in the competition.

Taylor and Corey Conners led 1-up over Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns at the 18th hole before Taylor found the trees and Conners struggled to recover. Scheffler's second shot put Taylor in a tight spot, but the Canadian managed to par the hole with a cut 9-iron from 151 yards, while Burns missed a crucial birdie putt. Fox and Min Woo Lee also engaged in an intense match, with the Americans taking the first lead on the 12th hole.

Fox sank a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th, followed by another birdie from 20 feet on the par-3 16th, putting him ahead by one. They tied the match on the final two holes, with Fox holing a 4-foot par on the 18th. The other matches were not as close; Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im took an early 3-up lead after winning four straight holes on the front nine, and after a narrow 1-down deficit, Matsuyama secured a 3-and-2 win with a crucial 20-foot birdie.

Adam Scott and Christiaan Bezuidenhout dominated Justin Thomas and Cameron Young with a 3-and-2 victory, while Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim comfortably defeated Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, winning 4 and 3. U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker acknowledged that there would be challenging sessions in such events, expressing his disappointment for the U.S. team as they did not fare as well as they hoped.

However, he emphasized that there are still 20 points up for grabs, and the pivotal day is Saturday, with four matches of fourballs in the morning and four matches of foursomes in the afternoon.