The U.S. National Team defeated the national team 5-0 in Thursday's A match at the Presidents Cup.
This is the third time in the event's 30-year history that Team USA has won all five games.
After the international teams fought hard on Thursday, so many players came out for the American team.
Three of the five matches went to 18 holes, with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henry defeating Tom Kim and Im Sung-jae 3&2.
Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay defeated Corey Connors and Hideki Matsuyama 2&1.
Golf Channel's Paul McGinley Summary of day 1 Perfectly.
“The international team tried hard, but the American team seemed to have an answer to every question that was thrown at them,” McGinley said during an interview Thursday.
Now that all the games are over, here are three takeaways from Thursday's four-ball session.
Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
It's been too long since Keegan Bradley joined Team USA
Keegan Bradley was a huge presence for the Americans in Thursday's session. His passion was incredible and 10 years without being on the team proved to be too long.
His last appearance for Team USA was in the 2013 Ryder Cup. He was infamously left out of the 2023 squad, sparking a huge controversy among fans.
Currently, Bradley is the 2025 Ryder Cup Captain for Bethpage Black. After the energy he brought to Thursday's game, next year can't come soon enough.
Bradley's putter secured a match between him and Windham-Clark's Taylor Pendrith and Christian Bezuidenhout.
He made putts of 34, 11 and 19 feet throughout the round. The 19-footer converted on 18 and helped secure the 1UP victory.
The bottom line here is that Bradley is a gem. He is very good in the team and has already proven himself despite being 38 years old.
Scottie Scheffler delivers powerful drugs to his best friend Tom Kim
In the first session, Scotty Scheffler and Russell Henry played Tom Kim and Im Sung-jae. The small interactions between Scheffler and Kim were like watching a blockbuster movie.
The sight of the two players exchanging trash talk on the seventh green was one of the highlights of the day. The Presidents Cup needs that kind of excitement, and Scheffler's participation was great.
It's hard to express emotion with Scheffler, so it was shocking that he matched Kim's energy.
“To me, it looked like he poked a bear,” Scheffler said after Thursday's game.
It appears Kim learned a hard lesson Thursday.
Jim Furyk's choice to split up the usual pairings turned out to be great
Team USA usually consists of Sam Burns and Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. However, Captain Jim Furyk split the two and gave them a new partner.
Barnes and Cantlay played. anchor matchScheffler played Russell Henry in Match 3. Overall, his four-ball combination was a great option as each group complemented each other well.
Scheffler and Henry got into a great rhythm and ended the match early. Burns and Cantlay also finished early on the day.
But I love how he paired Sahith Segala with Collin Morikawa. Because they have similar temperaments and give off great vibes. Thanks to Morikawa's experience, the rookie was able to get used to it and play well.
Then it was great to have Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele in the first group. These two guys who understand what's at stake and what needs to be done are exactly what Team USA needs.
They got that first point and ran the rest. Overall, it was a great first session that helped Team USA dominate the International.
Will the international team be able to bounce back Friday afternoon, or will Team America be able to run away with another Presidents Cup?
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls Instagram @golf_girl_sl.
