U.S. Team Captain Jim Furyk drives a cart with a U.S. flag during Sunday Singles on day four of the 2024 Presidents Cup at The Royal Montreal Golf Club on Sept. 29 in Montreal.Harry How/Getty Images
U.S. captain Jim Furyk raised the gold trophy before a team that dressed in red shirts that filled the scoreboard early with red scores. The Presidents Cup is one trophy the Americans own, for two decades and counting.
It didn’t feel like another rout at Royal Montreal, not with 20 of the 30 matches – nine of them Sunday – not decided until at least the 17th hole.
The score suggested otherwise: United States 18 1/2, International 11 1/2.
It was the largest margin of victory for the Americans in the Presidents Cup – even if it was just north of the border – and they won for the 10th straight time.
Xander Schauffele, a double major this year, was tapped to lead the way and delivered four straight birdies to set the tone in a 4-and-3 victory over Jason Day. Patrick Cantlay was bogey-free with seven birdies, three on his last four holes for 3-and-1 win over Taylor Pendrith.
Perhaps fittingly the clinching point came from Keegan Bradley, who had gone 10 years without competing for the U.S. team and already has been appointed the Ryder Cup captain for next year. He thought he might never play in another cup, and he was mobbed when he won over Si Woo Kim on the 18th hole.
“We talked about taking care of business today, and we all went out there and did it. I was just lucky enough to be in that spot in the day, but really a meaningful moment in my life,” Bradley said. “The last time I played in one of these I was the clinching point for the Europeans in the Ryder Cup. Fast forward 10 years later, and I got to do that today.
“Really something I’ll remember the rest of my life.”
For the Americans, it was old hat. They won four of the five sessions, with the Internationals picking up most of their points in a 5-0 shutout Friday in the foursomes matches.
“These guys get along so well, but as you know, they can flat play,” Furyk said. “When it got tough, any time the Internationals put some pressure on us, they played their (tails) off for us. I’m just so proud to be a part of it.”
The Internationals’ only victory since these matches for players from everywhere but Europe came in 1998 at Royal Melbourne, so long ago that Tiger Woods was making his Presidents Cup debut. The U.S. winning streak dates to 2005.
The Americans made a winner out of Furyk, the captain in France five years ago when Europe won the Ryder Cup. This is a new team – a young team – free of distraction, filled with confidence from having won every Presidents Cup since 2005.
“Really the matches come down to just some special moments,” Furyk said. “For one reason or another, these guys usually play loose in the Presidents Cup, they let it fly, and we’ve been able to win some crucial points, make some crucial putts.”
Furyk sent out Schauffele in the opening match, and the cool Californian made five birdies in eight holes to seize control early. “All of our 12 guys can compete,” Schauffele said. “My goal was just to set the tone, get red up on that board as early as possible, and I was able to do that.”
Now the Internationals have to wait two more years.