Korea’s Si Woo Kim, Sungjae Im and K.H. Lee brilliantly produced impressive wins in the Singles session at the Presidents Cup on Sunday as a battling International Team endured a tough 17.5 – 12.5 defeat to the United States Team.
Kim produced a stunning 1-up victory over World No. 7, Justin Thomas, in the top match at Quail Hollow Club and his success was emulated by Im’s 1-up triumph over Cameron Young and Lee’s 3 and 1 domination of Billy Horschel.
Their heroics failed to prevent another American triumph in the Presidents Cup as Xander Schauffele delivered the winning point with a narrow 1-up victory over Corey Conners of Canada after the U.S. had entered the final day with a 4-point lead.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama tied Sam Burns in a close encounter after watching his chip for birdie on the last green hit the pin and stayed out, while 20-year-old Tom Kim, who was arguably the star for the Internationals following Saturday’s heroics with two wins, ran out of steam after leading 3-up through 11 holes and lost 1-up to Max Homa.
Si Woo, a three-time PGA TOUR winner, emerged as the highest points earner for the International Team with three points in what was his second Presidents Cup appearance. He trailed 2-down at the turn but hit four brilliant birdies coming home to down Thomas, who had won four earlier matches with partner Jordan Spieth.
“I’ve never been like this (much) pressure, even when I won the PLAYERS Championship (in 2017),” said Si Woo. “It’s a really hard match. It’s really special for me because I played J.T. in the WGC Match Play like three years ago, and I finished (lost) at the 13th hole, and I was a little emotional. But this time, I got my revenge. I kept the pressure on him. I love to play, like, team match. And Tom Kim gave me, like, good energy yesterday, and I believe I can do this. I did it.”
During a memorable week that delivered so many highlights, mainly from Tom Kim’s youthful exuberance and high-octane celebration which lifted the Internationals, Si Woo enjoyed his moment on the 15th green.
Thomas had initially fired up the boisterous crowds after saving par from nine feet and after Si Woo matched him from inside of eight feet, the Korean produced a “shush” sign to the crowds by placing his finger on his lips and letting out a big fist pump. “J.T. gives me the fist pump, and then I had to do it. I had to make it, and I made it. Then, like, yeah, I had to do something. I think that gives me more energy,” said Si Woo.
Thomas, a two-time major winner, took the defeat on his chin. “Honestly, at the time, I was pretty pissed off. I mean, he hit the shots and made the putts better than I did the last six holes when he needed to. So I can say whatever I want about it, but he beat me. So he has the upper hand on me,” said the American star.
Lee, one of six captain’s picks, repaid Immelman’s faith by delivering two points in his International Team debut. Despite the crushing loss, he hopes to fight his way back into the next Presidents Cup which will be played at Royal Montreal in Canada in 2024.
“Super amazing. To win the match is so exciting. And then, like, everybody is pumping and cheering. Unbelievable week. I can’t forget this week. So many unbelievable moments,” said the 30-year-old, two-time PGA TOUR winner.
Matsuyama was dejected after failing to secure what would have been a vital full point following a gripping encounter against Burns where he led 2-up at the turn. His lamented a cold putter, although it was a chip that nearly delivered an outright win on 18. “Looking back, I wish my putting went in a little more. My putting was horrific and I wasn’t able to add points. I’m pretty disappointed. I was really hoping to get a full point. I feel that I struggled to contribute to my team,” said the Japanese star, who was making his fifth straight appearance in the Presidents Cup.
Immelman praised his 12 men for fighting back from two heavy losses in the first two rounds and had entered the weekend down by 8-2. A stirring fightback in the last two days, led primarily by some stunning golf from rookie Tom Kim, saw the Internationals win 10.5 points to the U.S. 9.5 points over the weekend sessions.
“We showed a lot of guts to fight back. At some point this afternoon, I thought there was still a chance,” said Immelman. “And when you consider that we were 8-2 down on Friday evening, this team is no joke, and I’m sick and tired of it being spoken of as a joke. We love this event, and we love our team, and we cannot wait to run this back and have another shot.”
Australian veteran star Adam Scott, who lost in the fourth singles match 3 and 2 to Patrick Cantlay, believes many of the International team members, who comprised of eight rookies, would form the backbone of future teams.
“This team’s got plenty of heart, and that’s thanks to everything Trevor’s put in the last couple of years. He’s bled for this shield (team logo launched in 2019) that we now talk about, and it’s just the beginning for this team, really,” said Scott, who was making his 10th appearance in the competition.
“I think you’re seeing a lot of guys here who will be returning on the next one. If they don’t, they will have tried their ass off to get on this team. And the week when they put it together and they’ve got the heart, I think the U.S. team’s really going to be up for a helluva fight. I’m extremely proud to be sitting up here with these warriors.”
2022 Presidents Cup: Round Five Results and Notes
Sunday, September 25, 2022
Quail Hollow Club (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Overall Score: United States 17½, International 12½
R1 (Foursomes): United States 4, International 1
R2 (Four-ball): United States 4, International 1
R3 (Foursomes): United States 2, International 2
R4 (Four-ball): International 3, United States 1
R5 (Singles): United States 6½, International 5½
Things to Know
- United States wins the Presidents Cup, 17½ – 12½, with Xander Schauffele earning the clinching point
- Jordan Spieth becomes the sixth player in Presidents Cup history with a 5-0-0 record in a single year
- Si Woo Kim defeats Justin Thomas, 1-up, and is the leading points earner for the International Team (3 points)
- Three players in addition to Spieth had undefeated records: Max Homa, U.S. (4-0-0); Sebastian Munoz, INT (2-0-1); Christiaan Bezuidenhout, INT (1-0-1)
Round Five (Sunday) – Singles
Match 19: Si Woo Kim (INT) def. Justin Thomas (U.S.), 1-up
Match 20: Jordan Spieth (U.S.) def. Cam Davis (INT), 4 and 3
Match 21: Sam Burns (U.S.) and Hideki Matsuyama (INT) tied
Match 22: Patrick Cantlay (U.S.) def. Adam Scott (INT), 3 and 2
Match 23: Sebastian Munoz (INT) def. Scottie Scheffler (U.S.), 2 and 1
Match 24: Tony Finau (U.S.) def. Taylor Pendrith (INT), 3 and 1
Match 25: Xander Schauffele (U.S.) def. Corey Conners (INT), 1-up
Match 26: Sungjae Im (INT) def. Cameron Young (U.S.), 1-up
Match 27: K.H. Lee (INT) def. Billy Horschel (U.S.), 3 and 1
Match 28: Max Homa (U.S.) def. Tom Kim (INT), 1-up
Match 29: Collin Morikawa (U.S.) def. Mito Pereira (INT), 3 and 2
Match 30: Christiaan Bezuidenhout (INT) def. Kevin Kisner (U.S.), 2 and 1
Previous rounds
Round One (Thursday) – Foursomes – United States 4, International 1
Match 1: Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele (U.S.) def. Adam Scott/Hideki Matsuyama (INT), 6 and 5
Match 2: Jordan Spieth/Justin Thomas (U.S.) def. Sungjae Im/Corey Conners (INT), 2 and 1
Match 3: Cameron Young/Collin Morikawa (U.S.) def. Tom Kim/K.H. Lee (INT), 2 and 1
Match 4: Si Woo Kim/Cam Davis (INT) def. Scottie Scheffler/Sam Burns (U.S.), 2-up
Match 5: Tony Finau/Max Homa (U.S.) def. Taylor Pendrith/Mito Pereira (INT), 1-up
Round Two (Friday) – Four-ball – United States 4, International 1
Match 6: Jordan Spieth/Justin Thomas (U.S.) def. Adam Scott/Cam Davis (INT), 2 and 1
Match 7: Scottie Scheffler/Sam Burns (U.S.) and Sungjae Im/Sebastian Munoz (INT) tied
Match 8: Kevin Kisner/Cameron Young (U.S.) and Mito Pereira/Christiaan Bezuidenhout (INT) tied
Match 9: Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele (U.S.) def. Hideki Matsuyama/Tom Kim (INT), 3 and 2
Match 10: Billy Horschel/Max Homa (U.S.) def. Corey Conners/Taylor Pendrith (INT), 1-up
Round Three (Saturday a.m.) – Foursomes – United States 2, International 2
Match 11: Jordan Spieth/Justin Thomas (U.S.) def. Sungjae Im/Corey Conners (INT), 4 and 3
Match 12: Adam Scott/Hideki Matsuyama (INT) def. Cameron Young/Collin Morikawa (U.S.), 3 and 2
Match 13: K.H. Lee/Tom Kim (INT) def. Scottie Scheffler/Sam Burns (U.S.), 2 and 1
Match 14: Tony Finau/Max Homa (U.S) def. Si Woo Kim/Cam Davis (INT), 4 and 3
Round Four (Saturday p.m.) – Four-ball – International 3, United States 1
Match 15: Si Woo Kim/Tom Kim (INT) def. Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele (U.S.), 1-up
Match 16: Justin Thomas/Jordan Spieth (U.S.) def. Hideki Matsuyama/Taylor Pendrith (INT), 4 and 3
Match 17: Sungjae Im/Sebastian Munoz (INT) def. Tony Finau/Kevin Kisner (U.S.), 3 and 2
Match 18: Adam Scott/Cam Davis (INT) def. Billy Horschel/Sam Burns (U.S.), 1-up
Players with undefeated records (4)
- Jordan Spieth, U.S. (5-0-0)
- Max Homa, U.S. (4-0-0)
- Sebastian Munoz, INT (2-0-1)
- Christiaan Bezuidenhout, INT (1-0-1)
Match 19: Si Woo Kim (INT) def. Justin Thomas (U.S.), 1-up
- Match was tied going to No. 18; Kim made a birdie putt from 10 feet and Thomas then missed from 9 feet, 9 inches
- Kim finishes 3-1-0 on the week (top points earner for the International Team)
- Thomas fails to join Jordan Spieth at 5-0-0 after the duo went 4-0-0 as a pair in the first four rounds
- Thomas has not won a Singles match at the Presidents Cup (2017: lost to Hideki Matsuyama, 3 and 1; 2019: lost to Cameron Smith, 2 and 1; 2022: lost to Si Woo Kim, 1-up)
- Kim and Thomas are the only two players in the field that have won THE PLAYERS Championship
Updated Presidents Cup records
| Player | Overall | 2022 | Singles |
| Si Woo Kim | 4-3-0 | 3-1-0 | 1-1-0 |
| Justin Thomas | 10-3-2 | 4-1-0 | 0-3-0 |
Match 20: Jordan Spieth (U.S.) def. Cam Davis (INT), 4 and 3
- Spieth becomes the sixth player to finish with a 5-0-0 record at the Presidents Cup (Mark O’Meara, 1996; Shigeki Maruyama, 1998; Tiger Woods, 2009; Jim Furyk, 2011; Branden Grace, 2015); Spieth (0-3-0) and Thomas (0-2-0) have yet to win a Singles match at the Presidents Cup
- First Singles match won by Spieth between the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup; Presidents Cup Singles results entering the week: lost 1-up to Graham DeLaet in 2013, lost 1-up to Marc Leishman in 2015, lost 2-and-1 to Jhonattan Vegas in 2017
- Spieth’s results for the week:
R1 (Foursomes): Jordan Spieth/Justin Thomas (U.S.) def. Sungjae Im/Corey Conners (INT), 2 and 1
R2 (Four-ball): Jordan Spieth/Justin Thomas (U.S.) def. Adam Scott/Cam Davis (INT), 2 and 1
R3 (Foursomes): Jordan Spieth/Justin Thomas (U.S.) def. Sungjae Im/Corey Conners (INT), 4 and 3
R4 (Four-ball): Justin Thomas/Jordan Spieth (U.S.) def. Hideki Matsuyama/Taylor Pendrith (INT), 4 and 3
R5 (Singles) Jordan Spieth (U.S.) def. Cam Davis (INT), 4 and 3
Updated Presidents Cup records
| Player | Overall | 2022 | Singles |
| Jordan Spieth | 13-5-1 | 5-0-0 | 1-3-0 |
| Cam Davis | 2-3-0 | 2-3-0 | 0-1-0 |
Match 21: Sam Burns (U.S.) and Hideki Matsuyama (INT) tied
- Match was tied going to No. 18 and both players made par (4) to finish in a tie
- With an 0-3-2 record, Burns becomes the first player to play in five matches for the U.S. in one year at the Presidents Cup and not win any of them (David Duval, 0-4-1 in 1998; Phil Mickelson, 0-5-0 in 2003)
Updated Presidents Cup records
| Player | Overall | 2022 | Singles |
| Sam Burns | 0-3-2 | 0-3-2 | 0-0-1 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 7-10-5 | 1-3-1 | 2-1-2 |
Match 22: Patrick Cantlay (U.S.) def. Adam Scott (INT), 3 and 2
- 49th match played by Adam Scott (second-most in Presidents Cup history; most: 55, Phil Mickelson)
- 25th match lost by Adam Scott (most in Presidents Cup history)
- Fifth singles match lost by Adam Scott (tied with Stuart Appleby and Phil Mickelson for most in Presidents Cup history)
Updated Presidents Cup records
| Player | Overall | 2022 | Singles |
| Patrick Cantlay | 6-3-0 | 3-1-0 | 2-0-0 |
| Adam Scott | 18-25-6 | 2-3-0 | 5-5-0 |
Match 23: Sebastian Munoz (INT) def. Scottie Scheffler (U.S.), 2 and 1
- Both players made their Presidents Cup debut this week
- Scheffler becomes the second player to enter the Presidents Cup No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking and not win a match (first: Nick Price, 0-2-2, 1994)
Updated Presidents Cup records
| Player | Overall | 2022 | Singles |
| Sebastian Munoz | 2-0-1 | 2-0-1 | 1-0-0 |
| Scottie Scheffler | 0-3-1 | 0-3-1 | 0-1-0 |
Match 24: Tony Finau (U.S.) def. Taylor Pendrith (INT), 3 and 1
- Finau and Pendrith played together in the final group in the final two rounds of the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic in July, with Finau going on to win and Pendrith finishing runner-up with fellow Presidents Cup participants Cameron Young and Patrick Cantlay
- Pendrith led 1-up after 11 holes
- Pendrith is one of two players to not finish with at least ½ point (other: Corey Conners)
Updated Presidents Cup records
| Player | Overall | 2022 | Singles |
| Tony Finau | 3-2-3 | 3-1-0 | 1-0-1 |
| Taylor Pendrith | 0-4-0 | 0-4-0 | 0-1-0 |
Match 25: Xander Schauffele (U.S.) def. Corey Conners (INT), 1-up
- Schauffele earned the clinching point, putting the U.S. ahead 15½ – 9½ with a 1-up victory over Corey Conners
- Conners is one of two players to not finish with at least ½ point (other: Taylor Pendrith)
Updated Presidents Cup records
| Player | Overall | 2022 | Singles |
| Xander Schauffele | 6-3-0 | 3-1-0 | 2-0-0 |
| Corey Conners | 0-4-0 | 0-4-0 | 0-1-0 |
Match 26: Sungjae Im (INT) def. Cameron Young (U.S.), 1-up
- Im never trailed in the match and improves to 2-0-0 in Singles at the Presidents Cup
Updated Presidents Cup records
| Player | Overall | 2022 | Singles |
| Sungjae Im | 4-3-2 | 1-2-1 | 2-0-0 |
| Cameron Young | 1-2-1 | 1-2-1 | 0-1-0 |
Match 27: K.H. Lee (INT) def. Billy Horschel (U.S.), 3 and 1
- Lee led after all 17 holes played
- Both players made their Presidents Cup debut this week
Updated Presidents Cup records
| Player | Overall | 2022 | Singles |
| K.H. Lee | 2-1-0 | 2-1-0 | 1-0-0 |
| Billy Horschel | 1-2-0 | 1-2-0 | 0-1-0 |
Match 28: Max Homa (U.S.) def. Tom Kim (INT), 1-up
- Kim led 3-up after 11 holes; Homa won each of the next four to take a 1-up lead after 15
- Homa recorded the second-most points of any player in the competition (4) and was one of four players with an undefeated record
- Both players made their Presidents Cup debut this week
Updated Presidents Cup records
| Player | Overall | 2022 | Singles |
| Max Homa | 4-0-0 | 4-0-0 | 1-0-0 |
| Tom Kim | 2-3-0 | 2-3-0 | 0-1-0 |
Match 29: Collin Morikawa (U.S.) def. Mito Pereira (INT), 3 and 2
- Both players made their Presidents Cup debut this week
Updated Presidents Cup records
| Player | Overall | 2022 | Singles |
| Collin Morikawa | 2-1-0 | 2-1-0 | 1-0-0 |
| Mito Pereira |
