Patrick Cantlay delivered a shocking defeat to the Internationals on Presidents Cup Saturday.
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MONTREAL — Drinks are flowing within the Presidents Cup staff rooms, however our writers — James Colgan, Dylan Dethier and Nick Piastowski — caught round to interrupt down one of the best, worst, wildest and dumbest from an thrilling week on the Presidents Cup.
Dylan Dethier, senior author (@dylan_dethier): Howdy, James. Howdy, Nick. I noticed the remainder of our workers already tackled MVPs, so let’s take a barely completely different angle: In the event you have been giving out grades, which participant will get the very best and lowest marks?
James Colgan, information and options editor (@jamescolgan26): Dylan, Nick — hiya! Excessive marks to each of you this week, and likewise to the Brothers Kim (Tom and Si Woo), who delivered a few of the most entertaining match-play golf I believe I’ve ever seen. I’ll give ’em an A-minus for the week, as a result of they misplaced the Cup however saved it, too. As for lowest scorers? Let’s simply say that Brian Harman will probably go to mattress tonight very grateful for a U.S. win, as a result of his winless efficiency (which featured a weeklong SG: Complete of -8.54, the worst within the subject) was one to overlook. I suppose that evens out to a D-plus.
Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): Proper off the highest I’ll say that you simply boys, together with GOLF videographer Emma Devine, have been the true MVPs. You can also’t argue with the Kims, and Tom has actually grow to be the face of this occasion. However my “A” goes to the Friday effort from Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im. A day after the Internationals received throttled, they got here out and KO’d American stars Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schaffele 7 and 6 and set a tone. The bottom grade? Right here’s a second vote for Harman. And one for Mike Weir. He gassed his staff on Saturday afternoon.
Dethier: I really feel like I’ve to deduct factors from each of you for failing to say anybody on the staff that simply threw down a dominant victory. I’ll shout out the dominant duo of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, who every went 4-1-0. They put the Cup successfully out of attain once they flipped their Saturday night foursomes match, and so they slammed the door with early wins on Sunday afternoon: Schauffele gained six holes on the entrance 9 in opposition to Jason Day whereas Cantlay gained three of his final 4 holes to shut out Taylor Pendrith. The strokes-gained numbers don’t lie with these two, both: They have been one of the best golfers in Montreal this week. A and A! And whereas it provides me no pleasure to provide this one, I’ll dish out a low grade to Sungjae Im, the one participant to lose 4 matches this week. There have been loads of guys who performed worse golf however this staff wants Im to be a difference-maker; he wasn’t. That’s a D for our man.
Some second-guessing, then: What was the largest mistake, both in ways or execution, that you simply noticed this week?
Colgan: The simple reply here’s what Mike Weir, the Worldwide Captain, did in electing to play the identical eight golfers for all 36 holes on Saturday. His facet totally ran out of gasoline down the stretch, after which appeared torpid for a lot of Sunday’s singles matches. It was a significant tactical danger, and it majorly backfired. It may need even value the INTs the match.
Piastowski: That is going on the market a bit, however the tough right here was principally brief, making for extra birdies, giving a bonus to the U.S., who, in my view, was the extra proficient bunch on paper.
Dethier: As our Sean Zak says, these staff occasions may be the Hindsight Olympics — however Weir’s Saturday technique actually backfired. Staff INT rode its horses into the bottom. It was a daring name and it didn’t work. The eight guys who performed these closing three classes went 2-6 on Saturday and 2-5-1 on Sunday. Not ok.
It’s simple to oversimplify these matches with binary win-loss perspective, although. Gimme the identify of any person whose report doesn’t inform the complete story of their week.
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Colgan: Max Homa! On paper he was 1-2-0 however he was among the best gamers on both facet, per strokes-gained information. Additionally Sungjae Im, who Hideki Matsuyama credited for carrying him by means of the pair’s alternate shot match on Saturday afternoon, however completed 1-4-0.
Piastowski: Mack Hughes. He’ll always remember this week. Profession spotlight. Even famous it in his press convention.
Dethier: I’ll provide you with Sam Burns. He was the one participant within the subject who didn’t lose a match, going 3-0-1, however in golf’s most necessary statistical class — strokes gained method — he was useless final by far, shedding 5.99 strokes to the sector. That’s wild! In fact, profitable strokes-gained classes isn’t the purpose of the week; profitable is, and he did that higher than anybody. However it wasn’t at all times fairly.
Let’s give folks some insider entry, then. What’s one thing you bought to see on web site that folks wouldn’t have seen watching on TV?
Colgan: How chippy issues actually received at occasions on Saturday and Sunday. It’s en vogue to dump on this occasion for failing to carry severe competitors, and the W-L information will surely point out that’s true, however for just a few actual moments there on Saturday and Sunday issues hung within the steadiness.
Piastowski: Royal Montreal, although no architectural, top-rated gem, was simple to get round, had sightlines throughout and made for good match play. Additionally, a lot of the timber listed here are marked, telling what they’re. Realized lots with that.
Dethier: That’s great things, Nick. Looks as if an academic week for you. I’m unsure precisely how apparent this was on the printed, however I believed it was enjoyable: There was actual drama round who would safe the precise profitable level. It got here right down to Patrick Cantlay, who was getting ready to securing his match at No. 17, or Keegan Bradley, who was making an attempt to get up-and-down for the win at 16. The greens are shut collectively, separated solely by a pond, so everybody round ’em was ready to see who’d make their putt first. However then one thing humorous occurred: Bradley putted first, from three or 4 ft, and missed. That meant Cantlay’s level, which he secured a couple of minutes later, solely received the U.S. staff to 14.5. Bradley suffered a little bit extra stress when he misplaced No. 17 however in the end secured the win at No. 18 — a becoming ending to the week for subsequent 12 months’s Ryder Cup captain.
Colgan: Ooh, one thing else I noticed that most individuals didn’t was Fluff Cowan, the legendary caddie and longtime buddy of Jim Furyk. Fluff was in Montreal simply 4 weeks faraway from a hip substitute as a ceremonial cart driver, and he appeared really overjoyed on the alternative to be across the guys.
Lengthy reside Fluff.
Dethier: In six months, what is going to you keep in mind from this Presidents Cup?
Colgan: I’ll keep in mind Si Woo Kim’s “night-night” celebration after holing out on the sixteenth gap on Saturday till I go away the golf trade or till I go away this earth … whichever comes first. It was the kind of second that solely staff golf occasions give us — and that made me completely rethink my notion of him as a participant and competitor in just a few weeks. Go, Si Woo. That second rocked. Though he misplaced two holes later. Or perhaps as a result of he did.
Piastowski: That the U.S. must bottle regardless of the hell they discovered on Saturday, after being body-slammed on Friday, and carry that six months after the six months from now — to Bethpage Black.
Dethier: I’ll keep in mind the on-site pleasure of Friday’s 5-0 sweep, which felt prefer it saved your complete week. That was superior. I’ll keep in mind Patrick Cantlay’s Saturday-night putt in the dead of night — sure, one other one. And I’ll keep in mind the simple camaraderie of the U.S. staff as they surrounded the ultimate match of the day. The occasion’s pressure had dissipated lengthy since, however there was one thing particular in regards to the second Max Homa holed a six-footer on the seventeenth inexperienced to shut out Mackenzie Hughes. A number of the greatest golfers on this planet surrounded him, beers already in hand, ending a season collectively that they’d begun alone. Good occasions.
