US win Presidents Cup as Internationals go down fighting

CHARLOTTE, N.C. :The United States was forced to work harder than expected to earn a ninth consecutive Presidents Cup on Sunday, taking down a scrappy International team that vowed to fight until the final bell.

Robbed of top players who defected to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, the depleted Internationals were expected to be easy pickings for an American squad packed with nine players in the world's top 15.

But the biennial showdown was far from the blowout predicted ending in a respectable 17-1/2 to 12-1/2 scoreline.

"They were fighting. Man, they were fighting," said International captain Trevor Immelman. "I hope fans out there really do appreciate.

"These guys have got massive hearts. Massive hearts.

"And I'll go to battle with them any day."

The Internationals, with a record eight Presidents Cup debutants in their 12-man squad, kept the outcome in doubt until late into Sunday's singles when Xander Schauffele beat Canada's Corey Conners 1-up to register the winning point.

Needing 4-1/2 points from 12 singles matches to reach the winning total of 15-1/2, the U.S. got the job done with five contests to spare sparking early celebrations among the 40,000 mostly American supporters at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte.

Unable to match the U.S. depth and quality Immelman challenged his player to go down fighting a call to action they took to heart.

What had looked like a rout after the U.S. steamrolled through the opening two sessions on Thursday and Friday turned into a tight contest after the Internationals hit back in stunning style on a marathon Saturday, splitting the morning foursomes (2-2) and then taking three of four points in the afternoon fourballs.

While it was an inspiring performance from the Internationals, they