ABOVE VIDEO: Highlights of Day 1 at the Presidents Cup.
THURSDAY’S ACTION AT THE 10TH PRESIDENTS CUP in Dublin, Ohio, ended with the United States leading the International team 3.5 to 2.5. The Internationals were ahead early but the Americans rallied, winning the last three matches.
There was an avalanche of birdies in the six fourball matches at Muirfield Village Golf Club. More than 100 in six hours of golf. (The matches were delayed 80 minutes due to rain.) There were also two eagles. Plus one squirrel. U.S. assistant captain Davis Love III befriended the squirrel, which is now apparently the team mascot, named “Sammy.”
After the matches, International captain Nick Price expressed confidence in his squad. “I’m not going to lose faith in those teams, to be honest. I really think that they’re all ready to take their games to the next level.”
Friday is foursomes, also known as alternate shot. Here’s the lineup of matches:
Match 1: Phil Mickelson-Keegan Bradley (U.S.) vs. Jason Day-Graham DeLaet (International)
Match 2: Bill Haas-Hunter Mahan (U.S.) vs. Ernie Els-Brendon de Jonge (International)
Match 3: Steve Stricker-Jordan Spieth (U.S.) vs. Branden Grace-Richard Sterne (International)
Match 4: Webb-Simpson-Brandt Snedeker (U.S.) vs. Angel Cabrera-Marc Leishman (International)
Match 5: Tiger Woods-Matt Kuchar (U.S.) vs. Louis Oosthuizen-Charl Schwartzel (International)
Match 6: Jason Dufner-Zach Johnson (U.S.) vs. Adam Scott-Hideki Matsuyama (International)
Friday’s matches tee off at 1:10 p.m. ET. Golf Channel and NBC have the TV coverage.