Internationals storm back at Presidents Cup to tie elite golf tournament 5-5 in Montreal
John Chidley-Hill | The Canadian Press | Posted: September 27, 2024 10:13 PM | Last Updated: September 27
3 Canadians in event for 1st time as tourney returns to Royal Montreal Golf Club
South Korea's Tom Kim and Canada's Taylor Pendrith called on International team fans to be louder at Royal Montreal Golf Club after a disappointing first round at the Presidents Cup.
The spectators answered that call on Friday.
A boisterous gallery chanted "I-N-T," sang "O Canada!", and generally made their presence known at virtually every hole as the Internationals stormed back with a 5-0 second-round shutout to tie the United States 5-5 in the overall score at the elite biennial men's golf tournament.
Resounding wins by Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and South Korea's Sungjae Im, Australia's Adam Scott and Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., and the all-Canadian pairing of Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., whipped the crowd into a frenzy.
"The fans really brought it. We felt that from the get-go," said Hughes, who did not play in Thursday's first round. "Corey mentioned that the first tee felt a lot different today than it did yesterday. Just electric all day.
"I joked to Corey on No. 2 tee, I said 'how many times will we hear 'O Canada' today? What was the over-under?"'
WATCH l Canadian golfers play big part in evening up Presidents Cup in Montreal:
Whatever line Hughes and Conners settled on, the galleries at Royal Montreal almost certainly were over. Kim and Pendrith had both said on Thursday that fans needed to make as much noise as possible to boost the International squad against a U.S. lineup that features five of the top 10 players in the world.
A day later, Kim said the fans were "unbelievable."
"I think the reason why we were able to play so good today, other than these guys going out and performing, was our fans backed us up," said Kim, who did not play on Friday. "I think that gives you momentum, that gives you energy.
"They played a huge factor in our win today."
The elite biennial tournament sees 12 Americans face 12 golfers from around the world, excluding Europe. International team captain Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., selected four-ball as the first-round format and alternate ball foursomes for Friday. Saturday will have two rounds, four-ball and foursomes.
Each match is worth a point and the first team to 15 1/2 wins the tournament, which made the U.S. 5-0 first-round lead seem insurmountable before the comeback.
"No doubt yesterday was a tough day for us," said Scott. "The scoreboard, which is the only thing that matters, looked terrible.
"It was closer than the scoreboard showed. Our spirits were high going back on the bus last night, some time together in the team room last night, kept the energy going, the spirits high."
Hughes agreed.
"We're just having fun. This is like the most fun group to be a part of. We sang. We laughed the whole way home last night," said Hughes, grinning. "We were on the bus this morning, and the vibe was great. We just knew we had a lot of golf in front of us."
'We need more of that the rest of the week'
Unlike the Americans' 5-0 four-ball sweep in Thursday's first round, the Internationals' victories were not close.
Matsuyama and Im set the tone early with a 7&6 win over Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in the day's opening match.
Pendrith and Scott kept things rolling with a 6&5 victory over Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa.
Although the fourth match of the day, the all-Canadian team of Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., won next with a 6&5 triumph over Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau.
"It obviously helped that a few guys went out early and got some leads," said Hughes. "It just felt like the momentum was really infectious. You hear the cheers around the golf course, and you knew which cheers were for which team, which was really cool today.
"It felt like the crowd really pulled us through those matches. We need more of that the rest of the week."
Nearly an hour later, Australia's Jason Day made a 55-foot chip shot to get partner Christiaan Bezuidenhout to within 17 inches of the 18th hole. The South African made the putt to preserve their 1-Up win over Max Homa and Brian Harman.
"I feel very fortunate for the opportunity to be able to hit a shot like that under those conditions because what we're doing right now, playing in this team format, is going to help us in the future playing down the stretch in other tournaments," said Day. "So this is great experience for me."
A 15-foot putt by South Korea's Si Woo Kim sealed the fifth match of the day. He and fellow Korean Byeong Hun An beat world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley 1 Up.
Montreal police make arrest in golf apparel theft
Montreal police say they've arrested a man in connection with the theft of tens of thousands of dollars in golf merchandise tied to the Presidents Cup..
Police say that on Sept. 20 and Sept. 21 a person entered a downtown Montreal hotel and stole numerous official items and clothing "from a major golf tournament."
Police say a 46-year-old man was arrested in downtown Montreal on Thursday and was arraigned Friday on a number of charges including theft. The accused remains detained until his next court appearance.
Police say the investigation is ongoing to locate the stolen golf items and apparel, adding that anyone with information is invited to come forward.
Gretzky dusts off golf clubs for hole-in-one exhibition
Wayne Gretzky is happy to come out of retirement for one day. As a golfer, however.
The Hockey Hall of Famer and the NHL's all-time leading scorer played with professional golfer Michael Block on Friday at the Ultra Hole Challenge presented by Michelob ULTRA, an exhibition where each player had 90 attempts to get a hole-in-one.
Gretzky used to regularly play the Pebble Beach Pro-Am with his son-in-law, former world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, with the pair last teaming up in 2020.
"I remember saying to Dustin at the end of that one, 'you know, it's really hard for me, because I'm 60 years old now, and I don't hit it very far. I'm not very good,"' said Gretzky, noting that Johnson was paired with Jordan Spieth for eight years at Pebble Beach. "Those two guys, they draw some of the biggest crowds at that event.
"And then a few months later, he jumped to LIV Golf and he can't play it anymore so I don't have to play Pebble anymore."
The Ultra Hole Challenge was staged Friday night at Golf St-Raphael, approximately 90 minutes after the second round of the Presidents Cup finished at neighbouring Royal Montreal Golf Club.
Despite being one of the greatest athletes Canada has ever produced, the 63-year-old Gretzky was realistic about his chances at the hole-in-one exhibition.
"People think because you're an athlete, because I was a hockey player, I should be a good golfer. No, I'm not," said Gretzky in the clubhouse at Royal Montreal. "I'm like everyone else. I'm a 12 handicap. I don't practice, I don't take lessons.
"I play for fun. It's a great family sport, and I love it."
Gretzky has only made a hole-in-one once in his life and, like all amateur golfers, he could rhyme off the specifics in one breath: Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif., Dec. 30, 2021. Nine iron, 138 yards, one bounce and in.
"We were playing a fivesome and everybody's like 'Oh my god!' and I couldn't even see the ball," laughed Gretzky. "I got it the best place you could do it, Jack Nicklaus's signature hole and, of course, he built Sherwood Country Club.
"The only better thing that would be getting a hole-in-one at Augusta."