The International team seized control of the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah on Friday, sweeping all five foursomes matches to overturn the United States’ early advantage and take a commanding 7-3 lead into the weekend. The result marked only the seventh time a team has swept an entire Presidents Cup session and the first time such a sweep has occurred in consecutive Presidents Cups. The Internationals’ five-point advantage also matches their largest lead through two sessions, equaling the mark set in 1998—the only year they have won the event.
The Americans began Friday with promising positions in the opening matches but failed to convert them. Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im defeated Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman 3 and 2, while Canadians Nick Taylor and Corey Conners beat Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns 1 up. Taylor and Conners survived a late scare when Taylor’s approach on the 18th danced around the hole, then benefited when Burns missed a birdie attempt that could have forced a halve. “It was more so redemption for that tee shot,” Taylor said after the match.
The International surge continued when Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee edged Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa 1 up after back-to-back birdies on the 15th and 16th holes. Earlier, Clark had briefly given the United States its only lead of the day by holing a birdie putt on the 12th, but the advantage did not last. Adam Scott and Christiaan Bezuidenhout then defeated Justin Thomas and Cameron Young 3 and 2, with the Americans failing to make a birdie in the match. Thomas suffered his first Presidents Cup foursomes loss after entering Friday unbeaten at 4-0-2 in the format. Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim completed the sweep by beating Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele 4 and 3, with Schauffele missing a short putt at the finish.
The United States now faces a major recovery effort, although captain Brandt Snedeker insisted the contest remains open. “This thing is 35, 40 percent over—it’s not even half time of a football game,” Snedeker said. Saturday offers eight points across two sessions: four four-ball matches in the morning and four foursomes matches in the afternoon. The morning pairings include Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun against Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa against Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim, and Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns against Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune.