Team USA dominated at Royal Montreal, defeating the International 18.5 to 11.5 in the Presidents Cup.
Keegan Bradley’s goal clinched the Presidents Cup victory, but the Americans went on to record two wins, two losses, and two ties.
This week brought a very entertaining Presidents Cup filled with excitement and drama. Despite problems with television coverage, both teams provided plenty of viewing for fans.
After the first two days of play, it was a must-watch game, making Saturday and Sunday extremely important.
Out of both teams, who shined the brightest at Royal Montreal and what went wrong?
Let’s discuss the winners and losers.
3 Presidents Cup winners
Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
3. Kim Si Woo
Siu Kim may not have been part of a winning team, but his positive energy makes him a winner. He is an icon of the international team.
His celebration was the best of each team. Kim didn’t care whether she won or lost the match. If he did something great, he got excited.
Stephen Curry’s celebration from Saturday will probably be one of the best moments of the entire event.
It was another great moment to see him and Byung-Hun Ahn defeat Scotty Scheffler and Russell Henry on Friday. Overall, he had a 2-2-0 record with Royal Montreal in the Presidents Cup.
It doesn’t matter that he hit .500 this week, because his energy kept the International in the event.
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
2. Patrick Cantlay
Patrick Cantlay brought back Patty Ice for this year’s Presidents Cup. He was great all week, posting a 4-1-0 overall record.
The only match he lost was on Friday when he and Xander Shuffle lost 7&6 to Hideki Matsuyama and Sung Jae Im.
Statistically, he was one of the best players on Team USA. According to Golf Data, he gained a total of 8.87 strokes through five rounds.
Cantlay took 6.81 strokes from tee to green and 5.16 strokes on his strokes gained approach. He also added 2.06 strokes on the putting green.
Cantlay gave the Americans multiple chances, so it wasn’t all that bad.
When Team USA needed a boost, Cantlay delivered.
Cantlay also seems to appreciate having his back against the wall, as he played even better when fans criticized him.
Photo by Ben Jared/PGA Tour via Getty Images
1. Keegan Bradley
Keegan Bradley loves team events and watching him lead Team USA to victory was incredible. Overall, he had a 2-1-0 record with Royal Montreal.
As one of the oldest players on the team, Jim Furyk took a chance on him by naming him captain.
He was an essential part of this team. When Furyk called his name, Bradley responded with all his might. The seven-time PGA Tour winner dominated on Thursday and won again on Sunday.
This moment seems to have been therapeutic for him after missing out on the 2023 Ryder Cup.
Bradley can confidently step into the captain’s role in the 2025 Ryder Cup with Bethpage Black.
3 Presidents Cup losers
Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire, Getty Images
3. Brian Harman
Brian Harman was the only Team USA member not to score a single point at Royal Montreal. He went 0-3-0 this week.
Despite his Ryder Cup success with Max Homa, he did not continue to Canada. Although they were playing with each other, Herman’s game was not up to par.
He lost 8.54 strokes overall and 6.75 strokes from tee to green. Herman also gained 4.16 fewer strokes in his approach game, according to Golf Data.
The 2023 British Open champions were the weak link for the Americans, but it didn’t matter because the team worked so hard together.
2. Mike Weir’s combination selection
His combination choices on Saturday and Sunday may have cost international captain Mike Weir a cup win.
By keeping the same combination for Saturday’s morning and afternoon matches, the international team lost three important points.
Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
They needed to win the afternoon session to have a chance on Sunday, but instead lost 3-1.
And instead of pairing him with his best opponent Sunday, Weir brought in a lot of his heavy hitters first.
The international team fought hard, but fatigue and poor strategy took their toll.
1. Presidents Cup TV coverage
Commercial is the only word to describe this week’s Presidents Cup television coverage. There were times when I couldn’t watch it because there were so many interruptions.
NBC Sports and Golf Channel handled the broadcast, with commercials airing every few minutes.
It also seemed like the network was overusing the Playing Through segment.
Fans are already having a hard time watching this event since it’s during college football season, but the networks weren’t helping at all.
When watching golf, it’s hard to get into a rhythm when there are so many commercial breaks. If professional golf wants to make the Presidents Cup even more popular, it should find a way to limit commercials as much as possible.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls Instagram @golf_girl_sl.
