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United States clinch ninth consecutive Presidents Cup

football25 September 2022 21:59| © AFP
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Tokyo Olympic champion Xander Schauffele delivered the clinching point on Sunday as the United States secured a ninth consecutive Presidents Cup victory over the Internationals.

Schauffele never trailed in defeating Canada's Corey Conners 1-up, sinking a three-foot par putt at the 18th hole to lift the US squad to 15.5 points and seal the overall triumph at Quail Hollow.

"It feels good to win," Schauffele said. "It got pretty close there for a little bit. Winning is winning."

The Americans, who led 11-7 entering the 12 final singles matches, improved to 12-1-1 in the all-time rivalry and have never lost on home soil.

"They played great," US captain Davis Love said. "It was hard. They put in a lot of effort the last three weeks. They came in ready to go."

Conners, winless for the week, missed a five-foot par putt at 17 to keep Schauffele 1-up.

At 18, Schauffele dropped his third shot three feet from the hole and, after Conners missed his third from a bunker, rolled in the deciding putt to tie the hole, win the match and set off a US celebration.

"I was handed the opportunity and I was able to take advantage of it," Schauffele said.

The Internationals couldn't make the greatest last-day comeback in Presidents Cup history and haven't lifted the trophy since 1998.

"We're a little disappointed," Internationals captain Trevor Immelman said. "We believed in ourselves.

"We had an amazing week. They were fighting. These guys have massive hearts. I'll go into battle with them any day."

With 10 of the world's 16 top-ranked players, the US team was a heavy favourite over a global side that lost British Open champion Cam Smith and several other top players who jumped from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf, making them ineligible.

"Trevor and his guys did a great job of rising to the occasion," Love said.

Tony Finau won five of the last nine holes to defeat Canada's Taylor Pendrith 3&1 and lift the Americans within a point of clinching the Cup.

"I fought as hard as I've ever fought in a match," Finau said. "You just have to get the job done."

Jordan Spieth, winless in seven prior Ryder and Presidents Cup singles matches, became only the sixth player to go 5-0 in a single Presidents Cup, winning four holes in a row late to defeat Australia's Cam Davis 4&3 for the first US point.

"I was extra nervous," Spieth said. "I wanted to get that monkey off my back. They are looking for red on the board and it feels really good to finally provide that.

"You can't put a price on this. I did as much as I could this week."

Three-time major winner Spieth lost the first two holes, tied the match after five, took his first lead with a tap-in birdie at 11 and won the next three holes too.

"I had a great back nine," Spieth said. "That's where everything shifted, when I birdied 11."

Patrick Cantlay never trailed in beating Australia's Adam Scott 3&2 for the second US point.

Cantlay won the second and third holes with birdie putts of 20 and 27 feet and took the fourth when the Aussie missed a 15-foot par putt. Scott, who has never won in 10 Cup starts, was never nearer than 2-down after that.

Sam Burns finished the week winless but helped the US cause by tying Japan's Hideki Matsuyama.

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