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CHARLOTTE, NC — Team USA drank from the Presidents Cup on Sunday, and if you looked closely at the gold trophy, you’d see that its shine was still intact.
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Davis Love III’s American All-Star team took care of business at Quail Hollow, defeating underdog Trevor Immelman Internationals 17.5-12.5 to win its 12th President’s Cup in 14 tries. The clinch was made by Xander Schauffele on the 18th green against Canadian Corey Conners.
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“Just luck of the draw, you know what I mean?” Schaufele said between puffs on his cigar at the winner’s press conference.
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“It feels amazing, to win is really hard,” he said. “I put it on full display today. I needed help along the way. The feeling is amazing. I’m very happy to be sitting here with all our captains and all the guys in this team. It’s an amazing team we have this year.”
A day earlier, a Saturday afternoon charge saw the Internationals pull within four points and leave Immelman’s side waking up on Sunday with hope.
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It proved too late to change fortunes this year (the Americans took care of that), but Immelman’s team managed to find enough magic in the perfect fairways at Quail Hollow and in themselves to inspire those watching and prove their worth as a team.
“It still hurts not to win,” Adam Scott said. “Once some of these players who are sitting here for the first or second time start playing a few more teams, that bond has been building for years, I think we won’t leave disappointed. Cup is coming to us soon.’
For most of the week there was the uneasy feeling that the Internationals were fighting just to justify their existence. There was a growing clamor to suggest that the talent gap between them and the mighty Americans made the Presidents Cup feel unpresidential at best and pointless at worst. Losing nearly half of Immelman’s expected squad from LIV Golf only added fuel to the fire that a change was needed. Before the event even started, 2014 European Ryder Cup captain and Golf Channel analyst Paul McGinley was promoting the idea that a mixed men’s and women’s team should be introduced to bring some parity to the biennial event.
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The results of the first two days did not help. The Americans decisively won both sessions 4-1 to take an 8-2 lead. Worse, the Internationals only led for eight holes compared to the Americans’ 113.
Then came Saturday.
After playing the morning session to a tie, the Internationals, led by 20-year-old South Korean Tom Kim and 42-year-old Australian Scott, reminded golf fans of the wonders of team play and the beauty of the underdog story. We watched as Kim ripped long irons and roared after shots. We watched as Scott avoided the break to play his fourth straight session just to secure both possible points for the day in his 10th Presidents Cup.
The internationals had amazingly gone from goosebumps to goosebumps.
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Any moral victories felt by Immelman’s team will likely be a tough sell for the Canadians on the team. Conners and Taylor Pendrith finished the week as the only members of both teams to get complete shutouts, with every other Quail Hollow player earning at least a half point.
Connors (0-4-0) had a miserable week on the greens, punctuated by a five-foot miss on Sunday that would have extended the Internationals’ faint hopes of a comeback. Playing his singles match against Schauffele, Conners had four three shots but was able to take the match to the final hole before going 1-up.
“I’m certainly disappointed,” the 30-year-old Canadian said on the 18th green after his match. “We had really good momentum yesterday as a team. All the boys were ready for work today. Some of the guys got some points early to hold us back. I’m really disappointed that I can’t add to our total.”
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Connors’ stroke was a pitiful contrast to his flawless ball-handling throughout his career, but very rarely has he been thrust into the spotlight as he has been this week. After every game, Connors could be found on the practice field, working, desperate to come up with something.
“I’m disappointed I didn’t get any points on the board,” he said. “I didn’t seem to get any breaks. I missed a lot of shots that would have gained some momentum. But it was a good fight. I feel like every match I’ve failed, every match I’ve struggled. In the end, there was a little less.”
Less was expected of Pendrith (0-4-0), who was a surprise captain’s choice after a strong finish to his debut PGA Tour season. For the 31-year-old long bomber from Richmond Hill, Ont., there was probably something to gain from the week even in defeat. Pendrith had his moments at Quail Hollow, including making a bogey on the 18th hole in his first match that went undefeated and a tough battle with Tony Finau on Sunday, which he led for six holes before Finau’s eight birdies proved too much in a 3&1 loss.
“That was the most people I’ve ever played in front of,” Pendrith said. “Obviously the stakes were very high. A lot of pressure. But, you know, the first day I feel like I did pretty well. Really, the whole week was a lot of fun and it will be a good experience moving forward.”
The Presidents Cup heads to Royal Montreal in 2024, where Mike Weir is expected to captain the underdog Internationals.
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