Team U.S. stymies International momentum; dominates Day 1 at Presidents Cup

Team USA dominated the first day of the Presidents Cup on Thursday, jumping out to a 5-0 lead at Royal Montreal Golf Club.

This is only the third time in the tournament's 30-year history that Americans have dominated the international tournament in the opening round.

The first day of the competition was very memorable.

From Mackenzie Hughes shotgunning a beer on the opening tee to the bickering between the teams, it's easy to say the first day provided plenty of entertainment.

The first match of the day saw Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele take on Jason Day and Byung Hung Ahn.

The battle came down to the 18th hole, with Day/Anne needing to win half the match.

Ahn's approach shot fell just over four feet from the hole, while Schauffele's shot came two feet out. That shot set up the 1UP victory.

The second point was earned in a match between Scotty Scheffler/Russell Henry and Tom Kim/Sung Jae Im.

This matchup saw a cheerful atmosphere from both American and international players.

It all started when Scheffler and Kim started badmouthing each other on the seventh green. Kim made a big birdie putt, and Scheffler responded with a long-range putt to match the energy.

The drama didn't end there.

Kim made a clutch putt on the 8th. He and Im then walked to the next tee box, 60 yards away.

This gesture did not impress the Americans.

Kevin Kisner, one of Team USA's assistant captains, didn't like the international team's move. He informed his international assistant Camilo Villegas that he did not appreciate the gesture, which sparked the second dramatic moment of the match.

The gesture clearly didn't bother either Scheffler or Henry, as they could not remember the gesture after winning the match.

“I didn't see it,” Scheffler said. “He might be. I didn't. They showed me some holes later.

“I didn't realize it (laughs). Look, we're all here competing and trying to get points,” Henry added. “So, like Scotty said, it’s all in fun and we’re just trying to score points.”

Scheffler continued his comments, referencing a verbal exchange between him and his best friend Kim.

“To be fair to them as they walk away, I wanted to scream at them from the top of the hall (lol),” Scheffler said. “I'm not going to say it's their fault, you know what I mean?”

Henry gained momentum after Kevin Kisner predicted he would appear on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The former Georgia Bulldog made two birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 just minutes after Kisner posted the tweet.

Scheffler and Henry defeated Kim and Im 3&2 to give the Americans a 2-0 lead.

Team USA's third goal came from the California duo of Collin Morikawa and Sahis Segala. They played against the Australian team of Adam Scott and Minu Lee.

The match went on until the 18th hole. America came back from 1 down until the 12th hole. Morikawa tied the score in the 12th inning and took the lead in the 14th inning.

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

From there, the duo held on to the lead and won 1UP, giving Presidents Cup rookie Seagala his first point of the tournament.

Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay faced Corey Connors and Hideki Matsuyama. They won 2&1 and scored their fourth point of the day.

The session pitted Keegan Bradley and Windham Clark against Christian Bezuidenhout and Taylor Pendrith.

2025 Ryder Cup Captain's Flat Stick Gets Hot and Earns 1UP. He is 34, 11, and 19 foot puttclinching victory at the end of the 18th.

This week will be his first start for the team since the 2014 Ryder Cup. At the time, he was 5-0 and earned a point for the 2024 Presidents Cup opener.

Friday's session will be a four-a-side affair, with the Americans looking to build on their strong start and the internationals looking to bounce back from a tough start.

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.