Capsules from Saturday's matches at the Presidents Cup

By DOUG FERGUSON 14 December 2019, 12:00AM

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Capsules from Saturday's matches at the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne:

Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler, United States, def. Marc Leishman and Haotong Li, International, 3 and 2.

Thomas gave the Americans the lead for good with a birdie on the par-5 second hole. Li was in the trees and chipped out to the fairway, but he played out of turn. He had to replay the shot, clipped a tree and effectively was out of the hole. It was Li's first match of the week, and outside of a birdie on the par-3 third, he wasn't much help. Fowler made birdie on No. 5 to regain the lead, and the Americans never gave it back. Thomas remained undefeated for the week.

Sungjae Im and Abraham Ancer, International, def. Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, United States, 3 and 2.

The tone was set early when Ancer rolled in a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 3, and Schauffele had to make his 10-footer to halve the hole. They tied the opening seven holes, and then the Americans couldn't make par on No. 8 for the first lead. Im's birdie on the 10th extended the International lead to 2 up. Cantlay answered with a birdie on the 12th, only for Ancer to follow with a birdie two holes later. Ancer ended the match with a 25-foot birdie on the 16th, going to 3-0 for the week with three partners.

Hideki Matsuyama and C.T. Pan, International, def. Patrick Reed and Webb Simpson, United States, 5 and 3.

Matsuyama and Pan won again in fourballs and got little resistance against a Patrick Reed-Webb Simpson duo that lost all three times playing together. Pan opened with a 12-foot birdie, Matsuyama made birdie from the same distance on the next hole. Reed and Simpson didn't put up much of a fight. The combined to make one birdie in fourballs, that from Simpson on the short 11th hole. In three partnerships, Simpson and Reed led after only one hole.

Matt Kuchar and Tony Finau, United States, halved with Adam Scott and Byeong Hun An.

The best match of the morning, neither team led by more than 1 hole the entire match. The Americans were poised to go 2 up on the eighth hole when Finau had an 8-foot birdie and Scott was 30 feet away. Scott made his putt, Finau missed, and the match was all square. The Internationals took the lead on the 15th hole when they appeared certain to lose. An was in trouble behind the trees and wound up making a 12-foot birdie putt as Finau and Kuchar both missed birdies from inside 8 feet. Finau made a 12-foot birdie putt to halve the 17th and extend the match, and a 6-foot birdie putt to win the 18th hole and escape with a halve.

By DOUG FERGUSON 14 December 2019, 12:00AM

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