Presidents Cup Day 1 Winners and Losers: U.S. Storms to 5-0 Lead

The U.S. dominated the opening session at the Presidents Cup, leaving the International team searching for answers as it tries to dig out of a deep hole and end a 21-year losing streak.

Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, teamed with Russell Henley to win his opening match 3 and 2. / Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Day 1 of the 2024 Presidents Cup is in the books and it’s 5-0 Team USA after a stunningly efficient sweep. We call ’em like we see ’em around here. They are:

Winners

Xander Schauffele: He and Tony Finau missed two putts under 5 feet on the 16th hole to let Ben An and Jason Day pull even in the opening match, but then Schauffele slammed the door with darts for birdies at 17 and 18. Killer stuff from the guy who won half of this year’s majors.

Keegan Bradley: The 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain went out as a player and curled in a 20-foot dagger on 17 to close his match and hang up another U.S. point. He should also be feeling pretty good about next year's Ryder Cup, given the way the new mix of U.S. pairings performed.

Tom Kim: Was walking off the green early, rather than watching his opponents putt, the classiest move? It was not. Did it fire up everyone watching and give the entire event a temporary jolt of much-needed juice? Yes and for that we give him points for the attempt. But … keep reading.

Scottie Scheffler: Responded in kind to Kim’s gamesmanship by leading partner Russell Henley to a 3 and 2 win, which as the most lopsided result of the session and a warning to the rest of his opponents this week: don’t poke the bear. 

Losers

Tom Kim: If you’re going to start woofing, you better back it up. Kim and Sungjae Im ultimately fell to a fired-up Scheffler and Henley 3 and 2, sucking the air right out of the home crowd and signaling that the rout was indeed on. 

Adam Scott: Entered the week 0–10 in this event and was tasked on Thursday with shepherding rookie Min Woo Lee, but the all-Aussie partnership, like every other International partnership, just didn’t click. 

Christiaan Bezuidenhout: Missed three putts inside 10 feet that could’ve won holes and potentially flipped a close match against Wyndham Clark and Bradley. It’s always fun to watch players in these team events rise to the pressure and summon their best. But when the opposite happens, well …

Mike Weir: The International captain didn’t miss any putts on Thursday. But when your opening-day lineup, for which you’ve been preparing for all season, goes 0-5, you end up on this list. One saving grace: not every Canadian player lost today. Mackenzie Hughes sat out.

NBC/Golf Channel: The network has caught grief for its golf coverage all year and Thursday’s glitches included live scoring errors and missed moments while “Playing Through.” But a bigger problem looms if Friday is another U.S. rout: microscopic weekend ratings.