The United States is toasting the International Team 8-2 through two days of play at the 2017 Presidents Cup. With eight matches on deck on Saturday, the U.S. actually has a slim chance of winning the event on Day 3 if they win seven matches and split the other.
It looks like that's what they're going for, too, as they send out Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed first on Saturday and Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas last in the second foursomes session of the week. Those two pairings are a combined 3-0-1 so far this week, and Thomas and Fowler took down the previously-unbeaten (all-time) duo of Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen.
| Match | Time (ET) | U.S. Team | International Team |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7:02 a.m. | Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed | Marc Leishman, Jason Day |
2 | 7:13 a.m. | Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar | Adam Hadwin, Adam Scott |
3 | 7:24 a.m. | Kevin Kisner, Phil Mickelson | Emiliano Grillo, Jhonattan Vegas |
4 | 7:35 a.m. | Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler | Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace |
This is basically U.S. captain Steve Stricker going for the kill. All four of these pairings have scored at least 1.5 points through the first two days. Stricker wants it to be 12-2 going into the afternoon matches!
"Our concern heading into this event was being complacent," Phil Mickelson said after the Day 2 session. "Everybody on this team had some good momentum, had all been playing well, and we know how tough the International Team is and what great players they have.
"So our goal was to not be complacent; to be sharp and ready to play and we've been doing that so far. So I don't think continuing that will be a difficult challenge for us. I think that we are going to be sharp and ready to go because we respect and understand how good the international players are.
"You look at the camaraderie of the young players and how they support each other, even outside of these team events. They have a support system amongst each other where they love competing against each other, love beating each other, but are genuinely happy for each other's success. That leads it a very positive, uplifting energy in the team room, and I think that these guys who are going to be on the teams for decades to come really lay a solid foundation for the U.S. teams."
They're already the foundation for what could be the biggest defeat in Presidents Cup history.
