South Korea’s Bae Sang-Moon and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama wrote themselves into Presidents Cup folklore Saturday with a thumping fourball victory for the International team.
They blew away the American pair Jimmy Walker and Chris Kirk 6 and 5 in the most accomplished display of better-ball golf of the week, during which they birdied an astonishing nine of the first 11 holes.
Only twice before has a match ended after fewer holes in Presidents Cup history. David Frost beat Kenny Perry of the US 7 and 6 in 1996, while another Korean, K.J. Choi, partnered Adam Scott to a 7 and 6 victory over Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker in 2011.
But the Presidents Cup remains on a knife-edge with the score 7.5-7.5 with three matches to be completed.
Cheered on by massive galleries out to see their Korean golfing hero on a damp, cold, windy and overcast day at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon, South Korea, Bae slammed home three birdies in a row from the seventh to take the International team duo to four up.
Matsuyama, not to be outdone, rammed home two more on the 10th and 11th as the pair stormed to six up with seven to play.
Such was their dominance that when they halved the next hole to lie six up with six to play, Walker mistakenly offered a handshake thinking the Americans had already lost.
He didn’t have to wait long as the Asian pair closed it out on the next green to square the overall match score.