The International Team takes a 10.5-7.5 Presidents Cup lead into Sunday singles at Medinah, needing five points to end a 28-year victory drought.
The International Team has spent nearly three decades trying to solve the Presidents Cup. Now it has 12 matches to finish the job.
After another resilient Saturday at Medinah Country Club, Geoff Ogilvy's International Team carried a 10.5-7.5 lead over the United States into Sunday singles, putting itself five points away from its first outright Presidents Cup victory since 1998.
For the first time in tournament history, the Internationals entered Sunday with the lead on American soil.
“We’ve just been relentless all week,” Nick Taylor said.
Saturday provided plenty of evidence.
The Americans won the morning Four-ball session 2.5-1.5 and appeared ready to make another charge during afternoon Foursomes. But the Internationals fought back to split the session 2-2, preserving their three-point advantage.
Nobody embodied that mentality better than Canadians Corey Conners and Taylor.
Facing Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman, Conners and Taylor were 3-down after 10 holes before winning four of the next five. Conners eventually buried a pressure-packed 5-foot par putt on No. 18 to secure the final International point of the day.
“I love the team format, love this event,” Conners said. “I knew my energy level would be okay.”
Ogilvy's lineup decisions have also paid off.
Min Woo Lee has been used throughout the week after appearing in only two matches at the 2024 Presidents Cup, while newcomers Ryo Hisatsune and Christiaan Bezuidenhout have contributed alongside experienced teammates.
The International captain has also leaned heavily on Conners despite his 2-7-0 Presidents Cup record entering the week.
Now comes the difficult part.
The Internationals held a 10-8 lead entering Sunday at Royal Melbourne in 2019, only for the Americans to dominate singles 8-4 and win the Cup.
This time, the margin is larger.
The International Team needs five points from 12 singles matches to reach 15.5 and win outright. The Americans need 7.5 to retain the trophy and extend their winning streak to 11 consecutive Presidents Cups.
Twenty-eight years of frustration have led to this opportunity. The Internationals don't need another heroic comeback. They just need to finish.
