2017 Presidents Cup scores, coverage: U.S. could end the matches on Saturday
Highlights, quotes, reaction and more from Day 2 of the 2017 Presidents Cup at Liberty National
I'm not sure the exact moment it ended, but the 2017 Presidents Cup is over. It might have been when Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth fought back from two down with four to play to split their four-ball match with Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Hadwin. It might have been when Justin Thomas holed out on the 14th hole to more or less end his team's match with Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace (who were previously undefeated together).
Have. A. Day. @JustinThomas34 from the sand to the bottom of the cup 🎯🎯🎯 #PresidentsCup pic.twitter.com/YjdxMgNU9O
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 29, 2017
It might have been when Dustin Johnson sank a winner against Adam Scott and Jhonattan Vegas to saddle Scott with the most Presidents Cup losses in history. Or heck, it might have been when Charley Hoffman and Kevin Chappell sent Anirban Lahiri and Charl Schwartzel packing 6 and 5 early.
But it was most likely when Phil Mickelson sank this birdie putt at the final hole to give himself and Kevin Kisner a 1-up win over Marc Leishman and Jason Day and the U.S. an 8-2 lead going into a Saturday filled with eight more matches. Tiger Woods gave it a resounding fist punch to the sky, Mickelson and Kisner did a dance and with that, the U.S. ended any dreams of an International comeback.
Tiger is fist-pumping for Phil birdies.
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 29, 2017
The USA leads 8-2.
Welcome to the #PresidentsCup pic.twitter.com/e6ZrUYyywO
"I'm clearly the worst selfie taker," Mickelson told Golf Channel regarding his selfie with three presidents yesterday. "Who takes a selfie and crops himself out? I'm the worst 'Three Amigos' dancer but I can putt.
"We've got this wave of momentum, adrenaline, excitement, and it's going to carry on for a little while longer," added Mickelson. "But Captain Stricker will grab all of us together tonight and let everything kind of calm down and refocus for tomorrow, because we understand how great the players are on the International Team, what quality golf they are able to play, how close these matches have been, and how much work we have left to do."
The U.S. will now take the biggest lead in the history of this event after Day 2 into Saturday's matches. And we're talking about a team that has won nine of the 11 Presidents Cups that have been played. It knows a thing or two about big wins. This one, though, has a chance to be the biggest one of all.
The largest leads after two sessions at the Presidents Cup:
— Sean Martin (@PGATOURSMartin) September 29, 2017
2017: USA, +6
1994: USA, +5
1996: USA, +5
1998: International, +4
The U.S. did it in every way possible on Friday. Throughout most of the day, the five matches on the course were quite close. The Internationals led some, the Americans led some and a few were tied. But two monster comebacks -- first by Reed and Spieth and later by Mickelson and Kisner -- flipped the entire day. The Internationals went from staring a 6-4 score or better in the face to staring at the abyss.
The U.S. lead is so outrageous that it could feasibly win the event on Saturday by winning all eight foursome and four-ball matches on Saturday. There would be no need for singles play. That likely won't happen, but the fact that it's in play tells you everything you need to know about how this week has gone for International captain Nick Price and his team.

It's been the exact opposite for U.S. captain Steve Stricker, who told Golf Channel after the day on Friday that the American mantra for the week is "win every session." They've done so easily thus far with just three more remaining.
"It was unbelievable," Stricker said. "Early in the day, it wasn't looking like it ended up being. It wasn't in our favor at all. Our guys just stepped it up again. They have a knack for doing that. They're hungry. They want to win. Our motto is 'let's win every session.' They did it again today. If we can do that another couple times, we'll be in good shape."
For the U.S., though, this goes beyond 2017. This is about 2018 and 2019 and beyond. It's about establishing an international golf presence at the highest level for years to come. Last year's Ryder Cup win was a step. This year is another step towards the 2018 Ryder Cup.
"Every event, I just cherish," Mickelson said. "Playing with guys like this; this team is a special team. We have some incredible talent, and not only that, we have incredible energy and camaraderie amongst these guys. This is really laying a good foundation for the United States teams this year and years to come."
Thanks for joining us.
















