Team USA’s Presidents Cup preparation slammed as Internationals make history

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Friday was a day to forget for Team USA as they suffered a major setback in their bid for an 11th consecutive Presidents Cup win.The Internationals, led by captain Geoff Ogilvy, produced a stunning session sweep to build a shock 7-3 lead in the biennial contest.The Internationals have a commanding lead heading into Day three of the Presidents CupGettyThe four-point lead through two sessions is the Internationals’ largest since 1998, where they would go on to capture their only Presidents Cup.“It was an incredible day for us,” Ogilvy said.Paul McGinley slams Team USA’s preparationThe turnaround sees the Internationals bounce back from losing Thursday’s four-balls session 3-2.Team USA undoubtedly has the stronger line-up based on world rankings and PGA Tour success, but the Ryder Cup has shown that being the ‘on paper’ favorite doesn’t guarantee victory.Golf legend Paul McGinley has questioned whether captain Brandt Snedeker’s side has done enough to prepare for the event.“I need to be careful and not give out too much information about what we [Internationals] do,” McGinley said.“We reverse-engineer, we start the golf course and come back and think what are the skillsets required to sit this ‘exam’.“It’s different to the exam you might have in the FedEx finals or in a major championship.“Where are the par-fives? where are the par-threes? So we look at it that way, and that is the backbone of it, it’s also a very difficult format, and it takes a lot of preparation.“I don’t want to criticize the Americans, because I don’t know have they put enough prep into this?The 7-3 lead is their biggest since the 1998 edition, the Internationals only winGettyMcGinley has called into question Team USA’s preparation for the Presidents CupGetty“Not just in terms of statistics, but have the players played enough also?”Scottie Scheffler’s foursome woes continueCanadian duo Corey Conners and Nick Taylor held off world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns to claim a 1-up win in the top match.This came just a day after Scheffler and Burns claimed their first win together in five attempts.Scheffler has now lost eight of his nine foursomes matches for Team USA in Presidents Cups or Ryder Cups.McGinley thinks the prospect of facing Scheffler in foursomes isn’t intimidating.“He’s the best player in the world but not the best team player. His team play record is very average,” McGinley said after day one.Scheffler has now lost eight of his last nine foursomes for Team USA in the Presidents Cup and Ryder CupGetty“I’m not intimidated playing Scottie in match play compared to what I am in 72-hole events. There’s two different players there. He hasn’t proved himself yet in team events.”The U.S. now face a significant challenge on Saturday, when eight matches will be played across two sessions at Medinah.Four fourball matches begin the day before four foursomes matches will be contested in the second session. The Internationals are now just eight points away from reaching the 15-point mark required to win the Cup for just the second time.