MONTREAL — Keegan Bradley defeated South Korea’s Kim Si-woo 1-up to give the United States a 10th consecutive Presidents golf Cup victory.
With Bradley’s triumph, the Americans seized an unbeatable 15.5-9.5 lead over the Internationals with singles matches still ongoing at Royal Montreal.
The US team, featuring 12 of the world’s 25 top-ranked players, improved to 13-1-1 in the all-time rivalry over the non-European global squad, whose only victory in the series came in 1998.
“Wow, that was incredible,” Bradley said according to AFP. “I kept saying all week I didn’t know if I’d ever get to do this again and to be able to just to play in this tournament and then to win the point, my goodness.
“Last time I played (in 2014), I was the point to lose the Ryder Cup, so if this is my last round as a player, I’m happy with that.”
Bradley, next year’s US Ryder Cup captain, birdied the 14th hole from just inside 12 feet for a 3-up lead over South Korean Kim Si-woo.
But Bradley, 38, missed a four-foot par putt to lose 16 and an eight-foot birdie putt to clinch the match and Cup at the par-3 17th, then watched Kim sink a five-footer for birdie to push the match to the 18th hole.
Kim dropped his approach to just outside eight feet while Bradley landed 26 feet away. Bradley rolled his putt to the edge of the hole for a concession par, forcing Kim to make his putt to deny a US triumph.
When Kim missed left of the hole, the Americans had secured the Cup.
“I learned I can still do this,” said Bradley. “It’s always hard. That was really uncomfortable there at the end but I’m really proud of how everyone played.”
After winning four-ball sessions each by 3-1, the Americans needed only 4.5 points in singles to take the trophy.
Americans grabbed momentum early, with Xander Schauffele sinking a 45-foot birdie putt at the first to tie Australian Jason Day and Scottie Scheffler holing out from a bunker on the fly from 35 feet to win the first over Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama.
Sam Burns sank a 54-foot birdie putt to win the par-3 fifth and go 2-up on South Korean Tom Kim and in the last match, Max Homa eagled the first from the fairway from 102 yards against Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes.
Schauffele, this year’s British Open and PGA Championship winner, made seven birdies and took the last five front-nine holes in winning 4&3 to finish 4-1 this week.
Burns and Tom Kim tied in a match the American never trailed. Kim tied Burns with a 15-foot birdie putt to win 15 but missed another 15-footer to win 18, settling for a half-point.
“I struggled with my irons. Didn’t hit it great,” said Burns, the week’s only unbeaten player with three wins and a draw.
Russell Henley’s four-foot par putt at 16 brought a 3&2 win over South Korean Im Sung-jae, who won only one hole and never led.
Japan’s seventh-ranked Hideki Matsuyama took an emotional 1-up victory over top-ranked Scheffler in a match that was never more than 1-up either way.
Matsuyama sank a 12-foot birdie putt to win 14 then dropped his approach inches from the cup to win 15 for a 1-up lead, only to miss a 10-foot par putt to drop 16.
He responded with a 5-foot birdie putt to win the par-3 17th and tapped in for par to win after Scheffler missed a 12-foot birdie putt at 18.
Canada’s Corey Conners beat Tony Finau 5&3 as the tension built.
Patrick Cantlay never trailed in putting the Americans on the brink with a 3&1 win over Canada’s Taylor Pendrith.
Cantlay sank a five-foot birdie putt to win 14 for a 1-up lead, dropped his approach inches from the cup to win 15 and closed out victory with a nine-foot birdie putt to win 17.
“It’s great to have the best players in the world on my team,” Cantlay said. “Everybody fought hard this week.”
