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Senate Subcommittee on LIV Golf

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WASH DC – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A report by the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations accused the Saudi Public Investment Fund of entering negotiations with the PGA Tour only due to the threat of discovery in their antitrust lawsuit.

The report, released Friday, outlined the subcommittee’s findings from an inquiry into the June 2023 “framework agreement” for a merger between the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF’s golf assets, namely LIV Golf.

US Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), chair of the PSI, was among those concerned about “the Saudi government’s role in influencing this effort and the risks posed by a foreign government entity assuming control over a cherished American institution.”

But the subcommittee’s investigation goes further back to before that shocking announcement, when LIV Golf was pursuing antitrust litigation against the PGA Tour for denying golfers the opportunity to play on both tours.

“The Subcommittee’s inquiry revealed that the first significant back and forth about a potential agreement between the PIF and the PGA Tour began with a renewed push from a representative of the PIF to broker a deal on April 14, 2023,” the report said, “and that a key term of the initial Framework Agreement entered into by the PIF and the PGA Tour involved the dismissal, with prejudice, of pending litigation between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.

“On April 7, 2023, a judge in the Northern District of California had ruled in that litigation that the PIF and its Governor, Yasir al-Rumayyan, were subject to discovery and depositions by lawyers for the PGA Tour. This deposition would likely have revealed details of the PIF’s operations and Governor al-Rumayyan’s control over its commercial investments.”

Blumenthal went on to write that “U.S. defenses are inadequate to protect against increasingly sophisticated foreign influence efforts by Saudi Arabia and other malign actors and exposed loopholes within the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) that allow foreign governments to escape accountability.”

The PGA Tour and the PIF have supposedly been in negotiations for some time now, though the PGA Tour has since acquired additional funding for its new for-profit endeavor, PGA Tour Enterprises, from a coalition of sports owners and investors called Strategic Sports Group.

The PGA Tour and LIV have held meetings with President Donald Trump, an avid golfer, in recent weeks, which have not produced any material progress in the talks.

–Field Level Media

Masters Preview

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AUGUSTA – The 2025 Masters Tournament is the first major championship of the ‘25 professional golf season. Scottie Scheffler is the Masters’ defending champion and also the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking.

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After missing the 2024 Masters Tournament due to injury, Bernhard Langer of Germany will make his 41st and final start at the Masters Tournament.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, fresh off serving the least expensive Champions Dinner in recent memory, is making his sixth appearance at Augusta National. The 2022 and 2024 Masters champion seeks to become the ninth player with three or more victories at Augusta and with a victory, would join JackNicklaus (1963, 1965, 1966) as the only players to win three Masters Tournaments in a four-year stretch.

Scheffler is also seeks to join Jack Nicklaus (1956, 1966), Nick Faldo (1989, 1990) and Tiger Woods (2001, 2002) as players to successfully defend their title at the Masters Tournament.

Scheffler has never finished outside the Top 20 in five prior starts at the Masters Tournament (T19/2020, T18/2021, Won/2022, T10/2023, Won/2024) and with his last three finishes at the Masters (Won/2024, T10/2023, Won/2022), he’s one of two players to finish among the Top 10 in each of the last three years. Collin Morikawa (5th/2022, T10/2023, T3/2024) is the other.

Rory McIlroy is making his 17th start at the Masters Tournament. He was the runner-up in 2022 which marked his best performance among seven Top-10 results.

McIlroy, as past winner of the PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open Championship, is attempting to become the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam.

  • Gene Sarazen
  • Ben Hogan
  • Gary Player
  • Jack Nicklaus
  • Tiger Woods

McIlroy’s victory at the 2025 PLAYERS Championship marked his 28th win on TOUR (T20 all-time). He’s seeking to become only the third player to win the PLAYERS and The Masters in the same season, joining Tiger Woods (2001), Scottie Scheffler (2024).

With a victory at this year’s Masters Tournament, Collin Morikawa, the World No. 4 and two-time major champion (2020 PGA Championship, 2021 Open Championship) can join three active players (Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson) with three legs of the career Grand Slam.

The 2023 Open Championship winner and last week’s Valero Texas Open winner, BrianHarman heads to his seventh Masters Tournament where he has missed the cut in his last three appearances. Harman made the cut twice in prior six starts (T44/2018, T12/2021).

England’s Tommy Fleetwood seeks his first PGA TOUR win in his 152nd start; last player to earn first PGA TOUR win at a major championship: England’s Matt Fitzpatrick (2022 U.S. Open); finished T3 at the 2024 Masters Tournament, his best result in eight career appearances

The 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth is making his 12th start at Augusta National. He owns five Top-3 results in 11 prior appearances (T2/2014, Won/2015, T2/2016, 3rd/2018, T3/2021).

In 40 rounds at Augusta National, his 70.95 scoring average marks the lowest of any player with 25-49 career rounds); underwent wrist surgery in August following the 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship and returned to competition at the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

The 2021 Masters champion and World No. 6 Hideki Matsuyama, the only male major championship winner from Japan, has made 12 cuts in 13 appearances at the Masters Tournament (MC/2014).

The Masters field has 25 different countries and territories represented this year, the most since 2015 (24). A total of 95 invitees are scheduled to compete this year.

Preview | The Masters

COURSE: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia

ARCHITECT: Dr. Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones Jr.; Perry Maxwell in 1937

YARDS/PAR: 7,555 yards/Par 72

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: TBD

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Scottie Scheffler

OVERVIEW: (link)

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 750

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @The Masters

PGA Tour: Valspar Championship

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PALM HARBOR – (Staff and Wire Service) – The PGA Tour’s Florida Swing rolls on with the Valspar Championship, which tees off Thursday at Innesbrook Resort.

While it lacks the event status of Bay Hill or TPC Sawgrass the past two weeks, Innesbrook’s Copperhead course is among the favorite tour stops for several players. With a field highlighted by Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas, our golf experts break down the tournament and share their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.

VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Palm Harbor, Fla., March 20-23
Course: Innisbrook Resort, Copperhead Course (Par 71, 7,352 Yards)
Purse: $8.7M (Winner: $1.566M)
Defending Champion: Peter Malnati
FedExCup leader: McIlroy

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday: 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App); Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App), 3-6 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday: 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m.
X: @ValsparChamp

PROP PICKS
–Sam Burns to Beat Xander Schauffele (+110 at DraftKings): Neither player enters in particularly good form, but at least two-time winner Burns is playing a track that he has had tremendous success on in the past — despite missing the cut here last year.

–Corey Conners Top 20 Finish (+120 at BetRivers): This is a strong potential payout for a player who has a pair of top-10s in a signature event and at The Players the past two weeks.

2025 Prop Pick Record: 11-17-1

BEST BETS
–Tommy Fleetwood (+1100 DraftKings) has finished T22 or better in 14 consecutive worldwide starts as he still seeks his first stroke-play victory in the United States.
–Xander Schauffele (+1200) called the state of his game “gross” as he has scuffled to a T40 and a 70th in his first two starts back from a rib injury, but did shoot a final-round 65 here in 2024 and is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 3.
–Sepp Straka (+1600) has been as consistently competitive as anyone to begin 2025, with last week’s T14 adding to a win at the AmEx and a T5 at Bay Hill.
–Justin Thomas (+2000) has three top-10s in his past six event starts, and he has said Copperhead is among his favorite courses on tour. He hasn’t won since the 2022 PGA Championship. He is third at the book with five percent of the money backing Thomas to break his winless drought this week.
–Sam Burns (+2200) has one top-20 result in seven starts this year and missed the cut at The Players, but he has won this event twice.
–Michael Kim (+3000) is already making his 10th start of the season. Fatigue is a concern, with a missed cut last week following five consecutive top-13s.
–Corey Conners (+3500) is a two-time winner on tour who has quietly finished solo third and T6 in marquee events the past two weeks. He leads the field with 16 percent of the money and five percent of all bets at DraftKings backing Conners to claim his third tour win this week.
–Lucas Glover (+6000) is coming off a T3 at The Players as he makes his 20th start in this event.

NOTES
–The field includes 18 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, including eight of the top 25.
–The ninth hole will play from the No. 11 tee this year to add length to the hole and to bring bunkers into play.
–Malnati seeks to join Paul Casey (2018-19) and Sam Burns (2021-22) as the third player to successfully defend a Valspar title in the past seven editions of the event.
–Neal Shipley, the low amateur at last year’s Masters, is in the field on a sponsors exemption. He is joined by Luke Clanton, who earned an exemption by winning the 2024 Valspar Collegiate Invitational before earning his PGA Tour membership through University Accelerated. He is eligible to accept membership upon turning professional at the conclusion of his junior season at Florida State. Blades Brown, 17, will make his fourth start of the season. He tied for 34th at the Mexico Open in his lone made cut this year.
–Vijay Singh set the tournament scoring record of 266 in 2004, while Padraig Harrington set the 18-hole record of 61 in the first round in 2012.

–Field Level Media

PGA TOUR: It’s The PLAYERS

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH – The unofficial “fifth major” of the 2025 PGA Tour season kicks off on Thursday with the first round of The Players Championship at the TPC Sawgrass in Florida.

Contested on the famed Stadium Course, one of the year’s deepest fields will vie for one of the tour’s most coveted trophies. Can Scottie Scheffler create history by winning for a third consecutive year?

“The Players Championship is absolutely our busiest tournament outside of the majors and it’s no surprise that Scottie Scheffler is the clear favorite this week as he goes for his third consecutive win in this tournament,” BetMGM senior sports trader Matt Wall said.

The iconic 17th hole with its island green will again be the focus of several prop markets at sportsbooks, including closest to the pin and the number of balls hit in the water.

Our golf experts preview the event and provide their favorite prop picks along with the best bets to win this week.

THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., March 13-16
Course: TPC Sawgrass, The Players Stadium Course (Par 72, 7,352 Yards)
Purse: $25M (Winner: $4.5M)
Defending Champion: Scottie Scheffler
FedExCup leader: Sepp Straka

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday: 1-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 2-7 p.m. (NBC/Peacock); Sunday: 1-7 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET; Saturday: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday: 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
X: @ThePlayers

PROP PICKS
–Michael Kim to Beat Jordan Spieth (-125 at DraftKings): Kim might be the hottest player few people are talking about with five consecutive finishes of T13 or better, including fourth at Bay Hill. His lone PGA Tour title to date came seven years ago at the John Deere, but we like him as a +6500 darkhorse to win this week. Spieth is making his fifth start in his return from wrist surgery and while he has posted a T4 and T9 against softer fields, he has a T69 and missed cut in two signature event starts. He failed to make the weekend here last year.

–Hideki Matsuyama Top 20 Finish (+125 at BetMGM): Matsuyama has four top-10s since 2015 at The Players, tied with Brian Harman for the most of any player in the field. While he has cooled off a bit since winning The Sentry to tee-off the year, he has posted a T13 and T22 in his past two starts, both at signature events, and tied for sixth year last year.

Cameron Young Leads Hero World

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – After a few months off, Cameron Young was pleasantly surprised to come out to the Bahamas and shoot an 8-under-par 64 at Albany Golf Club for the first-round lead on Thursday at the Hero World Challenge.

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A field of 20 players is in Albany for the exclusive exhibition event hosted by Tiger Woods. Young has a two-shot lead on Justin Thomas after Day 1.

“Yeah, kind of (surprised). I didn’t play great (Wednesday),” Young said. “You always feel like you can shoot a number like that, but I really felt very well in control, which isn’t necessarily surprising but it’s a nice thing to come out and just feel like yourself.

“Yeah, really happy with it. I feel like with the driver I was just really comfortable and that’s a huge key out here.”

Young spread eight birdies across his card without recording a bogey. His 21-foot birdie putt at the par-3 second hole set the tone for his round, and his last birdie was a 14 1/2-footer at another par-3, the 17th.

“I’m sure I missed a fairway or two, but for the most part I was really well in position,” Young said. “Then I made a couple putts early, which was nice. Just kind of got off to a nice start with the putter. There’s a bunch of par 5s and a couple drivable holes, so I feel that if you’re on top of it, especially off the tee, you can make a bunch of birdies.”

Young, 27, is one of the highest-ranked players in the world who’s yet to win on the PGA Tour. If he were to win the Hero, it would not count as an official tour victory nor gain him any FedEx Cup points, but Official World Golf Ranking points are on offer this week.

Thomas shot a blazing 6-under 30 on the back nine after posting one bogey and one birdie through nine holes. He rolled in four birdies in a row at Nos. 14-17.

“It was nice to make that birdie on 7,” Thomas said, “and had good chances there on 8 and 9, but then once 10, 11 happened I felt like I got in a nice
rhythm there on the back nine.”

Tied for third at 5-under 67 are World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala.

Scheffler, the defending champion, made a change to his putting grip and rolled in six birdies with one bogey Thursday.

“You know, this year I had thought about it from time to time and it was something that we had just said, ‘Let’s table that for the end of the season, take a look at it,’” Scheffler said. “Took a look at it this offseason and figured this is a good week to try stuff just because you can practice and practice and do all the stuff at home, but there’s just something different about being in competition. I really enjoyed the way it felt, I felt like I’m seeing some improvements in my stroke.”

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour Playing for Butter Balls?

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BUTTERFIELD BERMUDA CHAMPIONSHIP

Location: Southampton, Bermuda, Nov. 14-17
Course: Port Royal Golf Course (Par 71, 6,828 Yards)
Purse: $6.9M (Winner: $1.242M)
Defending Champion: Camilo Villegas
FedEx Cup Champion: Scottie Scheffler

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HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday: 1-4 p.m. ET; Saturday: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Sunday: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (All times Golf Channel)
X: @Bermuda_Champ

PROP PICKS
–Nico Echavarria to Beat Patrick Rodgers (-110 at DraftKings): Echavarria proved his second career PGA Tour victory was no fluke, nearly going back-to-back last week before slipping to T6. He’s in as good of form as anyone grinding out these final events. Rodgers is trying to maintain his grip on entries into the first two signature events next year as he sits 55th in the standings. He’s coming off a T24 at the WWT, with a best result in five fall events thus far being a T11 in Utah.

–Carson Young Top 30 Finish (+110 at BetRivers): Young is up to a career-high 135th in the Official World Golf Ranking following his T2 last week. Granted, that was on the heels of a T37 and MC in his previous two events, but he did also tie for 11th in Utah. This is one of the weaker fields of the year and Young should be playing somewhat loose. At No. 86, he has secured his card for next year but is a longshot to rise into the AON Next 10.

–Mark Hubbard to Make Cut (-330 at DraftKings): We made a similar play with Austin Eckroat last week and while the made cut payout wasn’t attractive he did go on to win. Hubbard has made 80 percent of his cuts this year, and took a week off after a T41 in Japan. He also finished T20 in Bermuda last year while posting four rounds of 68 or better.

2024 Prop Picks Record: 52-58

BEST BETS
–Seamus Power (+1600 at DraftKings) won the event in 2022, when he set the tournament record with 28 birdies.
–Maverick McNealy (+1600) is ranked 68th as he still seeks his maiden win on tour. He did post a T6 last week. He has been a popular play since opening at +1800.
–Mackenzie Hughes (+2000) is a two-time winner on tour and has posted a pair of top-10s in his only two starts this fall. His odds have lengthened since opening at +1600.
–Lucas Glover (+2500) is among the most accomplished players in the field. In four fall starts so far, he has a pair of T3 finishes and two other top-25s.
–Echavarria (+3000) claimed his second tour title two weeks ago and was in contention to make it two in a row until a 71 last Sunday dropped him into a T6. Recent form has made him one of the most popular plays in the field since opening at +4000.
–Matti Schmid (+3000) is coming off a missed cut last week. However, that followed a pair of top-5s and his best PGA Tour result to date was a solo third in Bermuda last year. Schmid has shifted slightly since opening at +2800.

NOTES
–This is the seventh of eight tournaments on the FedEx Cup Fall schedule, which finalizes the top 125 players who will retain exempt status for 2025. Nos. 126-150 after the fall will retain conditional status. Players who finished Nos. 51-70 in the FedEx Cup have secured their tour cards, but are competing for spots in the first two signature events after the season-opening The Sentry on Jan. 2-5.
–This week’s field includes every player from Nos. 118-135 in the standings other than No. 130 Matt Wallace. Joel Dahmen (+6500) is among the notables battling for full status, having moved up to No. 121 with a T14 last week. Former Top 10 player Daniel Berger (+3000) has climbed to 124th with four consecutive top-40 finishes.
–Villegas’ win last year was his first since 2014.
–Camiko Smith won a local qualifier to earn a sponsor exemption into the event along with fellow Bermudians Nick Jones and Eric West. None of the 14 Bermudians who have played in the event to date have made the cut, including Smith in 2020 and 2021. Each are being offered as +250000 longshots.
–Miles Russell, 16, is in the field on an exemption as the Junior Player of the Year. He shot 74-70 in his PGA Tour debut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in June.

Rory Thinks Trump Can Solve Anything

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ABU DHABI  – (Wire Service Report) – Rory McIlroy said President elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House “clears the way” for a deal between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

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Trump recently said on the “Let’s Go!” podcast that he could negotiate a deal between the two sides in about “15 minutes.”

Of course, the “15 Minutes” has passed by ten times over.

“He might be able to,” McIlroy said Wednesday when asked about Trump’s remarks. “He’s got Elon Musk, who I think is the smartest man in the world, beside him. We might be able to do something if we can get Musk involved, too.”

McIlroy spoke at a press conference for the DP World Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

“Yeah, I think from the outside looking in, it’s probably a little less complicated than it actually is. But obviously, Trump has a great relationship with Saudi Arabia. He’s got a great relationship with golf. He’s a lover of golf. So, maybe. Who knows?

“But I think as the President of the United States again, he’s probably got bigger things to focus on than golf.”

McIlroy was also asked about a report in the London-based tabloid The Sun that claimed he and Tiger Woods had helped to negotiate a $1.3 billion deal between the rival golf leagues.

“It’s the first that I’ve heard of it,” the Northern Irishman said. “I know (PGA Tour commissioner) Jay (Monahan) was in Saudi Arabia last week … and was having some meetings. But no, I think I would have heard if there was.

PGA Tour: Echavarria Takes the ZOZO

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CHIBA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Nico Echavarria birdied two of his final three holes on Sunday to record a one-stroke victory at the Zozo Championship in Japan.

Echavarria, a 30-year-old Colombian who played at the University of Arkansas, finished 3-under-par-67 on Sunday and set a tournament-record 20-under 260 at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club. He bested Tiger Woods’ total of 261 set in 2019.

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“It’s incredible to win a tournament that Tiger’s won,” Echavarria said. “This is my second victory, so I just need 80 more victories to catch him. I’m on my way, though.”

Echavarria, who also won the 2023 Puerto Rico Open, edged Max Greyserman (65 on Sunday) and Justin Thomas (66) by one stroke. Echavarria pocketed $1.53 million for winning the 78-player, no-cut tournament and is projected to move to No. 65 in the FedExCup standings after beginning the week at No. 113.

“It’s surreal,” he said. “It’s been a good year for me, I just haven’t had that top result. I’ve been very consistent, I’ve learned a lot this year. To finish the year this way is, it’s incredible, especially doing it here in Japan in such an amazing country.”

Echavarria collected five birdies against two bogeys during his final round. He reached the par-5 18th in two strokes, pulled within 3 feet on his next putt before winning the tournament on his final stroke.

Thomas, who joined Greyserman in pocketing $748,000 for his T2 finish, recorded his fourth birdie of the day on the 18th hole to cap his bogey-free round. He fell just short of recording his 16th career title on the PGA Tour and the first one since winning the 2022 PGA Championship.

“Obviously bummed and disappointed, but I played so well,” Thomas said. “I played plenty well enough to win the tournament. Hit so many good putts today that just didn’t go in, that’s the difference.”

Greyserman, who was seeking his first PGA Tour title, carded four of his five birdies on the front nine. Despite strong putting, he finished as a runner-up for the third time in his past five events.

“You know, I didn’t quite execute down the stretch when I needed to,” Greyserman said. “I mean, Nico stepped up there and he hit a great second shot (on 18). He earned it.”

Rickie Fowler shot a bogey-free 64 to finish in fourth place at 17-under, while Kurt Kitayama (65) ended up in fifth at 15-under. Their finishes put four Americans in the top five.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: ZOZO Champ in Prime Time

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CHIBA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The PGA Tour’s fall swing heads to Asia for this week’s Zozo Championship, which begins Thursday at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Japan.

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The field is highlighted by two Zozo regulars in Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa, along with Japanese superstar Hideki Matsuyama. Our golf experts preview the event and share their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.

ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Chiba, Japan, Oct. 24-27
Course: Accordia Golf Narashino CC (Par 70, 7,079 Yards)
Purse: $8.5M (Winner: $1.53M)
Defending Champion: Collin Morikawa
FedEx Cup Champion: Scottie Scheffler

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Wednesday-Saturday, 11 p.m.-3 a.m. ET (All times Golf Channel)
X: @ZozoChamp

PROP PICKS (not chosen by DSD)
–Doug Ghim to beat Will Zalatoris (-155 at DraftKings): Ghim has been grinding throughout the fall, with a solo second last week the latest in a string of six consecutive made cuts while his world ranking has improved from No. 137 to a career-high No. 93. Meanwhile, Zalatoris has slid to 60th as he makes his first start of the fall. He did follow four consecutive events in which he didn’t reach the weekend with a T12 and T13 in the first two legs of the playoffs.

–Gary Woodland Top 30 Finish (+105 at BetRivers): With the field limited to 72 players, Woodland only needs to beat 42 for this prop to cash. He’s pressing through the fall to earn critical status for signature events next year, and Woodland is coming off a T9 in Las Vegas following a T16 at the Sanderson Farms Championship.

–Rickie Fowler Top 20 Finish (+190 at DraftKings): This is the third fall event for Fowler, who is similarly trying to secure entry into marquee events for 2025. Following solid finishes at Sanderson (T16) and Las Vegas (T23) he arrives in Japan, where Fowler stumbled to a T64 in 2023. He arrives in better form this year and has a particular fondness for playing in Japan, where his maternal grandfather is from.

Presidents Cup: International Intrigue

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MONTREAL – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Adam Scott of Australia notched a milestone as the International team dug out of a big hole on Day 2 of the Presidents Cup, sweeping all five foursomes matches against the United States at Royal Montreal Golf Club on Friday.

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After being swept in the fourball matches on Thursday, the Internationals needed nothing less than a stellar performance in the alternate-shot format to avoid going into the weekend with an almost insurmountable deficit.

And they responded in a manner that captain Mike Weir of Canada could hardly have dreamt of, by turning the tables to even up the score at 5-5.

“I believed in the guys,” Weir said in a greenside interview. “5-0 was obviously a bonus. We just wanted to get back in this and the guys responded incredibly.”

American captain Jim Furyk said: “When I look at the scores, they played a lot of great golf. We’re going to have to get ready for (Saturday). We’ve got a tough match on our hands.

“We got to watch them celebrate. I hope that sticks with everyone (on my team). We’ll regroup, get some good pairs out there in the morning and it’s our turn to come out firing.”

The Internationals completely dominated three matches, including a 5-and-4 rout by Scott and his Canadian partner Taylor Pendrith against Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala.

The match victory earned Scott his 22nd point in the Presidents Cup, an International team record. He is making his 11th consecutive appearance in an event that pits a team of players from countries outside Europe against the U.S.

Scott has never played on a winning team in an event that the Americans have dominated since its inception in 1994, losing only once in 1998, and tying in 2003.

Scott and Pendrith were not the only International pairing to dominate on Friday.

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and South Korean Sungjae Im set the tone with a 7-and-6 dusting of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay in the opening match.

Canadian duo Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes also won convincingly, 6-and-5 over Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau.

The other two matches were more competitive. Australian Jason Day and South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout outlasted Max Homa and Brian Harman 1-up, thanks in no small measure to a deft pitch shot by Day to gimme range at the last that secured the point.

The U.S. seemed set to avoid being swept when Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley parred the last against Korean duo Si Woo Kim and Byeong Hun An.

But Kim calmly sank a 15-footer to halve the hole and secure a 1-up victory.

–Field Level Media