Old friends Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson usually have to keep tabs on each other from afar, but this week they’ll get to see one another up close.

Conners and Henderson will team up once again at the Grant Thornton Invitational, a unique event where some of the best golfers from the PGA and LPGA Tours compete as pairs. The tournament is quickly becoming an annual reunion for the two graduates of Golf Canada’s junior program.

“Since turning professional, our careers have gone separate ways, and we haven’t been able to cross paths too much,” said Conners, who finished the men’s season 39th on the FedEx Cup standings. “I’m always cheering her on from afar, and always have my eye on the LPGA Tour leaderboard when she’s playing.”

Henderson, likewise, has been keeping tabs on Conners’s exploits.

“It’s just been really fun to watch his career and cheer him on,” said Henderson, who finished 13th in the women’s tour’s rankings. “I think this event has reconnected us, in a way, and it’s been really special and great to be able to know his family and just to watch this game and be his partner here is really cool.”

Both were on Team Canada back in 2013 when they won the Copa de las Americas along with Albin Choi and Augusta James.

Conners and Henderson also represented Canada at the last two Olympics but due to COVID-19 restrictions they didn’t get to interact at the Tokyo Games in 2021. The men’s and women’s tournaments were on different weeks at the Paris Games this past summer.

The two Canadians finished second at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational last year with a combined score of 25 under, a shot behind New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and Australia’s Jason Day.

“It’s been great to be able to share some experiences like the Olympics and this event last year and spending more time together has been awesome,” said Conners, who is from Listowel, Ont. “She’s this amazing person, amazing golfer, and a fun partner at this event.”

The stacked leaderboard will see 16 pairs tee off on Friday at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla. American Tony Finau withdrew from the event on Wednesday afternoon. He was replaced as top-ranked Nelly Korda’s partner by Daniel Berger.

“I feel like we make a great team, and I’m excited for Friday to tee it up and hopefully make some birdies and be inspired by (Conners’s) great shots,” said Henderson, who is from Smiths Falls, Ont.

PGA TOUR — Six Canadians are vying for a PGA Tour card at the PGA Tour Q-School this week. Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., Edmonton’s Wil Bateman, Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., Toronto’s Sebastian Szirmak, as well as Matthew Anderson and Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., will all be in the field at Dye’s Valley Course and Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., this week.

LPGA TOUR — Hamilton’s Alena Sharp and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., both earned full status on the LPGA Tour for 2025 after solid showings at the final qualifying stage of the Q-Series on Monday. Sharp tied for 21st at 7 under and Leblanc tied for 24th at 6 under. The top 25 finishers in the tournament earned their status.

GOLFZON TOUR — A team of five golfers from the Greater Toronto Area will be competing in the GOLFZON Tour, a golf simulator league that features 12 teams from North America and the United Kingdom. Team Toronto will play its GOLFZON Tour quarterfinal match at a Golfplay location in Waterloo, Ont., on the virtual Old Course at St. Andrews against Team Orlando on Dec. 19. 

EUROPEAN TOUR

Johannes Veerman overcame a five stroke deficit to win the Nedbank Golf Challenge after hometown favourite Aldrich Potgieter bogeyed the final hole, giving the American his second career European Tour title. It is his first win since 2021 when the 209th-ranked player in the world captured the title at the Czech Masters. Potgieter, who got a free drop after putting his approach shot into the rough near the grandstand on No. 18, missed a 10-foot birdie putt for the win and the subsequent short par putt which would have forced a playoff. Potgieter finished in a tie for second with Matthew Jordan and Romain Langasque. …Mackenzie Hughes recorded his fourth top-10 result in his last five starts and career best finish in a European Tour sanctioned event. …Corey Conners notched his second straight top-10 finish and his best career result in a European Tour sanctioned event.

NEXT EVENT: Alfred Dunhill Championship (Dec 12)

CANADIANS ENTERED: Aaron Cockerill

ASIAN TOUR

Joaquin Niemann made birdie on the second playoff hole to defeat Cam Smith and Caleb Surratt and win the PIF Saudi International, the season-ending event on the Asian Tour and The International Series. It was the second win of the year in Saudi Arabia for the LIV golfer who claimed the LIV Golf Jeddah in March. The victory in the most lucrative event of the season also gave Niemann the International Series title over Peter Uihlein. John Catlin finished in a tie for 34th, which earned him $36,000 and pushed his season earnings past $1.456 million, setting a new single-season earnings record that had stood for 16 years by just over $4,000. Catlin had already clinched the Order of Merit two weeks ago. Despite leading the International Series Rankings for most of the year, he ended the season in fourth, denying him a spot on the LIV Golf Tour next year. He will have another chance at next week’s LIV Golf Promotion event. …Richard T. Lee finished a career best third on the Asian Tour of Merit, his first top-10 finish since 2015. He was also fifth in the International Series Rankings, one spot shy of his career best in 2022.

NEXT EVENT: Asian Tour. Qualifying School Final (Dec. 17)

CANADIANS ENTERED:  Max Sekulic, Henry Hyoun Ho Lee, Ty Campbell, John Barker

PGA TOUR

Scottie Scheffler equalled the tournament record with a final round 63 to successfully defend his title at the Hero World Challenge, winning by six shots. The six shot margin of victory is the largest in the nine year history of the tournament. It is his ninth win in 21 starts, which includes the Masters, an Olympic gold medal and the FedEx Cup title. Scheffler is the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to spend the entire calendar year as the No. 1 ranked player in the world. Scheffler started the final round one shot behind Justin Thomas but took the lead with a birdie on the third and never looked back after dropping a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 4. Tom Kim finished solo second after Thomas made bogey on the final hole. Scheffler earned $1 million for winning the unofficial event – his smallest paycheck of the year, not including the Olympics. There were no Canadians entered in the tournament.

NEXT EVENT: Grant Thornton Invitational (Dec. 13)

CANADIANS ENTERED: Corey Conners, Brooke Henderson, Nick Taylor (alternate)

PGA TOUR Q-SCHOOL

Two Canadians will join four others in the final stage of PGA Tour Q-School next week. Sudarshan Yellamaraju and Sebastian Szirmak were among the top 17 players who advanced from a second-stage qualifier in Georgia. They have guaranteed themselves at least eight starts on the Korn Ferry Tour next year. Chris Crisologo (T26) and Brandon Lacasse (T26) missed qualifying in Georgia by three strokes while Thomas Giroux (T35) was four shots outside the cut line. …Canadians who did not advance from the four second stage events: Cougar Collins, Johnny Travale, A.J. Ewart, Carter Graf, Etienne Papineau, Stuart MacDonald and Joey Savoie.

NEXT EVENT: PGA Tour Q-School (Dec. 12)

CANADIANS ENTERED: Matthew Anderson, Wil Bateman, Myles Creighton, Roger Sloan, Sebastian Szirmak, Sudarshan Yellamaraju

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen birdied four of the last six holes to cruise to an eight-stroke win at the PGA Tour Champions Qualifying Tournament. Kjeldsen, who doesn’t turn 50 until May 2025, carded the lowest total score since 2006 when the final stage of Q-School returned to 72 holes from 108 holes. His eight-stroke margin of victory is the largest in final stage history. Kjeldsen will be joined on the Champions Tour by Sweden’s Freddie Jacobson, who finished runner-up, and Mark Walker, Felipe Aguilar and Brendan Jones who all finished tied for third. They are all fully exempt next season. Dicky Pride, Scott Barr and Andre Stolz finished a stroke out of a playoff which would have been for full status. …Gordon Burns finished three shots out of the top 30 which would have made him eligible to play in open qualifiers in 2025.

NEXT EVENT: PNC Championship (Dec. 20)

Canadian golf star Mike Weir is among those set to be inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame next year.

The Brights Grove, Ont. native will join multi-platinum artists Our Lady Peace, award-winning acress Tonya Williams, Juno-winning guitarist Liona Boyd, pioneering cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Tirone David and War Child Canada founder Dr. Samantha Nutt.

The Walk of Fame, which honours notable Canadians for their exceptional achievements, will celebrate inductees with an awards show in Toronto in June.

Next year’s honourees will join more than 230 Canadians who have been commemorated on Canada’s Walk of Fame.

That includes Dr. Frank J. Hayden, the kinesiology professor whose research sparked the Special Olympics movement, who was this year’s sole inductee.

Additional inductees, along with plans for public events, will be announced next year.

Born in Sarnia, Ont., Weir is best known for his historic victory at the 2003 Masters Tournament, where he became the first Canadian and the first left-handed golfer to win the prestigious event.

Turning professional in 1992, Weir secured eight PGA TOUR victories, solidifying his reputation as one of Canada’s greatest golfers. He has also played key roles in multiple Presidents Cup International Teams, both as a player and assistant captain, and most recently as the captain of the International Team for the 2024 Presidents Cup in Montreal.

Weir continues to compete on the PGA TOUR Champions circuit, where he earned his first win at the 2021 Insperity Invitational.

Recognized for his contributions to the sport, Weir was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2007 and inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2009. 

Things just didn’t feel right for Adam Hadwin when he missed the cut at the Shriners Children’s Open on Oct. 18, so he went back to the drawing board.

Hadwin, from Abbotsford, B.C., spent the next month working on his swing, making subtle changes to improve his mechanics, and entered in this week’s RSM Classic — the finale of the PGA Tour’s Fall Ball season — to test out his new swing in a competitive environment. He said on Wednesday it all traced back to his disappointing performance at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas and that missed cut.

“It just kind of left a sour taste in my mouth, playing as poorly as I did there,” said Hadwin. “So I’ve been working hard the last two weeks, three weeks or so on, on some things and wanted to end the year on a better note.

“This was kind of the last event remaining. It’s fairly easy to get to (from his home in Wichita, Kan.) and the tournament itself is great.”

Hadwin finished the PGA Tour’s regular season 47th on the FedEx Cup standings, guaranteeing him a spot in all of next season’s signature events, starting with The Sentry at Plantation Course in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii, on Jan. 2. It also meant that he didn’t have to play in the Shriners Children’s Open, the RSM Classic or any of the events on the Fall Ball calendar.

He chose to play in those events, however, to stay sharp.

“Winters in Wichita are probably not ideal for golf,” laughed Hadwin of preparing for the 2025 season. “I’ll just be working away on the technical side of things, making sure that I’m doing the right things leading into Hawaii. 

“Positionally, the things that we wanted to accomplish were accomplished and I’m just putting that work in, making swings over and over.”

The RSM Classic has been good to Canadian golfers in the past decade.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., won the event in a five-player playoff in 2016 and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., was the victor in 2022. Hughes was also the runner-up in 2021 and last year.

Hughes and Svensson will join Hadwin in the field on Thursday, as will Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C. The event has players compete on Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course and Plantation Course. Hadwin, Svensson and Sloan will start on the Seaside Course and Hughes will tee off on the Plantation Course.

“It’s two good golf courses on the island,” said Hadwin. “(St. Simons Island, Ga.,) is very laid back and I’ve enjoyed coming here the years that I have had to.

“This year it’s more so just to test out to see where I’m at, where the golf swing’s at, the shots that I’m hitting. Maybe some things to work on next six or seven weeks before going to Hawaii.”

Around the Tours

CME Group Tour Championship — Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is the lone Canadian in the CME Group Tour Championship, the season finale for the LPGA Tour. It’s her 10th appearance at the elite event. She finished the regular season 14th on the tour’s points list.

Taylor Pendrith took two weeks off after the Presidents Cup and didn’t miss a beat, matching his career-low on the PGA Tour with a 10-under 61 that gave him an early three-shot lead in the Shriners Children’s Open on Thursday.

Pendrith missed only one fairway and one green at the TPC Summerlin, both on the same hole. He pulled his tee shot on the 18th hole — his ninth — had to pitch out sideways, hit wedge to 7 feet and saved his par.

The rest was a steady diet of big drives, a lot of wedges and good putting. His only disappointment was the par-5 ninth, his final hole. He had only 200 yards into the green and knew an eagle would give him a 59.

“Tried to be aggressive and hit a good shot and just didn’t catch all of it, and came up short right in the bunker,” Pendrith, from Richmond Hill, Ont., said.

He blasted out to 12 feet and missed the putt, along with a chance to tie the course record at Summerlin last set by Rod Pampling in 2017.

Pendrith also shot a 61 in the Bermuda Championship three years ago.

Fellow Canadian Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., also started strong with an opening round of 7-under 64, joining a group including Bud Cauley and Matti Schmid. 

Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., opened at 4-under 67, a stroke ahead of Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., opened at 1-over 72 while Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford had a later tee time. 

Matt McCarty, who won the inaugural Black Desert Championship last week in Utah, played in the afternoon.

Also playing late was Tom Kim, the two-time defending champion. He is trying to become the first player since Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic (2009-11) to win the same PGA Tour event three straight times.

Former UNLV player Ryan Moore was among those at 65, while Rickie Fowler posted a 66 — it felt much higher playing alongside Pendrith.

Schmid was coming off a 62 in the final round in Utah to finish fifth, moving him off the bubble at No. 120 to No. 105 in the FedEx Cup Fall. A big part of this stretch of the PGA Tour is for players to finish in the top 125 to secure a full card for 2025.

Pendrith knows that feeling.

He was at No. 123 in the FedEx Cup last year when he came to Las Vegas, and he tied for third to effectively sew up his card for the following season. He went on to win in Dallas at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson for his first PGA Tour title, and he made it to the Tour Championship.

“I know it’s an important time of year for a lot of guys and I’ve been there for sure,” Pendrith said. “It’s stressful. But it’s a different feeling for me, obviously already locked up for next year. It’s a different feeling I guess out there playing. But I really enjoy this place.”

Pendrith also was picked for the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal, posting a 2-3 record and going 2-1 in team play alongside Adam Scott. The plan was to take a short break, but that changed when Hurricane Milton cut across Florida.

“I think I played maybe three times since the Presidents Cup, and then was planning on practising and everything was closed,” Pendrith said. His coach joined him in Las Vegas for some quality work early in the week.

“I feel rested and excited to play,” Pendrith said. “I didn’t really expect a 10 under, I would say. I thought I would be a little bit more rusty than that. Obviously thrilled, just got to keep getting back into the rhythm of things and the next few days.”

VINS, Utah — Adam Svensson made a 35-foot eagle putt he thought he had missed and closed with a birdie from the bunker for a career-best 11-under 60, giving him a two-shot lead Thursday in the Black Desert Championship as the PGA Tour returned to Utah for the first time in 61 years.

Black Desert Resort had a gorgeous day to make its debut with a Tom Weiskopf design cut through an ancient field of black lava and surrounded by the red rock mountains some 30 miles from Zion National Park.

Svensson and so many others made short work of the course in ideal scoring conditions.

Henrik Norlander hit all 14 fairways and all 18 greens in posting his career-low of 62. He was joined by Korn Ferry Tour grad Matt McCarty, who had an eagle on the reachable par-4 fifth.

And then Svensson, from Surrey, B.C., came through in the afternoon and made seven birdies through 10 holes before he finished with a flourish. 

The Canadian chose to lay up on the fifth — reachable par 4s are a signature of the late Weiskopf in his golf course designs — and made an 8-footer. Then came his 35-foot eagle on the par-5 seventh to move into the lead.

“I thought it was going to go left and it went right and went in,” Svensson said. “You’ve got to get a little bit lucky here and there. But overall I played very well.”

He saved par from 8 feet on the par-3 eighth and then got up-and-down from a bunker by making a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-5 ninth.

“It’s just one of those rounds where everything just comes together,” Svensson said.

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It was the second straight week during the FedEx Cup Fall portion of the PGA Tour that a player shot 60. David Skinns missed a 10-foot putt for a chance at 59 in the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Svensson would have needed an eagle on his final hole for a sub-60 round, but found a bunker. He wasn’t even aware a 59 was in play because he thought Black Desert Resort was a par 72.

“I didn’t even think about it, really,” he said.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., was tied for 16th after a 5-under 66, Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., was tied for 42nd at 3 under, and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was tied for 62nd after shooting 69.

The opening round could not finish before darkness in southwestern Utah. Among those who didn’t finish was 65-year-old Jay Don Blake, the Utah native and one-time PGA Tour winner given an exemption to play in his 500th career PGA Tour event.

Blake grew up about a half-mile away from the resort when it was just an ancient lava field. He was 3-over par through 15 holes.

Norlander couldn’t have asked for much more. He hit all 14 fairways and every green in posting his best round on the PGA Tour.

“I think everybody out on this tour when they play well, every course is going to be fine for them, and vice versa,” Norlander said. “I really like it here. It’s a fun course, a lot of opportunities, but you’ve got to hit good shots because the greens are somewhat severe, and you’ve got to get it in the right portions to play well.”

McCarty started his year on the Korn Ferry Tour and won three times, earning an instant promotion to the PGA Tour. He had to wait until the FedEx Cup Fall to get started, and this is his second tournament.

Kevin Streelman had a 64, while the group at 65 included Ben Kohles, who had a hole-in-one on the 17th hole, which was playing 130 yards with a front pin and a backstop. Several other players came within inches of an ace.

Others at 65 from the early side of the draw included Houston Open winner Stephen Jaeger and Harry Hall, who won the ISCO Championship in Kentucky. That win didn’t get Hall into the Masters because it was held the same week as the Scottish Open.

The Black Desert Championship comes with a Masters invitation. Most of the focus this time of the year is on finishing in the top 125 to retain a full PGA Tour card for 2025.

South Korea’s Si Woo Kim missed a birdie putt on No. 18 to lose to Keegan Bradley as the United States clinched an 18 1/2 to 12 1/2 win over the International team at the Presidents Cup.

Bradley’s victory gave the Americans the 15 1/2 points required to win the tournament with five matches still on the course Sunday at Royal Montreal Golf Club.

It’s the U.S.’s 10th consecutive win at the elite biennial tournament.

The Presidents Cup sees 12 Americans play 12 golfers from around the world, excluding Europe. 

All 24 golfers played in individual matches in the final round, with the Internationals entering the day trailing by four points.

Each match is worth a point and a score of 15 1/2 is needed to win the tournament. The Americans held an 11-7 lead heading into the final round, meaning the Internationals needed to take at least eight matches and earn one tie out of the 12 pairings to win.

The largest final-round comeback in Presidents Cup history was when the Americans rallied from a two-point deficit at Australia’s Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 2019.

Medinah Country Club outside Chicago will host the next Presidents Cup in 2026.

Xander Schauffele got the first match of the day done quickly, beating Australia’s Jason Day 4&3.

South Korea’s Tom Kim, easily the most outspoken member of the International team, backed up his words with a birdie on No. 15 to earn a draw with Sam Burns.

World No. 7 Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, the highest-ranked member of the Internationals, eked out a 1-Up win over world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. 

At almost the same time, Russell Henley completed a 3&2 victory over South Korea’s Sungjae Im.

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., breathed life into the Internationals’ cause with a 5&3 win over Tony Finau in the Canadian’s best performance of the week.

Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., conceded to Patrick Cantlay on the 16th green for a 3&1 loss to move the Americans to within a point of winning the tournament.

Si Woo Kim could have tied his match against Bradley if he’d sunk his birdie putt on No. 18, but he missed for the 1-Up loss.

After the Americans clinched their victory, play continued. 

Australia’s Min Woo Lee birdied the par-4 No. 18 to earn a tie with Wyndham Clark. Sanith Theegala missed his birdie putt on the 18th green to tie South Korea’s Byeong Hun An.

Collin Morikawa then earned a 2&1 victory over Australia’s Adam Scott before South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout topped Brian Harman 2&1.

Max Homa beat Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., 2&1 in the tournament’s final match. It was the first time that three Canadians played in the event.

The line between showmanship and bad sportsmanship was blurred a little more on the third day of the Presidents Cup.

Si Woo Kim ran on to the 16th green after he drained a chip in from the deep rough, cradling his head on folded hands, emulating the go-to-sleep celebration of Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry, as he celebrated he and fellow South Korean Tom Kim tying their match with Americans Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.

Two holes later, Cantlay drained a birdie putt to help the United States build an 11-7 lead over the International team in a long day at the Presidents Cup. Tom Kim — no stranger to exuberant celebrations — said a line was crossed by his American opponents during the match.

“Towards the end, it got a little feisty out there,” said Tom Kim. “I could hear some players cursing at us. I don’t think there was good sportsmanship there.

“But it’s all part of the fun. I understand it.”

Cantlay’s nearly 17-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th hole at Royal Montreal Golf Club gave the U.S. back-to-back 3-1 rounds on Saturday and a four-point lead on the overall scoreboard.

The elite biennial tournament sees 12 Americans face 12 golfers from around the world, excluding Europe. The final round will have all 24 golfers playing individual matches.

Each match is worth a point and a score of 15 1/2 is needed to win the tournament. The Internationals have lost nine Presidents Cups in a row.

Whipping the fans at Royal Montreal into a frenzy has been one of the strategies employed by the Internationals as they try to end their losing skid and overcome a stacked American roster that features five of the top 10 players in the world.

Tom Kim has been the International team’s conductor on the course, playing to the fans the most of any of the tournament’s golfers. Still, he maintained a line was crossed Saturday.

“I do it, too. You see me out there throwing fist pumps and jumping on the green. It’s all part of it, I get it,” he said. “I just don’t think there’s a need to look at someone and curse at them. I just don’t think there’s a need for it.”

Schauffele and Cantlay said they didn’t swear at their opponents and didn’t hear any of their American teammates — trailing behind the group in golf carts — curse either.

“I felt like Pat and I, we treated the Kims with the utmost respect,” said Schauffele, adding that he and Cantaly both tried to quiet the crowd whenever they or their opponents were about to swing.

“I have no clue if anyone was doing any of that. I don’t believe any of our guys would do something like that. So I’m not sure what he was hearing.”

A fog delay that lasted nearly 100 minutes early in the morning session backed up the entire day’s proceedings. Players were on the course for more than 12 hours.

Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Australia’s Adam Scott were starting their second match of the day with Max Homa and Brian Harman as Cantlay and Sam Burns were on No. 17, finishing a 2&1 victory over Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and South Korea’s Sungjae Im from the first wave.

The other afternoon matches were delayed 30 minutes to allow the golfers time to refresh after playing all morning.

Pendrith and Scott traded holes with Harman and Homa to emerge with a 2-Up win for the Internationals’ only point of the afternoon’s fourth round.

“It was a quick turnaround, but we all knew that we were potentially going to play 36 today,” said Pendrith. “It was a long day out there. I’m pretty tired, yeah.

“I was happy to put a point on the board this afternoon for the International Team, but it’s been a long day.”

Collin Morikawa and Burns eked out a 1-Up win over the all-Canadian duo of Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., in the afternoon. That match was tied after 17 holes, with Conners and Hughes combining for a bogey on the final hole.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley won their final three holes for a 3&2 victory over Matsuyama and Im.

The score was tied 5-5 at the start of play Saturday and the U.S. recaptured the lead after a 3-1 third round of four-ball play in the morning.

Scheffler and Morikawa earned a 2&1 win over Scott and Pendrith, then Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim picked up the lone point for the Internationals in the morning session with a 4&3 victory over Keegan Bradley and Wyndham Clark.

Tony Finau and Schauffele then dispatched Conners and Hughes 3&2. Cantlay and Burns earned the Americans’ third point of the day with their win over Matsuyama and Im.

South Korea’s Tom Kim and Canada’s Taylor Pendrith called on International team fans to be louder at Royal Montreal Golf Club after a disappointing first round at the Presidents Cup.

The spectators answered that call on Friday.

A boisterous gallery chanted “I-N-T,” sang “O Canada!”, and generally made their presence known at virtually every hole as the Internationals stormed back with a 5-0 second-round shutout to tie the United States 5-5 in the overall score at the elite biennial men’s golf tournament.

Resounding wins by Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and South Korea’s Sungjae Im, Australia’s Adam Scott and Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., and the all-Canadian pairing of Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

“The fans really brought it. We felt that from the get-go,” said Hughes, who did not play in Thursday’s first round. “Corey mentioned that the first tee felt a lot different today than it did yesterday. Just electric all day.

“I joked to Corey on No. 2 tee, I said ‘how many times will we hear ‘O Canada’ today? What was the over-under?'”

Whatever line Hughes and Conners settled on, the galleries at Royal Montreal almost certainly were over. Kim and Pendrith had both said on Thursday that fans needed to make as much noise as possible to boost the International squad against a U.S. lineup that features five of the top 10 players in the world.

A day later, Kim said the fans were “unbelievable.” 

“I think the reason why we were able to play so good today, other than these guys going out and performing, was our fans backed us up,” said Kim, who did not play on Friday. “I think that gives you momentum, that gives you energy. 

“They played a huge factor in our win today.”

The elite biennial tournament sees 12 Americans face 12 golfers from around the world, excluding Europe. International team captain Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., selected four-ball as the first-round format and alternate ball foursomes for Friday. Saturday will have two rounds, four-ball and foursomes.

Each match is worth a point and the first team to 15 1/2 wins the tournament, which made the U.S. 5-0 first-round lead seem insurmountable before the comeback.

“No doubt yesterday was a tough day for us,” said Scott. “The scoreboard, which is the only thing that matters, looked terrible.

“It was closer than the scoreboard showed. Our spirits were high going back on the bus last night, some time together in the team room last night, kept the energy going, the spirits high.”

Hughes agreed.

“We’re just having fun. This is like the most fun group to be a part of. We sang. We laughed the whole way home last night,” said Hughes, grinning. “We were on the bus this morning, and the vibe was great. We just knew we had a lot of golf in front of us.”

Unlike the Americans’ 5-0 four-ball sweep in Thursday’s first round, the Internationals’ victories were not close.

Matsuyama and Im set the tone early with a 7&6 win over Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in the day’s opening match.

Pendrith and Scott kept things rolling with a 6&5 victory over Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa.

Although the fourth match of the day, the all-Canadian team of Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., won next with a 6&5 triumph over Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau.

“It obviously helped that a few guys went out early and got some leads,” said Hughes. “It just felt like the momentum was really infectious. You hear the cheers around the golf course, and you knew which cheers were for which team, which was really cool today.

“It felt like the crowd really pulled us through those matches. We need more of that the rest of the week.”

Nearly an hour later, Australia’s Jason Day made a 55-foot chip shot to get partner Christiaan Bezuidenhout to within 17 inches of the 18th hole. The South African made the putt to preserve their 1-Up win over Max Homa and Brian Harman.

“I feel very fortunate for the opportunity to be able to hit a shot like that under those conditions because what we’re doing right now, playing in this team format, is going to help us in the future playing down the stretch in other tournaments,” said Day. “So this is great experience for me.”

A 15-foot putt by South Korea’s Si Woo Kim sealed the fifth match of the day. He and fellow Korean Byeong Hun An beat world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley 1 Up.

By John Chidley-Hill

The United States has jumped out to a 5-0 over the International team at the Presidents Cup.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and partner Russell Henley earned a 3&2 victory over the South Korean pairing of Sungjae Im and Tom Kim in 16 holes in a match that featured lots of gamesmanship.

After Kim loudly celebrated a birdie putt, Scheffler made a point of pumping his fist and yelling in a similar way, glaring at the South Korean. On the next hole, Kim and Im walked off the green and went to the next tee before the Americans had finished their putts.

Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., and South African partner Christiaan Bezuidenhout were the closest International team to earning a tie but ultimately lost to Americans Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley 3&2.

The Presidents Cup is a biennial best-on-best tournament that sees 12 American golfers face 12 players from around the world, excluding Europe. Three Canadians are playing in it for the first time ever.

Conditions were soft and wet to start the day at Royal Montreal Golf Club but the course quickly dried as the sun came out during the noontime tees.

There were five four-ball matches in the first round. Each match is worth one point and the first team to get up to 15 1/2 points in total wins the tournament.

World No. 2 Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau gave the U.S. an early lead with an 1 Up victory over Australia’s Jason Day and Byeong Hun An in the opening match. 

Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala added to the American lead with a 1 Up win over the all-Australian pairing of Adam Scott and Min-Woo Lee.

Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns finished off Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama in 17 holes for a 2&1 win.