Americans win Presidents Cup, Canadians falter in International loss

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Team U.S.A. drank from the Presidents Cup on Sunday, and if you looked closely at the golden trophy you would have seen that its shine was still intact.

Davis Love III’s team of American stars took care of business at Quail Hollow, defeating Trevor Immelman’s underdog Internationals 17.5-12.5 to claim their 12th Presidents Cup in 14 tries. The clinching putt was made by Xander Schauffele on the 18th green against Canadian Corey Conners.

“Just luck of the draw, you know what I mean?” Schauffele said between puffs of cigar in the winner’s press conference.

“It’s an amazing feeling, winning is really hard,” he said. “I put that on full display today. Needed some help along the way. It’s an incredible feeling. I’m very happy to sit up here with all our captains and all the guys on this team. It’s an incredible squad we have this year.”

A day earlier, a Saturday afternoon charge saw the Internationals pull within four points and had Immelman’s team waking up Sunday with hope.

It proved to be too late to change this year’s fortunes (the Americans made sure of that), but Immelman’s team managed to find just enough magic in the perfect fairways at Quail Hollow, and in themselves, to inspire those watching and prove their worth as a team.

“It still hurts not to win,” Adam Scott said. “Once some of these players who sit here for the first time or the second time start playing a few more and teams, that bond forms over years, I think we’re not going to leave here disappointed. A Cup is coming our way soon.”

For much of the week, there was an uneasy feeling that the Internationals were fighting just to justify their existence. There were growing rumblings suggesting the difference in talent between them and the powerhouse Americans was making the Presidents Cup feel at best unpresidential, and at worst pointless. The loss of nearly half of Immelman’s expected team to LIV Golf only added fuel to the fire that change was needed. Before the event even began, 2014 European Ryder Cup captain and Golf Channel analyst Paul McGinley was promoting the idea that a mixed team of men and women should be implemented to bring some parity to this biennial event.

The results over the first two days didn’t help. The Americans decisively won both sessions 4-1 to take an 8-2 lead. Worse yet, the Internationals had only led for eight holes compared to the Americans 113.

Then came Saturday.

After playing the morning session to a draw, the Internationals, led by 20-year-old South Korean Tom Kim and 42-year-old Aussie Scott, reminded golf fans the wonders of team match play and the beauty of an underdog story. We watched as Kim ripped long irons and roared after putts. We watched as Scott eschewed rest to play his fourth straight session only to secure both possible points for the day in his 10th Presidents Cup.

The Internationals impossibly had gone from goose eggs to goosebumps.

Any moral victories felt on Immelman’s squad will likely be a tough sell for the team’s Canadians. Conners and Taylor Pendrith finished the week as the only members of either team shut out completely, with every other player at Quail Hollow picking up at least a half-point.

Conners (0-4-0) had his miserable week on the greens punctuated with a miss from five feet on Sunday that would have extended the Internationals’ slim hopes for a comeback. Playing his singles match against Schauffele, Conners had four three putts but managed to take the match to the final hole before losing 1-up.

“Certainly disappointed,” the 30-year-old Canadian said beside the 18th green after his match. “We had some really good momentum yesterday as a team. All the guys were ready to go today. Some of the guys got some points early to sort of keep us in it. Really disappointed not to be able to add to our total.”

Conners’ putting has been the unfortunate contrast to his immaculate ballstriking his entire career, but very seldom has it had a spotlight on it like it did this week. Following every match, Conners could be found on the practice green, working away, desperate to figure something out.

“Disappointed to not get any points on the board,” he said. “Didn’t seem to get any breaks. Missed a lot of putts that would have gained some momentum. But it was a good battle. I feel like every match I got down, every match I fought back. Ultimately came up a little short.”

Less was expected from Pendrith (0-4-0), who was a surprise captain’s pick after a strong end to his rookie PGA Tour season. For the 31-year-old long-bomber from Richmond Hill, Ont., there likely was plenty to gain from the week even in defeat. Pendrith had his moments at Quail Hollow, including making a clutch putt on the 18th hole in his first match that went unrewarded, and a tough battle with Tony Finau on Sunday which he led for six holes, before Finau’s eight birdies proved too much in a 3&1 loss.

“This was by far the most people I’ve ever played in front of,” Pendrith said. “Obviously, the stakes were really high. Lots of pressure. But, you know, the first day, I feel like I handled it pretty well. Really, all week, it was a lot of fun, and it will be a good experience to move forward.”

The Presidents Cup heads to Royal Montreal in 2024 where Mike Weir is expected to captain the underdog Internationals.

jmccarthy@postmedia.com