Narrow Lead at Medinah

The U.S. closes Presidents Cup Day 1 four-ball 3-2 at Medinah. In Paris, Michael Kim opens the FedEx Open de France with a bogey-free 63.

Thursday finally put a scoreboard on the Presidents Cup, and it did not come gift-wrapped for the United States.

At Medinah Country Club’s Course No. 3 outside Chicago, Brandt Snedeker’s U.S. side took three of five four-ball matches and closed the opening session 3-2 over Geoff Ogilvy’s Internationals. Thirty points are on the table across four days. First team to 15.5 walks off with the cup. The Americans are chasing an 11th straight win in an event they own historically — 13-1-1 overall, with the Internationals’ only outright title still sitting in 1998 — and a one-point cushion after Day 1 is a start, not a coronation.

The opener delivered the day’s tightest drama. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns, a pair that had been 0-3-1 together in prior Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup action, edged Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im, 1-up. Im and Lee missed chances to seize the lead on Nos. 10 through 12. Burns answered Im’s birdie at the water-laden 13th with a dart at 14. On 17, Lee had to hole an eight-footer for par after Im’s long birdie attempt ran well by. At the last, Scheffler got up-and-down from a short-sided bunker to tap-in range, and Im’s 41-foot birdie try to salvage a half carried too much speed. Full point, U.S.

Japan answered in Match 2. Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune — only the second all-Japanese pairing in Presidents Cup history — took down Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele, 3 and 1. Young found water with an approach; Schauffele could not save the hole. The Internationals won the ninth to go 2-up and never gave the lead back.

Justin Thomas and Presidents Cup rookie Jackson Koivun posted the Americans’ first point of the week, closing Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria 4 and 3. Thomas moves to 11-3-2 overall in this event and a perfect 7-0-0 in four-ball. Koivun birdied the par-5 third, yanked one out of bounds on the fourth, and got bailed out by Thomas birdies at four and five before finding his footing again. Thomas birdied 14 and 15 to finish it.

Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa guaranteed the U.S. the session with a 3-and-2 win over Ryan Fox and Adam Scott. Clark birdied three of the first four holes and led the field Thursday in strokes gained putting. Morikawa nearly aced the par-3 16th; Scott answered with a 15-foot birdie that still was not enough.

The Internationals’ second point came from the Kim pairing. Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim never really let Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay settle, recovering after the Americans got the match back to all square on six and closing it 3 and 2. Tom Kim nearly aced the 165-yard 16th to punctuate it.

Friday shifts to foursomes at Medinah. Same cup. Same slim American lead. Plenty of golf left.

Elsewhere on Thursday, the FedEx Open de France opened at Le Golf National outside Paris. Defending champion Michael Kim posted a bogey-free 8-under 63 — eight birdies, first trip around the renovated venue after last year’s win came at Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche — and leads by two. Seven players share second at 65: Jason Scrivener, Kristoffer Reitan, Thriston Lawrence, Matteo Manassero, Gregorio De Leo, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Sam Bairstow. Viktor Hovland and Ryan Gerard sit at 67. Tommy Fleetwood opened with a 69.

Two boards. One Thursday. Medinah has the cup on the line; Paris has a title defense already two clear.