USA edge 3-2 after opening fourballs at Medinah
The United States lead the International team 3-2 after Thursday's opening fourballs at the Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club in Illinois, according to BBC Sport.
It is a fast start with a familiar prize at stake. The Americans are chasing an 11th straight win in this event. The Internationals have won it only once, in 1998.
In fourballs, each golfer plays his own ball and the best score on each hole counts for the pair. The US struck first through Justin Thomas and rookie Jackson Koivun. They beat Canada's Corey Conners and Colombia's Nico Echavarria 4&3, which means they led by four holes with only three left to play.
Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns added the second American point. They held off Australia's Min Woo Lee and South Korea's Sungjae Im. Then Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa beat Australia's Adam Scott and New Zealand's Ryan Fox 3&2.
That is tight. But the Internationals hit back hard.
Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and debutant Ryo Hisatsune beat Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele 3&1. It was a composed display from a new pairing. South Korea's Kim Si-woo and Tom Kim then beat Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay by the same 3&2 margin to keep the contest at one point.
The Presidents Cup is a biennial contest between the US and players from the rest of the world outside Europe, as noted by Reuters. Brandt Snedeker leads the home side this week. Geoff Ogilvy leads the Internationals.
There is a long way to go. Five foursomes matches are scheduled for Friday. In foursomes, partners take alternate shots with one ball, so one poor shot can hand the hole away. Saturday brings four four-ball matches in the morning and four foursomes in the afternoon. Sunday's singles involve all 12 players on each side, with 15.5 points needed for outright victory.
What makes this stand out is the balance. Three strong American wins. Two sharp replies. A one-point gap after day one over water and thick rough feels smaller than it looks.
