Clash of Titans: U.S. vs. International Team in Presidents Cup

Americans Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau will face the international duo of Jason Day and An Byeong-hun in the first fourball match of the Presidents Cup in Montreal. With eight returning players, the International Team aims to break their winless streak since 1998 against the U.S., who remain dominant with a 12-1-1 record.

Americans Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau will face the international duo of Jason Day and An Byeong-hun in the first of five fourball matches at the opening session of the Presidents Cup on Thursday in Montreal. Schauffele, who hails from Southern California, has had a breakthrough season, winning this year's PGA Championship and British Open, and is ranked second in the world.

Australia's Jason Day, aiming to improve on his previous Presidents Cup record, hopes to gain momentum alongside the power-hitting South Korean An Byeong-hun. Both U.S. captain Jim Furyk and International Team captain Mike Weir have made strategic player selections, including Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala for the U.S., and Australians Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee for the International Team.

World number one Scottie Scheffler and fellow American Russell Henley are set to challenge the South Korean duo of Im Sung-jae and Tom Kim in the day's third match. The Canadian crowd will likely rally behind Taylor Pendrith when he teams up with South Africa's Christiaan Bezuidenhout against Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley in the fourth match. The opening day will culminate with a contest between Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns and the pairing of Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and Canada's Corey Conners.

The U.S. team, heavily favored due to their 12-1-1 record, faces an International Team that hopes to end their winless streak dating back to 1998 with eight returning players. Although the U.S. lineup has seen significant changes, they boast five of the world's top 10 players, whereas the International Team's highest-ranked player is world number seven Matsuyama.

(With inputs from agencies.)