Golden wave floods Medinah as International Team sweeps Friday's Foursomes

MEDINAH, Ill. – The leaderboard at Medinah Country Club turned gold Friday.

And then it stayed that way.

For the second straight Presidents Cup, the International Team swept the Friday Foursomes session, taking all five matches to turn a 3-2 deficit after Thursday’s Four-ball matches into a 7-3 lead entering Saturday.

It was only the third session sweep by the International Team in Presidents Cup history and the seventh overall. The International Team previously accomplished the feat in the 2003 Four-ball session and in Friday Foursomes at Royal Montreal in 2024.

But Friday felt different.

As match after match swung the International Team’s way, a sea of gold spread across the leaderboard at Medinah, providing a visual representation of the momentum building throughout the International Team.

“We saw a lot of gold on the leaderboard, so it was quite nice to have that backing,” Min Woo Lee said Friday. “We didn't want to be the only one that was down. I'm glad we got through.”

The first point of the day came from Sungjae Im and Hideki Matsuyama, who defeated Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman, 3 and 2.

Nick Taylor and Corey Conners followed, taking down Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns, 1-up.

Then Adam Scott and Christiaan Bezuidenhout delivered another point, defeating Justin Thomas and Cameron Young, 3 and 2.

Three matches were finished. Three points were on the board.

And the gold kept coming.

Scott, the most experienced member of the International Team and making a record 12th Presidents Cup appearance, understood what the growing lead meant — and what it didn't.

“You're going to have sessions like this in these things,” Scott said with veteran perspective.

The Australian also knows how quickly the momentum can turn. The International Team swept the Friday Foursomes session at Royal Montreal in 2024 before the U.S. Team rallied over the weekend.

“There's a lot of golf left,” Scott said. “Tomorrow is a big day. I think we had a similar situation two years ago in Canada. Hopefully we learned from that, and we can back a great day up tomorrow.”

Ryan Fox and Lee then added another point, erasing a late deficit to defeat Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark, 1-up. After finding themselves 1-down with four holes remaining, Fox delivered birdies on Nos. 15 and 16, including a clutch putt on 16, to flip the match and ultimately secure the point.

“Yesterday I felt like I played OK and didn't have a couple of putts go in down the stretch, but I hit good ones, and today they went in,” Fox said. “I felt really good about everything.”

That left only one match on the course.

And it was the same matchup that had produced a notable spark the day before: Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim against Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.

For the second straight day, the Kims walked away with the point. This time, they did it emphatically, winning 4 and 3 to complete the International Team’s 5-0 sweep.

“We just blend really well,” Tom Kim said. “It's really hard to say why. We just kind of do.”

The Kims have developed an instinctive understanding of one another in Presidents Cup play, and Friday was another example. They know where the other is likely to hit it, how the other sees a putt and, perhaps most importantly, that a mistake won't linger.

“I think there's a lot of comfort knowing that we’ve got each other's backs,” Tom Kim said. “At the same time, even despite that, I know the next hole my partner is going to hit a good tee shot.”

Si Woo Kim said their familiarity makes the Foursomes format feel natural.

“I think we play exactly the same, and then the yardage, we know each other really well,” Si Woo Kim said. “His numbers are my numbers pretty much, so I can copy and he can give me an opinion about the club selection.”

The Kims’ point capped a session in which every International Team pairing contributed.

“We kept our foot in the gas,” Tom Kim said. “Mentally we're all there together. I don't think anyone is in a different page. We're all really focused and we know what we need to do individually. We have momentum.”

That collective momentum was exactly what International Team Captain Geoff Ogilvy had hoped to see.

After Thursday's 3-2 setback, Ogilvy said his team had loved the way it played and simply wanted to come back Friday and win the session.

What happened next exceeded even his expectations.

“It's hard to imagine,” Ogilvy said after the session. “We just wanted to come win the session. They were all in a really good frame of mind, but you would never imagine doing five sets.”

The International Team now carries a four-point lead into Saturday, tying its largest lead through two sessions in Presidents Cup history. It is only the fourth time the International Team has held the lead after Day 2.

At Royal Montreal, the teams were tied 5-5 after two days. This time, the International Team has a cushion.

But Ogilvy knows the color of the leaderboard can change quickly.

“It's obviously enjoyable to have a day like that on the golf course, but we reset tomorrow and start again,” he said.

Saturday features eight matches, with 20 points still remaining in the competition.

“Tomorrow is a very long day,” Ogilvy said. “They say to qualify for the U.S. Open is a long day, but Saturday at the Presidents Cup is a very long day.”

The International Team will enter it with the advantage, the momentum and a leaderboard still glowing gold.

But after watching what happened in Montreal two years ago, Scott knows Friday's celebration can only last so long.

The golden wave has made its mark at Medinah.

Now comes the hard part: keeping it going.