Canadian crowd makes noise, supports home team to domination Friday at Presidents Cup

MONTREAL – “It’s right in three-putt range,” a fan yelled as Russell Henley assessed his 25-footer for birdie on the 18th.^th hole that would have allowed the American team to salvage a desultory half-point on the second day of the Presidents Cup.

“Damn, I thought Canadians were supposed to be nice,” a member of the American team shrugged just before Henley’s putt drifted right of the hole. Moments later, Si Woo Kim hit a 15-footer to complete an unprecedented sweep of the four-way session for the international team. The Rest of the World had not won an alternate shootout in this event since 2005 and had never come close to a sweep in this format.

Not only were the Royal Montreal partisan galleries not particularly friendly, but they were loud and out in force Friday, a noisy turnaround after a surprisingly quiet scene on Thursday.

“I would say the crowd was there from the start for us. We were certainly aware of the big cheers that awaited us, knowing that some guys were winning holes,” said Corey Conners, who teamed with compatriot Mackenzie Hughes to lead the second day rout with a 6 and 5 victory over Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau. “Certainly for me, it inspired me to want to get some of that applause for us.”

After an extremely disappointing Thursday that saw Team USA take a 5-0 lead that seemed insurmountable, the Canadian masses delivered from the opening tee, which was crowded, partisan and noisy.

The scene on the first tee is reminiscent of what has become the norm at the Ryder Cup, but has been virtually non-existent at the Presidents Cup – at least when the international team has hosted matches. When matches are played in the United States, as they were two years ago at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, the American crowd was there for the home team. But on the international side, Friday felt like a party.

For the first time in the 30-year history of the Presidents Cup, the international team was able to enjoy a real home match.

“They were definitely more energetic today, with a bigger crowd,” said international captain Mike Weir. “I thought maybe half of Montrealers took a day off. The crowd was very large and really energetic from the start, from the first hole. It was fantastic.

While the international team didn’t give the home crowd much reason to cheer on the first day, with the team leading a total of 10 holes over the course of five matches, there was a clear difference on Friday, when galleries lined almost every fairway and bombarded the American team with surprising nastiness.

“They were incredible today. They definitely brought it,” said South Korean Tom Kim, who called fans on Thursday. “Obviously these guys had to go out and play. I was absent, but I think the crowd plays a huge role.

“I think the reason we were able to play so well today, other than those guys coming out and performing, is because our fans supported us. I think it gives you momentum, it gives you energy. They just played a huge role in our victory today.

There were plenty of moments for the international team when the Presidents Cup was held outside the United States, with Weir’s singles victory over Tiger Woods on the final day of play in 2007 – which were also performed at the Royal Montreal – near the top of the highlights. But that event, like most others, was dominated by the Americans and, in the end, Weir’s exploits were little more than empty calories.

The crowds at Royal Melbourne in Australia (1998, 2007, 2011 and 2019) and Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in South Korea (2015) were large and noisy, but there was always the feeling that the galleries were there to see Woods and the other Americans. stars as much as they were to cheer on the local team.

When Ernie Els, the 2019 international captain, created the shield as the team logo, his hope was to have a flag that his team could play for and that fans could cheer for. Friday at Royal Montreal, this vision became reality.

The international team’s ability to continue its inspired play and win for the first time since 1998 depends on Weir’s players believing in that vision as well as a surprisingly partisan and aggressive Canadian gallery.