Two Clutch Putts Give USA Momentum At Presidents Cup

Justin Thomas (Getty Images)

There was a period of time on day two of the Presidents Cup that the International Team just might walk away with five victories in foursome action on Friday from Melbourne, Australia. Australia’s own Adam Scott and South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen dominated the American duo of Matt Kuchar and Dustin Johnson 3 & 2, while Mexico’s Abraham Ancer and Australia’s Marc Leishman beat the American team of Webb Simpson and Patrick Reed by the same 3 & 2 score.

There was a period of time on Friday that the International Team was leading in all five matches. However, there were some gritty performances on the American side late in day two that not only gave the stars and stripes momentum but put them within striking distance with a lot of golf yet to be played.

Day two’s competition will be remembered by two fantastic putts on the 18th hole by the United States that gave the Americans two 1-up victories. The first putt came by Patrick Cantlay of Long Beach, California. Cantlay’s putt went 15 feet and gave he and Xander Schauffele a victory over Canada’s Adam Hadwin and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann. The second putt came by 2017 PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas of Louisville, KY. Initially, it looked like Thomas’s putt did not have the necessary speed to get into the hole. However, the ball simply would not stop and trickled in. Then, when Thomas delivered the birdie, he and his partner Tiger Woods did an over-the-top celebration. Woods and Thomas had beaten Hideki Matsuyama of Japan and Byeong-hun An of South Korea.

Day two’s other match saw the first tie of the 2019 Presidents Cup. Americans Rickie Fowler and Gary Woodland were all even with Australia’s Cameron Smith and South Korea’s Sungjae Im after 18 holes. Heading into Friday’s fourball and foursome action, the International Team lead the United States 6 1/2 to 3 1/2.

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