Internationals looking to rally on Day 2

International captain Trevor Immelman preached it in all the lead up to the start of the Presidents Cup. He wanted his side to play free.

No one was expecting the Internationals to win this event, so his side has nothing to lose.

For the first part of Thursday’s opening Foursomes matches, however, the rest-of-the-world side looked more as if they were playing in straitjackets.

All five International pairs trailed after the first nine holes and all of them struggled to hole putts. It improved considerably on the back nine, and four of the five matches went at least to the 17th hole. But they squad walked away with just a single point. That came from Cam Davis and Si Woo Kim, who rallied for a 2-up win over Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns.

The biggest blowout came from Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, who easily handled the veteran pair of Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama, taking a decisive 6&5 victory.

Both Canadian players battled through some tough matches, with Corey Conners and Sungjae Im rallying on the back nine to make Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth earn a hard-fought 2 and 1 victory. Taylor Pendrith had a 10-foot putt on the final hole that would have given the International side a half-point. It slid past the right edge, however and he and Mito Pereira fell to Tony Finau and Max Homa.

Still, the Richmond Hill, Ont., native was in awe of the event.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this before, so it was crazy,” he said. “Tons of people, good support for the International team, and it was really cool.”

Pendrith admitted to having nerves ahead of the first tee shot. It was something that caused him to lose a little sleep.

“I woke up early this morning by accident and couldn’t go back to bed, so I was thinking about that first tee shot for a while,” he said. “The anticipation of teeing off in my first match ever was building from 5 a.m.”

Now, the Internationals need to regroup and come out Friday morning with renewed hope and somehow chip away at the healthy lead the Americans have established. For Immelman, that means keeping to the game plan.

“The message has stayed the same,” he stated. “Message is play free. Nobody here expects us to win. We've got to have that belief deep down. Go out there and fight. We're up against maybe the strongest American team ever assembled on paper. So, you know, we do what we do. We run our system. We get ready and prepare, and we play as hard as we can. Chips will fall where they may.”

Immelman’s lineup for the Foursomes includes the first all-Canadian team with Conners and Pendrith paired up. They’ll go out in the last match of the day, taking on Billy Horschel and Homa.

Conners felt that the two long-time friends could shake off the first-day jitters and play up to their potential.

“I think we're going to learn a lot from today,” he said. “I think we're going to be just as hungry to get back out there. It's a pretty sweet feeling playing for the International squad.”

History shows that the International team has performed better in Fourballs, leading the overall record with 62 wins, 59 losses and 12 ties. The leaderboard could change quickly.

U.S. captain Davis Love was being cautious, having seen big leads evaporate often enough in team competitions.

“There's a long way to go,” he advised. “We're obviously very pleased with the start.”

The International team will need to, at the very least, chip away at the lead established by the Americans and win the session. That will mean following Immelman’s guidance to play free. It’s easier said than done, especially when 40,000 mostly U.S. fans are cheering for their side.

For the International team, rally time is now.