The United States made an emphatic statement on the opening day of the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Quebec, winning all five four-ball matches to seize a commanding 5-0 lead over Captain Mike Weir's International Team. Guided by captain Jim Furyk, the Americans weathered a raucous Canadian home crowd and tight back-nine battles to record the first 5-0 opening-day sweep at the biennial team competition since 2000.
Major champion Xander Schauffele and Presidents Cup debutant Tony Finau put the first point on the board in the leadoff match, edging Australia's Jason Day and South Korea's Byeong Hun An 1-up. Schauffele, who captured both the PGA Championship and The Open Championship earlier this season, birdied the par-4 15th and par-3 17th holes to hold off a spirited International charge.
Scheffler and Schauffele Set the Tone on the Blue Course
In the marquee second group, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley silenced an animated pairing of South Koreans Tom Kim and Sungjae Im with a 3-and-2 victory. After Kim celebrated a 26-foot birdie putt on the seventh green by gesturing wildly to the gallery, Scheffler answered immediately by pouring in a 28-foot birdie of his own on the same hole, before Henley closed out the match with back-to-back birdies on holes 14 and 15.
Two-time major winner Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala followed with a composed 1-up victory over Australians Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee. Despite Scott's veteran ball-striking on the Blue Course—where he previously competed in the 2007 Presidents Cup—Morikawa's precision iron play and Theegala's steady par saves preserved the narrow American advantage down the 18th fairway.
“Winning all five matches on the opening day in front of a passionate Montreal crowd is a dream start, though every single session was fiercely contested down the final holes.”
Bradley and Cantlay Deliver Late Heroics to Complete Historic Sweep
The final two matches went down to the closing holes before tilting toward the visitors. Next year's U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, partnering with reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, rolled in a clutch 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th green to defeat Canadian crowd favorite Taylor Pendrith and South Africa's Christiaan Bezuidenhout 1-up.
Moments later, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns sealed the 5-0 whitewash with a 2-and-1 triumph over Hideki Matsuyama and Canadian Corey Conners. Seeking their 10th consecutive Presidents Cup title, the Americans now carry historic momentum into Friday's foursomes alternate-shot session, where Weir's International squad faces an urgent must-win rally to keep the cup within reach.
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