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Presidents Cup recap: U.S. Team completes epic comeback to win at Medinah

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Jacob Bridgeman makes closing par to win Presidents Cup

Jacob Bridgeman makes closing par to win Presidents Cup

Team golf never fails when it comes to drama-filled action. The 16th edition of the Presidents Cup is no different.

For the first time in Presidents Cup history, the International Team held a lead (10.5-7.5) on foreign soil heading into Sunday Singles.

The Brandt Snedeker-led U.S. squad won Thursday's opening Four-ball session, 3-2, before the Internationals answered with a Friday Foursomes sweep, 5-0. The Americans clawed back Saturday morning, winning Four-ball 2.5-1.5, before the Internationals closed out the day by winning the final two matches of the afternoon Foursomes for a 2-2 split.

The Internationals eye history at Medinah, chasing their first Presidents Cup win since their lone victory in 1998, with a tie in 2003 being the only other blemish on the Americans' 13-1-1 record. The 1998 victory came in Australia, so if Captain Geoff Ogilvy's squad can notch 15.5 points on Sunday, it will be their first win on American soil.

Twelve Singles matches, worth one point each, will decide the Cup on Sunday.

Here’s everything you need to know about how Sunday’s action unfolded in the Windy City.

Match 19

Cameron Young (U.S.) def. Ryo Hisatsune (International), 3 and 2

  • Recap: After halving the first two holes, Young and Hisatsune struck first. Hisatsune won Nos. 3 and 4 with back-to-back birdies before Young answered with birdies of his own at Nos. 5 and 6. After halving the 10th, Young won three straight holes and closed Hisatsune out on the par-3 16th, rolling in an electric 31-foot birdie putt for a 3-and-2 victory, securing the Americans' first point of the day.

Cameron Young sinks a 31-foot birdie putt on No. 16 at Sunday Singles

Cameron Young sinks a 31-foot birdie putt on No. 16 at Sunday Singles


Match 20

Tom Kim (International) def. Wyndham Clark (U.S.), 3 and 2

  • Recap: Kim delivered the International Team's first point of Sunday Singles matches, erasing an early deficit against Clark. Clark controlled the front nine, but Kim turned the match around at the turn – seizing the lead on the 10th, then matching birdies on Nos. 12 and 15 and never letting go. Kim closed out Clark on the par-3 16th, 3 and 2, and put the International Team on the board.

Tom Kim makes birdie on No. 15 at Sunday Singles

Tom Kim makes birdie on No. 15 at Sunday Singles


Match 21

Justin Thomas (U.S.) def. Corey Conners (International), 5 and 3

  • Recap: Entering the day 0-3-0 in Sunday Singles at the Presidents Cup, Thomas looked determined to finally break through – and did exactly that. Thomas jumped out to a 4-up lead through four holes and never let up, extending his advantage to 5-up by the time the match left the sixth green. Conners never found a foothold, and Thomas closed him out on No. 15, 5 and 3.

Justin Thomas sinks a 26-foot birdie putt on No. 10 at Sunday Singles

Justin Thomas sinks a 26-foot birdie putt on No. 10 at Sunday Singles


Match 22

Scottie Scheffler (U.S.) def. Nico Echavarria (International), 2 and 1

  • Recap: Looking for an amazing example of sportsmanship? Look no further than Match 22 at Medinah. After a fan yelled "Go Scottie" during Echavarria's backswing on the par-4 14th, sending his tee shot badly off line, Scheffler was seen confronting the fan directly. "There's no place for that," he was heard saying. Then, after missing his own birdie putt to win the hole outright, Scheffler conceded Echavarria's 30-foot par putt anyway, halving the hole rather than capitalizing on the disruption. Echavarria gave the world No. 1 a scare two holes later, draining a chip for birdie on the par-3 16th, but Scheffler closed out the match on the very next hole, 2 and 1.

Scottie Scheffler makes birdie on No. 10 at Sunday Singles

Scottie Scheffler makes birdie on No. 10 at Sunday Singles



Match 23

Sungjae Im (International) def. Sam Burns (U.S.), 3 and 1

  • Recap: Burns entered Sunday 0-0-2 in Singles matches in his Presidents Cup career, and Sunday didn't provide his first win. Burns hooked his tee shot out of bounds on the par-4 second, handing Im an early lead with a double bogey. Burns clawed back to even the match five separate times over the front nine, but Im regained control for good at the par-3 13th, where Burns found trouble again, splashing his tee shot into the water for another double bogey. Im capitalized with a birdie to push his lead to 2 up, then closed out the match on the 17th for a 3-and-1 victory.

Sungjae Im makes birdie on No. 15 at Sunday Singles

Sungjae Im makes birdie on No. 15 at Sunday Singles


Match 24

Chris Gotterup (U.S.) def. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (International), 1-up

  • Recap: Presidents Cup rookie Gotterup did his job on a day when every point mattered for the U.S. Team, grabbing the lead over Bezuidenhout on the second hole and building a commanding 3-up advantage behind birdies on Nos. 5 and 6. But the South African refused to fold, forcing extra tension into the 18th hole before Gotterup closed it out with a two-putt par for a 1-up win, delivering a crucial point for the Americans.

Chris Gotterup makes birdie on No. 5 at Sunday Singles

Chris Gotterup makes birdie on No. 5 at Sunday Singles


Match 25

Collin Morikawa (U.S.) def. Hideki Matsuyama (International), 1-up

  • Recap: Two-time major champion Morikawa outlasted International Team veteran Matsuyama in a back-and-forth battle filled with plenty of swings. Both players delivered a highlight early, each nailing 40-plus-foot putts on No. 4. The drama continued down the stretch when Morikawa holed a 30-foot birdie on No. 15, and after Matsuyama missed a 6-foot putt, the match was knotted at all square. Matsuyama made a bogey on the par-4 18th, and Morikawa's par clinched a crucial full point for the Americans.

Collin Morikawa sinks a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 15 at Sunday Singles

Collin Morikawa sinks a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 15 at Sunday Singles


Match 26

Patrick Cantlay (U.S.) def. Adam Scott (International), 2 and 1

  • Recap: Cantlay delivered a huge point for the U.S., putting away Scott, who is playing his 12th Presidents Cup, with a 2-and-1 victory despite a shaky moment on the back nine. A bogey on No. 15 trimmed Cantlay's lead to just one, but he answered right back on the next hole, draining a 57-foot birdie putt on No. 16 and letting out a roar to fire up the crowd. Cantlay shut the door on Scott a hole later to seal a full point.

Patrick Cantlay holes out for birdie from 57-feet on No. 16 at Sunday Singles

Patrick Cantlay holes out for birdie from 57-feet on No. 16 at Sunday Singles


Match 27

Jackson Koivun (U.S.) def. Si Woo Kim (International), 2 up

  • Recap: Koivun’s 2-up win delivered another point for the U.S. Team, with the Presidents Cup rookie changing the tide against Kim on No. 13, where he grabbed his first lead of the day. A birdie on 15 gave him some breathing room, and Koivun punctuated the win in style — a club twirl and a birdie on 18 wrapped up the point.

Jackson Koivun makes birdie on No. 15 at Sunday Singles

Jackson Koivun makes birdie on No. 15 at Sunday Singles


Match 28

Jacob Bridgeman (U.S.) def. Min Woo Lee (International), 1 up

  • Recap: Bridgeman delivered the clincher, securing the U.S.’s 11th straight Presidents Cup with a 1-up win over Lee. The match came down to the 18th hole, after Bridgeman had been in control most of the day. Lee's bogey opened the door and Bridgeman made him pay, sealing the win and the Cup in the same stroke.

Jacob Bridgeman makes birdie on No. 1 at Sunday Singles

Jacob Bridgeman makes birdie on No. 1 at Sunday Singles



Match 29

Nick Taylor (International) ties Russell Henley (U.S.)

  • Recap: Henley and Taylor fought to a standstill, splitting the point in a match that ended all square, after the U.S. had already won. Henley had a grip on the match all day long, with three straight birdies on Nos. 2-4. Taylor did fight back and a birdie on 14 eventually evened it up, which is how it ended.

Nick Taylor sinks a 31-foot birdie putt on No. 16 at Sunday Singles

Nick Taylor sinks a 31-foot birdie putt on No. 16 at Sunday Singles


Match 30

Xander Schauffele (U.S.) def. Ryan Fox (International), 2 and 1

  • Recap: Schauffele won the anchor match in a battle that featured two of the last three Open champions, notching six birdies to pull away from Fox. He stuffed approaches on Nos. 5, 6 and 9 to build a 3-up lead, then never looked back, punctuating his 2-and-1 victory by draining a 15-foot birdie on the 17th.

Xander Schauffele makes birdie on No. 17 at Sunday Singles

Xander Schauffele makes birdie on No. 17 at Sunday Singles