Jim Furyk made the call to split up Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay for the fourballs on Thursday morning, and he jokingly claimed it was because they “don’t really like each other”
Jim Furyk joked that Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay had fallen out with each other (
Image: (Image: GETTY))
Jim Furyk, the captain of Team USA, jokingly suggested that Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay were separated at the Presidents Cup because they ‘don’t really like each other’.
The 54-year-old sprung a surprise by breaking up the duo during a press conference before the tournament kicked off. Despite being good mates and having a successful track record since their Presidents Cup debut five years ago, Furyk decided to mix things up for the fourballs on Thursday.
Schauffele was paired with Tony Finau, while Cantlay teamed up with Sam Burns for the final match against Hideki Matsuyama and Corey Conners. When asked about his decision to split them up, Furyk said it was based on statistics, after initially joking that Schauffele and Cantley had a falling out.
Furyk joked: “What went into the decision to split them? I mean, it’s little known, they just don’t really like each other anymore, they don’t get along very well.” He then added: “No, we’re trying to maximise our [potential]. If you’ve got eight guys or 10 guys on the course, we’re trying to maximise our potential, get the best five groups you can get out there on the golf course.”
“I think, talking to my assistants and talking to our statistical team, there’s a number of different reasons. Obviously, we know those guys play all their practice rounds together, they’re great friends, they get along very well. No reason other than trying to maximise the potential we have for the five groups on the golf course.”
Team USA clinched a flawless 5-0 advantage in the fourballs on Thursday, before the Internationals sensationally clawed it back on Friday to level the scoreline.
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are known to be good friends away from the golf course ( (Image: GETTY))
Action has not been without friction, either, as Scottie Scheffler collided with momentary controversy involving his chum Tom Kim. Despite their camaraderie off the greens, tempers flared during the competition, particularly when Kim’s exuberant “Let’s go! ” celebration after sinking a birdie sparked a reaction from Scheffler.
Post-halving the hole with his putt, Scheffler reportedly shot back at Kim with a probing “What was that? ” Adding fuel to the fire, Kim’s theatrical delight following another successful birdie ahead of the ninth tee, while Scheffler was still putting, drew criticism from Sky Sports pundit Paul McGinley who commented, “That’s bordering on bad behaviour there. That’s disrespectful in my opinion. I know it’s competitive out there but it certainly shows you there’s an underlying edge here.”
