Scheffler and Burns Lead U.S. to 3-2 Presidents Cup Advantage

Posted : 25 September 2026

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns delivered a late surge to help the United States take a 3-2 lead over the Internationals after Thursday’s opening four-ball session at the Presidents Cup.

Scheffler and Burns defeated South Korea’s Im Sung-jae and Australia’s Min Woo Lee 1-up in the headline match at Medinah Country Club. After Im birdied the 13th to put the International pair ahead, Burns responded with a tap-in birdie on the 14th to level the contest.

Scheffler then won the 17th with par before securing another par on the 18th to complete the victory. The result marked the first Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup win for Scheffler and Burns as partners after going winless in their previous four team matches together.

Justin Thomas and 21-year-old rookie Jackson Koivun had earlier put the United States on the board with a 4&3 victory over Canada’s Corey Conners and Colombia’s Nico Echavarria. Thomas produced several key birdies and improved his record to 7-0 in Presidents Cup four-ball matches.

The Internationals responded through Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune, who defeated Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele 3&1. Matsuyama took control by winning the eighth and ninth holes before closing out the match with a birdie on the 17th.

Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa then restored the Americans’ advantage with a 3&2 win over New Zealand’s Ryan Fox and Australia’s Adam Scott. Clark produced an important birdie on the 15th to help seal the victory.

In the final match, South Korea’s Tom Kim and Kim Si-woo defeated Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay 3&2. The Korean pair won the opening two holes and maintained their advantage throughout the match, with Tom Kim nearly holing his tee shot on the par-3 16th.

The United States entered the event with a 13-1-1 record against the Internationals and is seeking an 11th consecutive Presidents Cup victory. The Internationals’ only win came in 1998 in Australia. A team needs 15.5 of the 30 available points to claim the trophy.

International captain Geoff Ogilvy remained encouraged despite his team trailing 3-2 after the opening session, while U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker praised Scheffler and Burns for securing the crucial opening win.

Scheffler and Burns Lead U.S. to 3-2 Presidents Cup Advantage

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