Internationals stun US with 5-0 sweep to take Presidents Cup lead

Sept 25 : The International Team swept the US 5-0 in Friday's foursomes to seize a 7-3 lead in the Presidents Cup, a stunning turnaround after trailing by one point following the opening session.

On a cloudy day at Medinah Country Club's Course No. 3 outside Chicago, the Internationals dominated the alternate-shot session and quietened the home crowd as they moved within 8-1/2 points of their first Presidents Cup triumph since 1998.

The US, seeking an 11th consecutive success, need to fight back when the competition resumes with two sessions on Saturday.

The sweep echoed the 2024 event at Royal Montreal, when the Internationals responded to a 5-0 opening-day loss by sweeping the Americans 5-0 in Friday's foursomes.

The teams are now separated by four points with 20 still available over the final two days.

"We loved how we played yesterday. But we just wanted to come win the session. The team were all in a really good frame of mind, but you would never imagine doing five sets," International Team captain Geoff Ogilvy said.

 "We did it in Montreal, so maybe it's a pattern now. The boys played really well. It was an incredible day for us."

FIVE FOR FIVE

Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im got the Internationals off to a winning start, overcoming an early deficit to beat Russell Henley and rookie Jacob Bridgeman 3&2.

The Japanese-Korean pairing fell one down after the second hole but moved ahead on the fourth and controlled the match from there.

Corey Conners and Nick Taylor then delivered another blow, beating world number one Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns 1-up.

Scheffler and Burns, who had finally won together in a team competition on Thursday after four previous losses, surrendered an early advantage and could not find a way back as