Signature Scroll: Should Brandt Snedeker be second-guessed as U.S. trails at Medinah?

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It wouldn’t be a team event without some armchair quarterbacking …

Snedeker’s gamble

MEDINAH, Ill. – How do you tell the world’s best and most competitive golfer that he’s about to ride the bench? I didn’t expect to ponder that question at the start of the week.

Scottie Scheffler's struggles in team golf are well documented. I wrote about it before a shot was struck at Medinah. Even so, the idea that the U.S. would sit him unless Scheffler explicitly asked seemed incomprehensible. You ride with your best players, win or lose. Yet as I stood over the 16th green, watching Sam Burns hole a decisive putt in his and Scheffler’s Saturday morning match, the news came through.

Scheffler was indeed sitting. Burns would play the afternoon with Wyndham Clark instead.

Suddenly, the most compelling theater at Medinah was not how the Burns-Scheffler match would end, but whether Scheffler knew his day was about to be done. If he didn’t, who would tell him? And how would he react when he found out?

I couldn’t keep my mind off it. Scheffler was largely a passenger on the 17th, a hole won by another Burns birdie that officially ended the match. Scheffler pumped his fists and roared as Burns’ putt dropped. It was their second win in three matches. They hugged. A TV camera beelined for the duo.

Then the intrigue began.

From just off the green, Snedeker and captain’s assistant Keegan Bradley watched intently. Bradley spoke animatedly, turning to look at Snedeker before realizing a TV camera was right behind them. Bradley snapped back into place, covered his mouth and continued speaking. They both looked over toward Scheffler again.

It’s impossible to know exactly what was said between them, but that was the moment that made me believe Scheffler had no clue he had been benched. Now the captains of the last two cup events were figuring out how to tell their star. The conversation continued for another minute. Now I was fascinated. How was this going to go?

Turns out, they didn’t have to tell Scheffler.

NBC’s Cara Banks alluded to it in her interview with him. Scheffler mostly shrugged it off. As that interview ended, Snedeker and Bradley started walking in their direction, but the duo was corralled again for a radio hit. There they put it to Scheffler directly. Did he know that was coming today? Scheffler didn’t, which Snedeker later admitted.

“We’re always prepared for anything,” said Scheffler.

Was Snedeker prepared for this? Not just this upcoming conversation, but all of this?

We’ve reached the second-guessing stage of the Presidents Cup, the inevitable destination for the losing side on Saturday night of every cup. Some of the armchair quarterbacking can be inane or minute. Sitting the world No. 1 while needing a comeback is not inane or minute.

Clark and Burns struggled in the session that followed. They lost an early lead and looked listless by the end as the Internationals won four straight holes to close it out 3 and 2. Scheffler watched off to the side, unable to help—the worst feeling for any golfer, particularly one who loves to be in control.

Did Snedeker make the right decision? It’s impossible to know. The result didn’t go in the Americans’ favor. There’s no guarantee it would have if Scheffler played, either. Snedeker didn’t bench him without reason. Scheffler is 1-8 in Foursomes between the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup. He wasn’t playing up to his standard on Saturday morning either. Snedeker made the decision just as Scheffler poured in a birdie on the 15th and displayed the first bit of emotion we’ve seen from him all week.

There are other decisions to question. Snedeker jumbled up his Foursomes pairings ahead of Friday, putting Cameron Young and Justin Thomas together after both played well. That delayed the Young-Chris Gotterup pairing. They went 2-0 paired together on Saturday.

For better or worse, this is the burden the captain carries. Snedeker will be questioned after Saturday. He’s already questioning himself.

“They've given me everything I could possibly ask for, and I've just got to figure out ways to get these guys in better situations. I don't think I've held up my end of the bargain,” Snedeker said. “... I've been honestly second guessing myself a lot to be in this situation.”

Once Snedeker finally reached Scheffler at the 17th, he delivered a rather simple message.

“I tried,” Snedeker said.

It held multiple meetings. The cameras beat him to breaking the news. But it also encapsulated Snedeker’s failed moves so far. The gamble didn’t pay off.

There’s still one more day to get back what they’ve lost.

Playing through

• 📺 Get caught up on Saturday's two sessions of action with full-day highlights ...
• 🤯 World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler sat for the afternoon Foursomes. I took a deeper look into the surprise twist ...
• 🟡 If there was ever a time for an Internationals win, this is it. My colleague Will Gray examines the visitor's opportunity ...

Sunday Preview

There’s a lot of matches to cover. So we’re condensing these to one sentence each (all times ET).

• 12:02 p.m. – Ryo Hisatsune (International) vs. Cameron Young (U.S.): A funky start as the Internationals throw out a rookie to take on the burden of leading the charge.
• 12:14 p.m. – Tom Kim (International) vs. Wyndham Clark (U.S.): A box office matchup right away that will likely feature the most fist pumps and crowd shushes that we’ve ever seen at a Presidents Cup.
• 12:26 p.m. – Corey Conners (International) vs. Justin Thomas (U.S.): Two premium iron players who struggle on the greens.
• 12:38 p.m. – Nico Echavarria (International) vs. Scottie Scheffler (U.S.): The Internationals sought out this pairing, so did they see something with Echavarria or is this a sacrifice, knowing it would be difficult for anyone to beat Scheffler.
• 12:50 p.m. – Sungjae Im (International) vs. Sam Burns (U.S.): Im has been the best statistical performer for the Internationals and Burns is third among Americans – buckle up.
• 1:02 p.m. – Christiaan Bezuidenhout (International) vs. Chris Gotterup (U.S.): Gotterup has loads of momentum after two dominant wins, while Bezuidenhout didn’t play at all.
• 1:14 p.m. – Hideki Matsuyama (International) vs. Collin Morikawa (U.S.): Morikawa has never lost a Presidents Cup singles match and Matsuyama’s only lose in the format was 13 years ago. Something has to give.
• 1:26 p.m. – Adam Scott (International) vs. Patrick Cantlay (U.S.): The quiet engines of each team will square off in a pivotal portion of the lineup – both could have a chance to clinch it here.
• 1:38 p.m. – Si Woo Kim (International) vs. Jackson Koivun (U.S.): The 21-year-old rookie was dealt a heck of an assignment with Kim, yet Koivun has matched every challenge thrown at him since turning pro.
• 1:50 p.m. – Min Woo Lee (International) vs. Jacob Bridgeman (U.S.): For the first time all week, Bridgeman is playing his own ball – but that comes against one of the Internationals’ top players.
• 2:02 p.m. – Nick Taylor (International) vs. Russell Henley (U.S.): Taylor is 2-1 and Henley is 0-2, yet this feels like an even matchup between similar players.
• 2:14 p.m. – Ryan Fox (International) vs. Xander Schauffele (U.S.): The designated survivor for both sides, two hard-nosed competitors will be ready to handle the pressure if the cup comes down to the last match.

Parting shots

• 🙏 Someone needs to tell Snedeker that the U.S. hasn’t lost yet. Snedeker had a somber tone for much of his Saturday night press conference. It was one of the wilder media sessions I can remember. I appreciate Snedeker’s candor, but it felt like Snedeker was already worried about the potential Sunday outcome. He only needs to look at the last team event hosted here, The Miracle at Medinah. Snedeker was on the losing end then. Can he turn the tables?
• 🇺🇲 To anyone surprised that Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman were picked to play on Friday afternoon, don’t be. Only one U.S. player in Presidents Cup history has played fewer than three matches: Bryson DeChambeau (2019). Both Henley and Bridgeman had played just once before Saturday. The U.S. just never puts players in that position.
• 🧑‍🍳 Min Woo Lee’s maturation over the last two years is on display this week. In Canada, he was nervous and without key elements of an elite game. This year he’s comfortable and simply a better player. He’s going all five sessions, already 2-1-1. Speaking of marathon men, Lee has some company. Conners, Tom Kim, Si Woo Kim and Im played every session. On the U.S. side, Clark, Burns and Young played in everything. Pay attention to their energy levels tomorrow.
• 🏆 Simply, this is the year the Internationals need to get it done. The Americans are vulnerable, their captain is second-guessing themselves and this is the biggest lead they’ve held going into Sunday since 2003.
• 😳 Chris Gotterup and Cameron Young had a heck of a day. They shot 6-under 30 on the front nine of their Foursomes match. Snedeker said they loved this pairing from the start. Is it another regret of Snedeker’s that he didn’t send them out on Friday?
• 👟 Shout out to the person who kicked Corey Conners’ ball from out of the air and back into play. Conners still had to take the penalty for going out of bounds, but you are a legend. I need to follow every round of golf I play.