Friday Recap: Americans Take Charge at Quail Hollow

Amidst calls of an early finish at Quail Hollow, the International Team struggled in the Day 2 fourballs.

Heavily outgunned on paper, the visitors put on a valiant effort in the face of the American storm; trailing 6-1 with only a handful of holes of golf left to play on Friday afternoon. Spieth and Thomas reinforced their seemingly unbeatable status, as well as the machine-like Cantlay & Schauffele pairing. Both provided a point on Friday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The lack of birdies made by the Int’l team has been highlighted by the commentary team, with that crucial killer instinct missing in the performance so far. However, World #1 Scottie Scheffler and his partner Sam Burns were held to a draw by Sung-Jae Im and Seb Munoz, with one of the highest calibre games in modern match play. At least one birdie was made on every hole from 7 to 16 on Friday, with best ball scores of 63 and 62 for the Int’l and USA pairs respectively. This half was an incredible feat, especially after Kevin Kisner had this to say about the American pair earlier this week.

Bassy and Sungjae: best ball 63
Burns and Scheffler: best ball 62

Match of the event so far.

— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) September 23, 2022

“They both look like the same person. They both get up there and hit it 350 down the middle with a little cut and then hit iron right at it and then make a putt. It seems like a pretty simple game. I told the captains, if you don’t play those guys every match, you’re crazy.”

The three remaining games on the course were all tied through 16 holes on Friday, and Medinah levels of pressure were thrust onto the shoulders of pairings like Mito Pereira and Christian Bezuidenhout, who achieved a half against Kisner and Cam Young, with the game never more than 1-up for either side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The American players clearly want to be there this week; LIV Golf should take nothing away from their performance as a team so far; they are hungry for the win. In Max Homa and Billy Horschel’s cases, to prove their worth and show that they deserve to be there on merit rather than the result of a fractured professional division. Now a five-time PGA Tour winner, Homa buried a putt on 17 on Friday to guarantee at least a half, following it in with a huge fist pump. He then hit two exquisite baby fades into 18, securing the 1-up win in the final game on Friday.

The US pairings gel with ease and seemingly make birdies whenever they are required to, despite the difficulty level presented at Quail Hollow.

The impact of LIV Golf has hit the Int’l team hard, and there is no doubt that players like Joaquin Niemann would add some firepower to their side. The South African contingent are likely past their best, and despite never winning with the likes of Schwartzel and Oosthuizen representing the Int’l side, their experience would certainly assist the younger team members. Today’s results were hardly a trouncing, there is just that edge missing from the Int’l side. Rather than focusing on what is missing, assess what is in front of us here in North Carolina; and it’s clear to see that the level of golf is still astronomically high. Two halves and three losses for the afternoon’s play is harsh on the visitors, as the games were all fairly close and could’ve swung either way, making for a more interesting weekend of golf. As it is, after Friday fourballs, the board stands at 8-2 to the Americans, who need only 7.5 points to hoist the President’s Cup.

Cover Image Via Golf Digest