MONTREAL – The closest the U.S. Presidents Cup crew needed to angst coming into this yr’s matches was crew management.
The final time an American crew, both Presidents or Ryder Cup, took the sector with out Justin Thomas or Jordan Spieth was 2012 and filling that management void was doubtless atop captain Jim Furyk’s to-do record heading to Royal Montreal.
Enter Xander Schauffele, who was already an American crew staple however has advanced into this squad’s de facto entrance man.
“You already know, I’ve at all times identified Xander and admired his sport, however I simply actually really feel like he’s stepped up right here in the previous few years, and I’ve simply witnessed how he’s within the crew room, how he carries himself,” Furyk mentioned. “He’s a assured particular person, however I feel he instills confidence in others, as nicely.”
It was throughout a dinner with potential crew members ultimately month’s FedEx St. Jude Championship when Schauffele started to emerge because the doubtless stand in for Spieth and Thomas.
“I took these guys to dinner a variety of totally different instances this yr, and in Memphis he sort of, in my view, was sort of the lifetime of the occasion in that room, had some enjoyable,” Furyk mentioned.
When the U.S. crew started its preparation for the matches final Sunday it turned clear that Schauffele made for a management function.
Schauffele was already an achieved crew participant with a 6-3-0 file in two Presidents Cup begins and it’s in all probability not a coincidence that he assumed his unofficial locker-room obligation following a profession yr that included victories on the PGA Championship and Open Championship, his first main triumphs.
“I feel the one factor I’m main are in all probability phrases per minute,” Schauffele mentioned when requested his management model. “A little bit little bit of what these boys are coping with – just a few further phrases than regular and slightly little bit of psychological abuse right here and there, however hopefully toughen them up.”
Observe opening-day motion between the U.S. and Internationals at Royal Montreal
But when giving the crew the needle is Schauffele’s management language he additionally wasted no time main by instance, heading out within the day’s first foursomes match Thursday alongside Tony Finau with devastating effectivity.
For the match, Schauffele was 5 beneath on his personal ball and even when he and Finau coughed up a slender, 1-up lead on the 16th gap, Schauffele rallied with a tee shot to eight ft on the par-3 17th gap for birdie after which one other chic iron shot on the par-4 18th gap to three ft for a 1-up victory, serving to the U.S. to its first session sweep since 2007 (additionally at Royal Montreal).
To place Schauffele’s efficiency in context, his 5-under spherical would have matched Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama’s mixed efficiency on Day 1, the 2 gamers who had been anticipated to guide the Worldwide facet.
“You need of us like that to step up in your crew room, the veterans, and present some management,” Furyk mentioned. “He’s performed a terrific job.”
