MEDINAH, IL — America entered the 2026 Presidents Cup as heavy favorites to as soon as once more win this international workforce competitors, however the Individuals are in deep trouble after a disastrous session at Medinah Nation Membership.
The Worldwide workforce swept the foursomes matches Friday identical to it did two years in the past and grabbed a 7-3 lead over the U.S. The Individuals are dealing with a deficit heading into the weekend for the primary time since 2019. It is tied for the biggest benefit the Internationals have had on the Presidents Cup. The final time the Internatioals led by this a lot is the one time the Individuals have not received the occasion in 15 earlier tries (1998).
Whereas the U.S. entered the Presidents Cup with 9 of the very best golfers within the occasion based mostly on the present world rating, it is the Worldwide workforce that now has 10 of the highest 13 golfers heading in the right direction by means of two rounds when it comes to strokes gained.
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2026 Presidents Cup Day 2 winners
Canadian golf
Nick Taylor’s gutsy method shot on the 18th gap to salvage par capped off a exceptional afternoon through which he and fellow Canadian Corey Conners out-dueled Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns. After falling behind early, they grabbed the lead with consecutive birdies at No. 5 and No. 6 after which caught some breaks down the stretch to carry off the Individuals. No different pairing on the course Friday had each gamers end throughout the top-seven in strokes gained tee-to-green.
The Tom Kim-Si Woo Kim pairing
The Internationals have discovered their go-to pairing after Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim had one other profitable session collectively. They utterly overwhelmed the more-heralded pairing of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, turning what was one of many extra memorable matches of the 2024 Presidents Cup right into a rout that additional cemented this as a landmark efficiency for the Worldwide workforce.
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Sungjae Im
After out-playing Scottie Scheffler and practically pushing the Worldwide workforce to an sudden level on Day 1, Im was once more the most effective golfers heading in the right direction. He delivered Friday’s first level for the Worldwide workforce enjoying alongside Hideki Matsuyama, and so they put collectively a convincing 3-and-2 win over Individuals Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman. Im has been the very best golfer for the Internationals by means of two days, and he is been the very best golfer in the whole occasion tee-to-green.
Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee
Fox and Lee every secured their first factors on the Presidents Cup by authoring a comeback to win an thrilling foursomes match in opposition to Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa. No golfer at Medinah on Friday gained extra strokes in comparison with the remainder of the sector than Lee, and he was two strokes higher tee-to-green. Fox, in the meantime, was the very best putter by fairly a bit on Friday. The duo might be able to turning into a serious drawback for the Individuals this weekend.
MEDINAH, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 25: Tom Kim of the Worldwide Staff watches his shot from the seventh tee as Patrick Cantlay of the U.S. Staff seems on throughout Friday’s Foursomes on day two of the Presidents Cup 2026 at Medinah Nation Membership on September 25, 2026.
2026 Presidents Cup Day 2 losers
Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns
Burns’ remaining putt lipped out on No. 18 to shut out the largest upset of the Presidents Cup. It could be time for the Individuals to desert this workforce of fine mates, though they are going to be collectively once more for Saturday’s morning four-ball session. Their chemistry off the course hasn’t translated to those worldwide competitions. They’ve now received simply as soon as in six tries as a pairing on the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, and the Individuals want an answer with a view to maximize Scheffler. He was the second-best golfer heading in the right direction for the U.S. on Friday, and a brand new companion ought to be to ensure that Day 3.
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Collin Morikawa
For 14 holes on Friday, Morikawa was main all of the golfers at Medinah in strokes gained, and his partnership with Wyndham Clark appeared able to ship the U.S. at the very least one level on an in any other case poor efficiency. However as Ryan Fox’s putter caught hearth late for the Internationals, Morikawa’s went chilly. He missed three straight putts on consecutive holes with probabilities to both tie or win the outlet, and the workforce of Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee wound up with a 1-up victory to finish the Worldwide sweep.
Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay
The Individuals turned again to a well-known pairing of Schauffele and Cantlay after the 2 good mates misplaced their respective four-ball matches Thursday enjoying with completely different companions. It did not work. The 2 match-play veterans suffered essentially the most lopsided lack of Day 2 to Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim. Via two days, Schauffele and Cantlay rank close to the underside of the U.S. workforce in strokes gained regardless of coming into the week as two of its most trusted team-competition gamers. If that continues into the weekend, the Individuals shall be weak to an upset.
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Brandt Snedeker
The stress is all of a sudden on the U.S. workforce captain after Friday’s foursomes session went as badly because it may have gone. A number of of Snedeker’s greatest selections backfired, together with sticking with the Scheffler-Burns partnership and pairing Presidents Cup rookie Jacob Bridgeman with Russell Henley. A U.S. victory is predicted on this occasion. An American loss could be among the many most stunning leads to Presidents Cup historical past, making Saturday’s lineup selections essential because the Internationals carry momentum into the weekend.
Mark Giannotto is a USA TODAY Sports activities Nationwide Trending Sports activities Reporter.
This text initially appeared on USA TODAY: Winners, losers from Day 2 of Presidents Cup as U.S. is on upset alert
