Internationals erase 5-0 deficit with epic Day 2 charge

What a difference a day makes.

The International team is back in the Presidents Cup after an incredible sweep in Friday foursomes allowed it to recover from a 5-0 deficit on Day 2 at Royal Montreal.

The tone was set from the jump, as Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im absolutely throttled Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele 7&6 in the opening match to tie the record for biggest win in Presidents Cup history.

The good vibes carried through the rest of the day for the International team, with Si Woo Kim capping the outstanding performance on a 15-foot putt to win the final match.

Here's how each contest broke down on Friday.

Match 6: Im/Matsuyama 7&6 over Cantlay/Schauffele

The first match of Day 2 at Royal Montreal was by far the most surprising, as Matsuyama and Im ran wild over Cantlay and Schauffele. One has to sympathize with the American duo. There wasn't anybody on the planet who was going to slow down the International pair on Friday. An outrageous foursomes score of 8-under through 12 holes was enough to grab a slice of history.

While Cantlay and Schauffele have been a formidable pair in team events over the years, their record in recent foursomes action is trending in the wrong direction. The good friends are now 0-3 in their last three outings in the format and will leave captain Jim Furyk with a tough decision for Saturday afternoon's foursomes pairings.

Match 7: Pendrith/Scott 5&4 over Morikawa/Theegala

Taylor Pendrith was the strongest International player on Thursday despite losing his match, and he was able to bring that form to Friday alongside Adam Scott. After ties on the opening three holes, the hosts used a birdie barrage on holes 4, 5, and 6 to build a 3-up advantage early in the match. The highlight of the run was when Scott dripped home a 39-footer for birdie on No. 5 to the delight of the home crowd.

Sahith Theegala was a puzzling pick for foursomes after Collin Morikawa carried him on Thursday, and the rookie was unable to find his game for a large portion of play on Friday. The duo failed to make a birdie throughout the entire round and eventually fell on the 14th hole.

The win makes Scott the most successful International team member in Presidents Cup history as he passes Ernie Els for most career points won.

Match 8: Day/Bezuidenhout 1-up over Homa/Harman

The first two matches of the day featured an endless supply of strong golf. The third contest was the opposite, a pillow fight between the team of Max Homa and Brian Harman and the team of Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Jason Day.

Homa and Harman were arguably the most controversial selections on the United States team. The duo have combined for just one top-10 finish on TOUR since May. But the two formed a solid pair in the Ryder Cup last year, and Furyk was clearly leaning on that heading into Friday's action. Ultimately, however, their previous success didn't carry over at Royal Montreal, as the duo failed to break par on the day.

That display was somehow still good enough to get to the 18th just 1-down. The Internationals bogeyed No. 16 and found the water on the 17th to miss out on closing the match. The final hole saw both Homa and Bezuidenhout miss the green from the middle of the fairway, leading to a chip-off between Harman and Day. The Australian rose to the moment, hitting a brilliant shot to within a foot for the tap-in and securing the 1-up win.

Match 9: Conners/Hughes 6&5 over Clark/Finau

That sound you hear might be the Canadian fans at Royal Montreal who are still cheering the performance of Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes.

The most followed match of the day at Royal Montreal was a joyous one for the local fans, as the Canadian duo of Conners and Hughes was on fire all round. The collegiate teammates at Kent State often play practice rounds together on the PGA TOUR, and that chemistry was evident early and often with four birdies in the opening nine holes.

But the significant lead was aided by the poor play of American duo Tony Finau and Wyndham Clark. Finau, in particular, struggled, failing to hit a fairway on the opening nine as the duo fell 5-down by the turn. That would be too much to overcome, and the Canadians eventually closed the match on the 13th hole with a brilliant shot by Conners that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Match 10: Kim/An 1-up over Scheffler/Henley

The final match of the session - Byeong Hun An and Si Woo Kim against Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley - was definitely the closest. Neither team built a lead bigger than 1-up throughout. Scheffler put Henley in excellent positions on the green with elite iron-play, but the Presidents Cup rookie was consistently unable to make the putt.

Tight matches often come down to one crucial shot, and that looked to be the case on the 13th hole. Kim absolutely flagged his tee shot on the par 3, hitting it to within just over a foot for the easy birdie. The Americans were unable to answer, and that was the difference heading to the 18th.

However, the Internationals found trouble off the tee and ended up leaving themselves 15 feet for par to win the match. Kim once again provided the drama, ramming home the putt to spark wild green-side celebrations and complete the sweep.