The International team produced a stunning 5-0 sweep of Friday’s foursomes at the 2026 Presidents Cup, opening a 7-3 lead over the United States at Medinah Country Club. It marked the second consecutive Presidents Cup in which the Internationals swept the foursomes session, leaving the heavily favored Americans facing a significant deficit heading into the weekend.
Nick Taylor and Corey Conners set the tone in the opening match, halving with Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns after a dramatic finish. Taylor recovered from an errant drive on the 18th by hitting a 9-iron from 151 yards to kick-in range. Burns then missed a short birdie attempt that spun out of the hole, denying the Americans a chance to win the match. “That was just a poor swing at the wrong time,” Taylor said of his tee shot, before describing his approach as a “hold-off” 9-iron that “came out perfect.”
The International momentum continued as Sungjae Im and Hideki Matsuyama defeated Jacob Bridgeman and Russell Henley, 3 and 2, after winning four consecutive holes. Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee also rallied past Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark, while Christiaan Bezuidenhout’s long birdie putt secured a 3-and-2 victory for the Internationals over Cameron Young and Justin Thomas. Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim completed the sweep by beating Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, 4 and 3.
The results exposed a major weakness in the U.S. team’s alternate-shot play. The Americans struggled with missed putts, errant approaches and costly mistakes, while the International side repeatedly converted pressure putts. U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker called it “a weird day” and said Young and Thomas had “battled their ass off,” but acknowledged that the team never found the momentum it needed. With the Internationals holding a four-point advantage, Saturday’s matches became crucial to the Americans’ hopes of mounting a comeback.