The first day of fourballs at the Presidents Cup held at Royal Montreal showcased an impressive performance from the United States team, who secured a commanding lead of 5-0 against the International team. This marked the first time since 2000 that the Americans achieved a sweep in the opening session, with their last shutout occurring in 2007 at Royal Montreal.

Throughout the history of the Presidents Cup, the American team has demonstrated their dominance by leading after 38 out of the last 42 sessions. They have also claimed the lead after the opening day in eight of the previous nine encounters, establishing a reputation for strong starts in the tournament.

In one of the standout matches of the day, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala engaged in a closely contested battle against Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee. Despite only leading for eight of the 18 holes, Morikawa and Theegala secured a narrow 1-up victory, with Theegala’s precise approach shot to within 3 feet sealing the win.

Unfortunately for the Canadian duo of Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners, both players who had a winless debut in the 2022 Presidents Cup, the opening session did not bring better fortunes as they suffered losses in their respective matches.

Adam Scott, a stalwart in the Presidents Cup with 17 different partners so far, played alongside his 17th partner in the tournament and is set to pair up with his 18th partner in the next session. International team captain Mike Weir acknowledged the challenging start but remained optimistic, likening the situation to the early stage of a hockey game with plenty of opportunities ahead.

Looking ahead to the Friday foursomes, notable matchups include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele facing off against Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im, while Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa will take on the pairing of Adam Scott and Taylor Pendrith. The action-packed sessions will continue with television coverage provided by Golf Channel from 1-6 p.m. EDT.

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