CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Patrick Cantlay’s stoicism is his strength. His aim is always to minimize his emotions, to approach each shot objectively without letting feelings interfere. International team competition is an incomparable experience, however. It even inspired the soft-spoken Cantlay to send a motivational text on the eve of the Presidents Cup’s opening round. “Let’s try to set the tone,” Cantlay wrote succinctly. The recipients? Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, the four men tasked with starting the Presidents Cup for the heavily-favored U.S. Team. “That’s what Pat and I talked about yesterday,” said Schauffele, “and that’s what we tried to do today.” They did, making short work of the Internationals’ most experienced team, thumping Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama 6 and 5 to start the United States’ successful first day, which earned them a 4-1 lead entering Friday. Cantlay and Schauffele didn’t ask to tee off first for the U.S. Team. They just knew, as a duo with years of success, that they’d be playing together. But U.S. Captain Davis Love III has enough experience to know that the first spot in the lineup, usually reserved for slap-hitting second basemen in baseball, is a spot for your sluggers in these team competitions. Especially in the opening round. Schauffele and Cantlay have earned that spot by thriving in the most difficult of the three formats in use this week. They entered Thursday undefeated in Foursomes – a combined 4-0-0 in the Presidents and Ryder Cup – and won this year’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA TOUR’s only team event. Foursomes can strain relationships and add anxiety to an already stressful day. No one wants to hit a bad shot when representing their country, more so when their friend is left to clean up the mess. Foursomes rips players out of their routine. Finding a pairing that can have consistent success in this format is like cracking a code. It may have been the equation that Matt Damon was solving on that chalkboard in Good Will Hunting. And the answer, a quarter-century later, appears to be Cantlay and Schauffele. It could be that their games, two of the most well-rounded on TOUR, are perfect complements. Or perhaps it’s the Southern California connection. They first met in college (with Cantlay waxing Schauffele by about a dozen shots that day). But, most importantly, they’re able to make a game that most U.S. pros play just once a year feel like an everyday affair. “Even though it’s alternate shot,” said Cantlay, “it feels totally normal.” Trevor Immelman, knowing the importance of that opening match, sent Matsuyama and Scott out first in hopes they’d provide an early surge for his team. Immelman is searching for every possible edge as his team faces a task that many consider all but impossible. He’s shockingly the first captain to employ Mark Broadie, the godfather of analytics, but even if he added Bill James, Albert Einstein and Copernicus to his payroll, the result in Thursday’s opening match likely would have remained the same. Schauffele and Cantlay are just too good, confirmed by their one-sided victory over Scott and Matsuyama, the start of a somber day for the International Team. Schauffele and Cantlay made four birdies and, more importantly, not a single bogey. Matsuyama and Scott won just one hole, and they were already 4 down when that happened. This is Scott’s 10th Presidents Cup, and it was his worst loss since his debut in 2003, when he and Stuart Appleby lost 6 and 5 to Jim Furyk and Jay Haas. The other three participants in that match all now play on PGA TOUR Champions. This was the first Presidents Cup Foursomes match since 2011 to go 13 holes or fewer. ‘We just feel really comfortable and confident,” said Cantlay. “On a day like today to make no bogeys, it was really good golf.” Twenty-five matches remain, and the International Team can take solace in the fact that they’re halfway through the format that they’ve struggled with the most. Per Justin Ray of Twenty First Group, the U.S. has outscored the Internationals by 33 points in Foursomes in Presidents Cup history, but the two teams are tied in Friday’s format, Four-balls, and the Internationals actually hold a two-point advantage in Singles. Spieth and Thomas won, 2 and 1, over Sungjae Im and Corey Conners in the second match. The win was highlighted by an unlikely victory on the 15th hole, where Spieth drove across a creek and almost putted off the green but Thomas holed a 25-foot par putt. Spieth is now 6-0-0 in Foursomes at the Presidents Cup. Two rookies, Cameron Young and Max Homa, paired with Collin Morikawa and Tony Finau, respectively, to win the United States’ other two matches. Homa and Finau won the final hole of the day’s final match to keep the Internationals from drawing closer. The International Team was just 1 down on the back nine in four of the day’s five matches but scored just one point in those games. Young said he was uncharacteristically nervous on the first tee, but he started his match with a 306-yard drive that cut the corner on the dogleg-right opening hole and left Morikawa 30 yards ahead of their opponents. Then Young ended things by holing a 25-footer for birdie on 17. “It was everything I could have asked for,” he said. The U.S. Team can say the same after the Presidents Cup’s opening round.
Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele lead U.S. Team’s dream start
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Volvo China Open | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Sebastian Soderberg | +1600 |
Tom McKibbin | +1600 |
Jordan Smith | +1800 |
Bernd Wiesberger | +2000 |
Haotong Li | +2200 |
Yannik Paul | +2200 |
Zander Lombard | +2800 |
Adrian Otaegui | +3000 |
Alejandro Del Rey | +3000 |
Alexander Levy | +3000 |
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1st Round 3 Balls – F. Celli / F. Schott / T. Yang | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Freddy Schott | +100 |
Filippo Celli | +150 |
Tong Yang | +400 |
1st Round 3 Balls – Y. Zhou / N. Paez / J. Girrbach | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Joel Girrbach | -150 |
Yanhan Zhou | +220 |
Nicolas Paez | +450 |
1st Round 3 Balls – J. Guerrier / F. Laporta / T. Vailant | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Julien Guerrier | +145 |
Tom Vaillant | +175 |
Francesco Laporta | +210 |
1st Round 3 Balls – O. Strydom / R. Ramsay / J. Luiten | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Joost Luiten | +125 |
Richie Ramsay | +160 |
Ockie Strydom | +275 |
1st Round 3 Balls – T. Haizhao / J. Morrison / C. Sordet | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
James Morrison | +105 |
Clement Sordet | +145 |
Tang Haizhao | +400 |
1st Round 3 Balls – E. Molinari / M. Jordan / M. Kinhult | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Matthew Jordan | +130 |
Marcus Kinhult | +200 |
Edoardo Molinari | +210 |
1st Round 3 Balls – J. Svensson / H. Li / M. Manassero | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Haotong Li | +145 |
Jesper Svensson | +185 |
Matteo Manassero | +190 |
1st Round 3 Balls – T. Kho / T. McKibbin / Y. Paul | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Tom McKibbin | +120 |
Yannick Paul | +145 |
Taichi Kho | +325 |
1st Round 3 Balls – L. Li / P. Larrazabal / S. Suwannarut | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Pablo Larrazabal | -110 |
Sarit Suwannarut | +170 |
Linqiang Li | +400 |
1st Round 3 Balls – H. Xue / S. Tarrio / S. Jamieson | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Scott Jamieson | +100 |
Santiago Tarrio | +145 |
Han Xue | +425 |
1st Round 3 Balls – A. Cockerill / Z. Jin / M. Kieffer | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Aaron Cockerill | +115 |
Maximilian Kieffer | +125 |
Zihao Jin | +425 |
1st Round 3 Balls – M. Elvira / C. Jarvis / X. Luo | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Manuel Elvira | +105 |
Casey Jarvis | +130 |
Xuewen Luo | +475 |
1st Round 3 Balls – R. Gouveia / A. Pavan / OM Prakash Chouhan | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Andrea Pavan | +135 |
Ricardo Gouveia | +145 |
Om Prakash Chouhan | +280 |
1st Round 3 Balls – D. Hillier / J. Wang / D. Bradbury | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Daniel Hillier | +135 |
Dan Bradbury | +140 |
Jeunghun Wang | +300 |
1st Round 3 Balls – S. Kodaira / S. Gallacher / N. Colsaerts | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Satoshi Kodaira | +120 |
Nicolas Colsaerts | +180 |
Stephen Gallacher | +250 |
1st Round 3 Balls – Y. Qiu / H. Wenyi / Z. Fang | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Zeqian Fang | +145 |
Huang Wenyi | +160 |
Yongqi Qiu | +325 |
1st Round 3 Balls – B. Wiesberger / L. De Jager / B. Zhengkai | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Bernd Wiesberger | -120 |
Louis De Jager | +170 |
Bai Zhengkai | +425 |
1st Round 3 Balls – M. Kawamura / U. Coussaud / J. Veerman | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Johannes Veerman | +160 |
Masahiro Kawamura | +180 |
Ugo Coussaud | +185 |
1st Round 3 Balls – C. Jian / Y. Chen / K.P. Lin | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
K.P Lin | +140 |
Yilong Cheng | +180 |
Chuan-Lin Jian | +220 |
1st Round 3 Balls – B. Xiao / N. Elvira / S. Bairstow | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Sam Bairstow | +100 |
Nacho Elvira | +135 |
Bowen Xiao | +475 |
1st Round 3 Balls – J. Cheng / D. Fittelli / A. Sullivan | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Andy Sullivan | -120 |
Dylan Frittelli | +170 |
Jin Cheng | +425 |
1st Round 3 Balls – H. Long / M. Armitage / J. Zhang | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Marcus Armitage | -120 |
Hurly Long | +175 |
Jinshen Zhang | +400 |
1st Round 3 Balls – S. Soderberg / A. Wu / Z. Lombard | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Sebastian Soderberg | +115 |
Zander Lombard | +180 |
Ashun Wu | +260 |
1st Round 3 Balls – W. Ye / D. Van Driel / A. Levy | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Alexander Levy | -110 |
Darius Van Driel | +145 |
Wo-Cheng Ye | +500 |
1st Round 3 Balls – L.J. Go / A. Rozner / G. Chen | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Antoine Rozner | -135 |
Guxin Chen | +250 |
Lloyd Jefferson Go | +300 |
1st Round 3 Balls – B. Ma / G. Worrall / J. Daxin | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jin Daxing | +145 |
Bingwen Ma | +190 |
George Worrall | +190 |
The CJ Cup | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Jordan Spieth | +1600 |
Si Woo Kim | +1800 |
Jason Day | +2000 |
Will Zalatoris | +2000 |
Adam Scott | +2500 |
Alex Noren | +2500 |
Byeong Hun An | +2500 |
Min Woo Lee | +2500 |
Tom Hoge | +2500 |
Tom Kim | +2500 |
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Tournament Match-Up – B. An vs K. Mitchell | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Byeong Hun An | -130 |
Keith Mitchell | +100 |
Tournament Match-Up – J. Day vs J. Spieth | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Jordan Spieth | -120 |
Jason Day | -110 |
Tournament Match-Up – S. Jaeger vs T. Hoge | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Stephan Jaeger | -120 |
Tom Hoge | -110 |
Tournament Match-Up – A. Rai vs M. Hubbard | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Aaron Rai | -115 |
Mark Hubbard | -115 |
Tournament Match-Up – M. Lee vs S. Im | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Min Woo Lee | -115 |
Sungjae Im | -115 |
Tournament Match-Up – T. Detry vs T. Kim | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Tom Kim | -130 |
Thomas Detry | +100 |
Tournament Match-Up – S. Kim vs W. Zalatoris | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Si Woo Kim | -140 |
Will Zalatoris | +110 |
Tournament Match-Up – K. Lee vs M. McNealy | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Maverick McNealy | -130 |
K H Lee | +100 |
Tournament Match-Up – A. Scott vs A. Noren | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Alex Noren | -125 |
Adam Scott | -105 |
Singapore | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Jon Rahm | +600 |
Joaquin Niemann | +800 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +1100 |
Brooks Koepka | +1400 |
Cameron Smith | +1400 |
Tyrrell Hatton | +1400 |
Louis Oosthuizen | +1600 |
Talor Gooch | +1600 |
Dean Burmester | +1800 |
Abraham Ancer | +2200 |
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Insperity Invitational | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Steven Alker | +450 |
Padraig Harrington | +600 |
Jerry Kelly | +1400 |
Miguel Angel Jimenez | +1400 |
Stephen Ames | +1400 |
David Toms | +1600 |
Ernie Els | +1600 |
Alex Cejka | +2000 |
Retief Goosen | +2000 |
KJ Choi | +2200 |
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Scottie Scheffler Specials | |
Type: Scottie Scheffler Specials – Status: OPEN | |
Win Any Remaining Signature Event | -200 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & US Open (Top 10 Finish) | +115 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +125 |
US Open (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +135 |
All Remaining Signature Events – Top 10 Finish | +200 |
PGA Championship (Top 5 Finish) & The Open (Top 5 Finish) | +200 |
US Open (Top 5 Finish) & The Open (Top 5 Finish) | +210 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & US Open (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +240 |
PGA Championship (Top 5 Finish) & US Open (Top 5 Finish) | +280 |
Win 2 Remaining Signature Events | +450 |
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PGA Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
Jon Rahm | +1200 |
Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Xander Schauffele | +2000 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +2500 |
Collin Morikawa | +2500 |
Max Homa | +2500 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
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Requests | |
Type: Requests – Status: OPEN | |
Miles Russell – Win a Major before 30th birthday | +5000 |
Scottie Scheffler & Nelly Korda – Win All Remaining 2024 Majors | +50000 |
US Open 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
Jon Rahm | +1200 |
Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Viktor Hovland | +2000 |
Brooks Koepka | +2500 |
Cameron Smith | +2500 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
Xander Schauffele | +2500 |
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The Open Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +500 |
Jon Rahm | +1000 |
Rory McIlroy | +1000 |
Viktor Hovland | +1100 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Cameron Smith | +2000 |
Cameron Young | +2000 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Ludvig Aberg | +2000 |
Jordan Spieth | +2500 |
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Requests | |
Type: Requests – Status: OPEN | |
The Open Championship – Alex Noren – Top 20 Finish | +200 |
Solheim Cup 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -140 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1200 |
Ryder Cup 2025 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -135 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1000 |