It was a good try from the International Team to take the lead on Saturday with fourball and foursomes sessions, but Team USA took charge after winning six of eight matches and heading into Sunday Singles with 11-7 scores. Will American domination continue even on the ultimate day or fatigue become a reason for their fall? On Saturday, captain Jim Furyk made Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Sam Burns, Collin Morikawa, and Patrick Cantlay play 36 holes (both sessions) and as a result, these golfers might have felt a little stretched. Even in the Ryder Cup, captains try to rest the players in between sessions so, why did Furyk choose to risk that?

By all means, Furyk didn’t have anything against the best players in his team except that he wanted Team USA to emerge victorious. Later he was asked at the press conference why he didn’t think of wear and tear on players and send them to play 36 holes on the same day, unlike how it happens in the Ryder Cup. To this, Furyk explained the difference between the events and said, “In the Ryder Cup you’ve got 36 on Friday, 36 on Saturday. Therefore, trying to play five matches in that is a little bit more grueling.” But at the Presidents Cup, there is one session on Thursday, one on Friday, and only two on Saturday.

Additionally, the American captain also highlighted how Mike Weir, the International Team’s captain, repeated all his eight guys in both sessions. He explained that both of them were thinking the same, “Hey, I’ve got to get the guys on the golf course that I think give us the best opportunities,” so why not use them? Furyk also shed light on how he walked 36 holes and said, “I’m 54. I just walked 36. I’m pretty tired. But most of these guys are about my kids’ age.”

Hence, he believed that they were pretty capable of handling the 36 holes without any fatigue; he stated that even Weir was probably thinking the same. However, there was another reason why Furyk repeated the golfers.

Jim Furyk explains what his game plan was for Saturday of the Presidents Cup

When asked in the post-game press conference if he considered players’ fatigue while deciding on the Saturday pairings. The 1-time major winner contemplated and then said, “If everyone played four matches, you could get through it without five, but I would be willing to bet that’s never happened in a Presidents Cup. They’re always going to have some guys that play five.” And the guys on Furyk’s mind were Cantlay, Schauffele, Morikawa, and Scheffler, who he deemed pretty good players that couldn’t be benched.

The captain further explained that after the 5-0 sweep on Friday, which was historical by the International team, the goal was Furyk added, “They’re coming strong. They played a heck of a session, and we have to stop that momentum.” So, to do that, Furyk expressed, “You’re trying to get your most experienced players, the guys that have been in that position before, out there on the golf course.” Undoubtedly, his plan to stop the International team from getting more points by throwing his best players in the lot worked in the favor of Team USA.

Although Scheffler, Schauffele, Morikawa, and others would have been a bit tired, Jim Furyk’s plan to stop the International team’s momentum reaped great results. With a four-point lead going into the Sunday Singles, Team USA has a chance to repeat history and stop the International Team from breaking their winless curse once again!