The Internationals had a three-point lead. They needed five points. They got 2½. Meanwhile, Team USA went absolutely nuclear in singles. So who choked—and who stepped up when the Presidents Cup was on the line?
There are collapses.
And then there is what happened yesterday. We need to break things down.
The International Team walked onto the first tee at Medinah Sunday morning with a 10½–7½ lead—the first time the Internationals had ever carried a lead into Sunday singles on American soil.
They needed five points from 12 matches.
Five.
Instead, they watched the Americans win nine matches, halve another and lose only two, turning a three-point deficit into a 17–13 victory and the United States’ 11th consecutive Presidents Cup.
That’s not a comeback.
That’s a beatdown wearing a clown costume in front of kids screaming for their mommies
So let’s hand out some credit—and some blame.
THE GUYS WHO STEPPED UP
Cameron Young — The Tone Setter
If you wanted to know how Sunday was going to go, you didn’t have to wait very long.
Cameron Young went out first for the Americans and beat Ryo Hisatsune 3&2.
Hisatsune actually jumped out first, winning Nos. 3 and 4 with birdies. Young answered with birdies of his own on 5 and 6, then won three straight holes on the back nine before putting the match away with a ridiculous 31-foot birdie on No. 16.
That was exactly what Brandt Snedeker needed from his leadoff man.
And Young wasn’t just good Sunday. He was arguably the best American player all week, finishing 3-2 and earning an A from Golf Channel crew.
Justin Thomas — Finally Delivered on Sunday
Thomas entered Sunday with an uncomfortable 0-3 record in Presidents Cup singles.
Yesterday, he apparently decided enough was enough.
JT jumped all over Canadian Corey Conners, who forgot how to make 5-footers, going 4-up through four holes and eventually winning 5&3.
It was the kind of performance the Americans needed from one of their veterans.
And considering Thomas had also been serving as a mentor and partner to 21-year-old rookie Jackson Koivun, his Sunday performance was particularly important.
Scottie Scheffler — Did Scottie Things
Scheffler wasn’t necessarily spectacular.
He didn’t need to be.
He beat Nico Echavarria 2&1, giving the Americans another point when they desperately needed to keep the pressure on the Internationals.
But the biggest Scheffler moment may not have shown up on the scoreboard.
After a fan yelled during Echavarria’s backswing on No. 14, Scheffler confronted the fan and then conceded Echavarria’s lengthy par attempt despite having an opportunity to win the hole.
That’s the kind of moment that reminds you why match play can reveal more than just who hit the best shots.
Fan who yelled = F-
Scottie’s sportsmanship = A+++++++
Patrick Cantlay — The 57-Foot Exclamation Point
Cantlay had Adam Scott on the ropes.
Then came No. 15.
Cantlay made bogey, and suddenly his lead was down to one.
This was the moment when the pressure could have shifted.
Instead?
He poured in a 57-foot birdie on No. 16.
Boom.
Cantlay won 2&1 and delivered one of the biggest individual moments of the day. That putt significantly shifted the match in the Americans’ favor.
That’s stepping up.
NOTE: We were rooting for Scott the whole day. But good is good, and Patrick was great when he needed to be. Congrats to Mr. Boring.
Jackson Koivun — Welcome to the Big Time
This may have been the biggest performance of the day that didn’t get enough attention.
The 21-year-old Presidents Cup rookie was 2-down through 10 holes against Si Woo Kim.
The Internationals had the lead.
The Americans were rolling.
And then Koivun flipped the match.
He took his first lead on No. 13, birdied No. 15, and finished strong to beat Kim 2-up. Cocky Koivun came out in force Sunday afternoon. And it was fun to watch.
That’s a hell of a first Presidents Cup.
Jacob Bridgeman — The Guy Who Actually Closed It
Koivun put the Americans on the doorstep.
Jacob Bridgeman kicked the door down.
Bridgeman took down Min Woo Lee 1-up, with the match coming down to the 18th hole.
Lee made bogey.
Bridgeman made him pay.
And just like that, the Presidents Cup was over.
You can talk about Scheffler, Young, Thomas, Cantlay and Koivun all you want.
But when the Cup needed a closer, it was Jacob Bridgeman.
THE GUYS WHO CHOKED
Let’s be fair: calling an individual professional golfer a “choke” is an editorial judgment.
But this is match play.
You had a three-point lead. You needed five points. And you got 2½.
So yes—there were some Sunday meltdowns.
Si Woo Kim — The Biggest Collapse
This one is hard to ignore.
Si Woo Kim was 2-up through 10 holes against Koivun.
Then the wheels came off. And his putter went ice cold, and fast.
Koivun won No. 13 to take the lead, extended it with a birdie on 15 and ultimately closed him out 2-up.
Si Woo had been one of the best players in the entire event, particularly alongside Tom Kim.
But when the Internationals needed someone to stop the bleeding Sunday?
He couldn’t.
Min Woo Lee — One Bogey That Changed Everything
Min Woo Lee had played some excellent golf during the week.
Sunday wasn’t terrible. Until it mattered most.
Lee and Bridgeman were all square heading into the closing stretch, and the match came down to No. 18.
Lee made bogey.
Bridgeman made him pay.
Cup over.
Ryan Fox — Never Really Got Started
Fox had the unenviable assignment of playing the anchor match against Xander Schauffele.
But this wasn’t exactly the dramatic heavyweight finale the Internationals wanted.
Schauffele jumped out to a 3-up lead after birdies on Nos. 5, 6 and 9.
Fox rallied with wins on 15 and 16, but Schauffele shut the door with a birdie on 17 to win 2&1.
Fox finished 2-2 for the week, but Sunday’s match never really felt like it was going his way.
Adam Scott — A Brutal Way to Spend Sunday
This one hurts.
Scott was playing in his 12th Presidents Cup.
He had the experience.
He had the home crowd against him.
And he had a chance to deliver one of the biggest points of the day against Patrick Cantlay.
Instead, Cantlay won 2&1.
Scott’s week ended at 1-3, which seems about right for the average putter he has become.
It was more like the entire week finally caught up with him.
THE GUY WHO DESERVES A PASS: NICK TAYLOR
Taylor didn’t choke.
He didn’t save the International Team either.
He simply played a really good match against Russell Henley.
Henley jumped out 2-up after four holes. Taylor fought back, eventually squared the match with a birdie on 14, and the two battled all the way to an all-square finish.
Taylor’s 31-foot birdie putt on 16 briefly gave the Internationals a huge opportunity, but Henley answered with a birdie of his own.
All in all, the Udub alum had a good week and proved to many that he should have been selected to the previous Cup’s International roster when the event was played at Royal Montreal in his home country.
And Then There Was Tom Kim
If you’re looking for the International player who actually stepped up Sunday, look no further.
Tom Kim beat Wyndham Clark 3&2. He may have lost the U.S. Open to Clark, but he didn’t lose his match yesterday.
He finished the week 4-1, the only player on either team to win four points outright.
Kim was outstanding.
He and Si Woo Kim formed arguably the best partnership in the event.
But on Sunday, Tom was essentially fighting the entire American singles lineup by himself.
And that’s the larger story.
The Internationals didn’t lose because Tom Kim choked.
The International Team deserves enormous credit for getting to Sunday with a three-point lead.
They went 5-0 in Friday foursomes.
They repeatedly found ways to win close matches.
They had Tom Kim playing like an MVP.
They had Si Woo Kim playing outstanding team golf.
They had the Americans exactly where they wanted them.
Then Sunday happened.
And that’s where the difference between playing well and playing well when everything is on the line showed up.
The Americans didn’t just survive; they produced the largest Sunday comeback in Presidents Cup history, winning the singles session 9½–2½. Congrats to the U.S. squad and the home-soil fans in Chicago. Next up: Kingston Heath in Melbourne in 2028.