U.S. team takes commanding Presidents Cup lead through two days, predicated on ‘fun’

It’s easy to have fun when you’re winning, as the United States team is — handily — at this year’s Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow.

But before the U.S. jumped out to its commanding 4-1 lead on Day 1 (followed by an equally strong Day 2 showing); before captain’s assistant Fred Couples and golf legend Jack Nicklaus paraded the gilded trophy to the first tee amid hoots and hollers from the Carolina faithful for the opening ceremonies; and even before the golf world descended on the Charlotte area this past week, this U.S. team was having fun.

“Any time you can be a part of one of these teams, it’s extremely valuable and extremely fun,” U.S. captain’s assistant Zach Johnson said. “I’m grateful that (U.S. captain) Davis (Love III) asked me to be a part of it. Webb (Simpson) and I and Steve (Stricker) just walking down the steps over there, Webb’s like, ‘I can’t believe how much fun a practice round is, I mean, and we’re not hitting a shot.’

“These young guys, these young kids, they’re so talented, they’re so driven, they’re so focused. But they still have fun.”

During their practice rounds, the players on the U.S. team were testing themselves against, well, themselves.

“Patrick (Cantlay) and Xander (Schauffele) didn’t get in until late, so I just played Justin (Thomas) yesterday and I got him for a little bit,” U.S. veteran Jordan Spieth said. “Then we played against Patrick and Xander today, and we nipped them. I got them for two units yesterday, and we got Patrick and Xander for two units today.”

And what, exactly, is a “unit”?

“Everyone’s units are different,” Spieth said, evoking hearty laughter from the gathered members of the media.

Such was the mood of the U.S. team before the competition even began.

It started at the top, and to be fair, permeated both teams this week. International captain Trevor Immelman and Love were bantering like the best of friends all week, both on camera and away from the spotlight. They talked about a shared admiration for the host club at Quail Hollow. They embraced or shook hands multiple times. They even indulged a question about which team might win if the assembled squads were to play a little basketball instead of golf.

That light mood extended to the players themselves. Already comprised of pairings featuring self-described “best friends,” the U.S. team was focused, but they weren’t wound tightly.

And they weren’t too loose. Love and his captain’s assistants made sure of that.

“We come into these things wanting to win every time, obviously,” Love said. “And what I tell them, I’ve told several teams, unfortunately, we’ve had some teams that haven’t been winning every time. I tell them, you don’t have a record. This 12 has never competed as a team before. So you’re 0-0.”

Right out of the gate Thursday, one of the U.S. team’s most experienced duos, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, fired off a resounding 6-and-5 win. Veterans Spieth and Thomas followed suit with a 2-and-1 win in a match they never trailed, despite the close score.

Friday, it was much of the same, with Cantlay and Schauffele closing out another lopsided win, and Thomas and Spieth grinding out another methodical victory.

It was fist bumps and handshakes and smiles all around.

But for all of the fun the veterans were having, the rookies’ reactions were perhaps the most important for the U.S. side, players like Cameron Young and Max Homa, both of whom won Thursday.

“Well, just to see the look on their face when they finished off their matches and got a point, got off to a great start,” Love said. “You know, both of them have been looking so forward to this.

“So our team’s having a lot of fun,” Love added. “They’re all pulling hard in the same direction, and they’re all working really hard. I’m proud of all of them, but especially those two guys. To get a point today was awesome.”

Friday, the U.S. won the session again to take a commanding lead into the weekend.

A team needs to reach 15½ points to officially win the Presidents Cup, and the Americans could in theory reach that mark a day early depending on Saturday’s pair of sessions.

But no matter what happens Saturday, expect the message from the captains to be the same.

“The amount of talent that they all have is pretty remarkable,” U.S. captain’s assistant Steve Stricker said. “It’s fun to watch.”