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What had been expected as a comfortable week for a star-studded U.S. side turned into a shocking shift in momentum at the 2026 Presidents Cup in Medinah. On Friday, the International team swept all five foursomes, leaving Team USA trailing 7-3 as the weekend begins.
Captain’s reaction and the mood in the U.S. camp
Brandt Snedeker, the U.S. captain, tried to temper the fallout after an unusually lopsided session. “Hats off to the International team, they went out there and played great,” he said, noting that his players struck many strong putts that simply didn’t fall.
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Snedeker added perspective on the format: “It’s not even halftime of a football game. There’s a lot of golf left.” He acknowledged the disappointment but praised the effort, saying his players “grinded out there and gave me everything they had.”
Losers: Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns
Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1, and Sam Burns, No. 8, were sent out first on Friday to set a tone for Team USA. Instead, they fell 1-up to Nick Taylor and Corey Conners in a match decided on the 18th hole.
Burns had a chance to square the match on the final green, but his birdie attempt lipped out, giving the International pairing a crucial point. Scheffler and Burns managed only three hole wins during the match.
Concerns about Scheffler’s record in team competition will only deepen after this result. According to the available match history, he is now 4-6-1 in Presidents Cup play and 3-6-3 in Ryder Cup matches.
Losers: Justin Thomas and Cameron Young
Justin Thomas, fresh off a dominant opening-session pairing with rookie Jackson Koivun, struggled in his second-day match. Teaming with Cameron Young, Thomas was beaten 3-and-2 by Adam Scott and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
The U.S. duo produced just a single birdie, coming on the final hole, and were unable to match the consistency of their opponents over 16 and 17.
Losers: Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman
Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman, both rested on Thursday, hoped to get going on Friday but instead were beaten 3-and-2 by Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im. The American pair won only one hole (the second) and recorded two birdies in the match.
Bridgeman — a captain’s pick noted for his putting on the PGA Tour — faced early scrutiny after a quiet performance, raising questions about lineup choices for the remaining sessions.
Loser: Colin Morikawa
Colin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark, who had combined for a win on Thursday, could not replicate that form. Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee edged the pairing 1-up after Morikawa missed several key putts on holes 15 through 17.
Those missed opportunities handed the International duo a late lead that they preserved with pars on the 18th.
Winners: The International team
The headline from Friday is simple: every International pairing delivered. The five-match sweep in the foursomes session gave Geoff Ogilvy’s side a commanding 7-3 advantage heading into Saturday’s two sessions.
This type of clean sweep is rare in Presidents Cup history; tournament communications noted it was the seventh time any team has swept a session and the third time the International team has done so.
Standout results included Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim’s 4-and-3 victory over Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, and Adam Scott and Christiaan Bezuidenhout’s 3-and-2 defeat of Justin Thomas and Cameron Young. Combined with wins by Nick Taylor/Corey Conners and others, the International side left Medinah in unexpectedly firm control.
Implication: With momentum clearly on the International team’s side, the remaining three sessions over the weekend now carry far more urgency for the U.S. side than many had anticipated.
