After Day 1: USA 3, Internationals 2. The Americans won three of Thursday’s five four-ball matches. Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns beat Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im 1 up on the 18th, Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun won 4&3 on Koivun’s debut, and Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa beat Ryan Fox and Adam Scott 3&2 to win the session. The Internationals hit back twice: Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune beat Xander Schauffele and Cameron Young 3&1, and Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim beat Patrick Cantlay and Chris Gotterup 3&2. Close enough to keep the weekend interesting.
The Presidents Cup has not been close for a long time. The Americans have won the last ten, and the Internationals’ only win came in 1998. What makes this one worth your weekend is a 21-year-old who left Auburn early, and a golf course with a history of comebacks.
The rookie
Jackson Koivun turned professional in June. In July, in only his third start, he won the 3M Open by three shots, and the man he beat was Scottie Scheffler. Two months later Brandt Snedeker made him one of his six captain’s picks, which puts him on Scheffler’s team.
He is the first player since Jordan Spieth in 2013 to start a year without a PGA Tour card and finish it at the Presidents Cup. Snedeker sent him out on Thursday with Justin Thomas, against Corey Conners and Nico Echavarría.
Why Medinah
Medinah is where Europe won the 2012 Ryder Cup after starting the final day 10–6 down. If the Internationals need a place to believe in a comeback, it is this one. Their team is led by Geoff Ogilvy, with Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott and Tom Kim among those who qualified automatically.
When to watch
Every session is live on Sky Sports Golf in the UK. First tee times, in UK time:
- Friday, 7:05pm. Five foursomes matches: alternate shot, one ball per pair.
- Saturday, 1:02pm. Four four-ball matches: both players play their own ball, the better score counts.
- Saturday, 7:15pm. Four foursomes matches.
- Sunday, 5:02pm. Twelve singles matches, all 24 players.
If you only watch one session, our pick is Saturday evening’s foursomes. It is the last chance for either side to swing it before Sunday’s singles.
Also on this weekend
Open de France, Le Golf National. The 2018 Ryder Cup course is back hosting, with new bunkers and holes 4 to 6 redesigned. With no Europeans at Medinah, the field includes Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg. Ryo Hisatsune, who won here in 2023, is at Medinah playing for the Internationals.
Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. The LPGA’s 54-hole event starts on Friday, with Miyu Yamashita, Lottie Woad and Charley Hull the three highest-ranked players in the field. It is the first LPGA event since Hull and Woad played every Solheim Cup session together.