MEDINAH, IL – Buddy Ball wins again.
Sam Burns and Scottie Scheffler used a late charge to down the Japanese tandem of Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune 2 and 1 on Saturday morning at Medinah No. 3 in a four-ball match at the 2026 Presidents Cup.
Burns and Scheffler entered the biennial competition with an 0-3-1 career record but U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker showed his confidence in the best friends who like to practice together and share rental homes on the road. Scheffler and Burns trailed on Thursday for much of the day against Sungjae Im and Min Woo Lee but eked out a 1-up win.
Snedeker sent them back out Friday and the Canadian duo of Nick Taylor and Corey Conners hung on for a 1-up win in foursomes over America's dynamic duo.
Snedeker stuck
to his guns and sent them back out on Saturday. Asked about why he didn’t break them up, Snedeker said, “the first two matches, they both played really well, I thought. There wasn't anything that kind of made me want to break them up. As I said from day one, they're best friends. They play a ton of golf together. I want them both to feel comfortable and go out there and do what they do.”
He added: “Hat's off to the Canadian group (Friday); they played fantastic. Sometimes that happens in golf. I really liked that pairing, really like those guys together. Excited for what these next few sessions hold for them.”
On Saturday, Scheffler and Burns never trailed on the front nine against the Japanese team and held a 1-up lead. But the International Team battled back to win Nos. 10 and 13 with birdies. Faced with losing another critical point, Scheffler, who had made only one birdie to this point, poured in a putt at the 15th to tie the match and delivered a huge fist pump and show of emotion.
“The hole felt small for a while,” Scheffler said.
Then Burns stepped up with two beautiful approach shots at 16 and 17 that set up birdies and a 2-and-1 win. It trimmed the U.S. deficit to 8½-5½ at the end of the morning session.
“It just felt like it was the time to pick my guy up and actually contribute to this match,” Burns said.
But he won’t be playing with his guy, the world No. 1, in the afternoon foursomes session.
In the most surprising move of the first three days of the Presidents Cup, Snedeker opted to sit Scheffler on Saturday afternoon and split up his partnership with Burns, who will play in all five sessions and pair with Wyndham Clark in foursomes.
“I've played a lot of golf this year. I'll just sit there and cheer the boys on. Looking forward to watching Sam, he's one of my favorite people to watch. And get some rest and get ready for tomorrow,” Scheffler said. “I think one of the great things about our team is you can pair guys with anybody. It's important to get guys out on the course and guys that are playing well, and looking forward to going out and supporting the guys this afternoon.”
Adam Schupak is a Golfweek senior writer covering the PGA Tour and the Presidents Cup.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Sam Burns, Scottie Scheffler ride late charge to earn point for U.S. at Presidents Cup
