Internationals return the favor with a sweep of their own in the Presidents Cup

MONTREAL (AP) — Tony Finau could feel a big change when he stepped on the first tee Friday at the Presidents Cup. The horseshoe-shaped grandstand was packed and loud. The gallery was four-deep down the first fairway. The vibe was entirely different.

The biggest difference was the scoreboards. They switched from red to gold.

All of them.

In a stunning turnaround at Royal Montreal, the Internationals flipped the script by sweeping the foursomes session, a performance so one-sided that the Americans led in only one of the five matches, and that was only for one hole.

Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im tied a record for the biggest blowout in the Presidents Cup. Jason Day assured a full point with a chip that was sublime even by his standards. Si Woo Kim polished off a most perfect day with a 15-foot par putt.

Three of the matches didn't get beyond the 14th hole.

“Incredible,” said Adam Scott, playing in his 11th Presidents Cup without ever winning one. “To come back and show everyone what this team is made of after a tough day out there yesterday is just incredible. ... This team knows what it's capable of now.”

Tom Kim didn't play and still played a big role. The 22-year-old from South Korea had said on Thursday he thought the crowd was too quiet, and he hoped Canadian fans would “help us out a little bit more.”

That they did, and scorecards filled with gold International leads were not even necessary. The noise across Royal Montreal made it clear what was happening. Inside the ropes, there was nothing the Americans could do about it.

“We definitely felt the energy right out of the gate,” Finau said. “I hit the first tee shot yesterday in our group, and I hit the first tee shot today. It was night-and-day difference, I think just the noise and the energy.”

Patrick Cantlay and and Xander Schauffele, 3-0 in foursomes at the Presidents Cup, never stood a chance against Matsuyama and Im. The Internationals had birdies on their final seven holes, a staggering streak considering they were alternating shots, for a 7-and-6 win.

It tied the Presidents Cup record, last done in 2011 when Scott and K.J. Choi defeated Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker in 12 holes. The Americans didn't help the cause by not hitting a fairway until the eighth hole. Then again, Matsuyama and Im were the equivalent of 8 under for 12 holes.

Right behind them, Scott and Taylor Pendrith made three straight birdies. They never trailed and lost only one hole in a 5-and-4 win over Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa.

The Canadians delivered, too. Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners won the first two holes in a 6-and-5 rout over Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau. They lost only one hole, and that was only after they had a 6-up lead after 11 holes.

“There was a lot of belief amongst the room, amongst the guys, that hey, we can still do this. We’re still a great team, and we’ve got a lot of golf left to play,” Hughes said. “We came here this morning, we had our heads held high, chin up, and we were ready to play.”

Two matches went the distance, and the Internationals were just as relentless.

Day and Christiaan Bezuidenhout were 1 up over Max Homa and Brian Harman going to the 18th. Day faced a pitch from muddied grass that had been tamped down by spectators. Once of the best chippers in golf, even he was impressed to see it roll out to a foot.

“The lie wasn’t that great. It was wet,” Day said. “So I was just trying to understand the lie a little bit more through the practice swings. Is it going to bounce? Is it going to dig? Just for how wet it is.

“Halfway through the shot I had my hand up, just knowing it was going to be a good one.”

And then Si Woo Kim produced one last cheer. In a match in which 13 holes were halved, Kim and Byeong Hun An were 1 up over Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley going to the 18th when An hit left into a thick, nasty lie in the rough and Kim couldn't reach the green.

“It was a tough second shot, so I told him, ‘Just get me inside 15 feet and I got it.’ And I knew I had a chance to win,” Kim said.

Henley missed a 25-foot birdie putt. Kim drained a 15-foot par putt to secure another 1-up victory, another full point, and a deadlock going into the weekend.

Saturday features two sessions — four matches of fourballs, four matches of foursomes — before the 12 singles matches on Sunday.

It's almost like starting over, and now it becomes a sprint.

“I’m just so proud of the guys, so pumped for them,” International captain Mike Weir said. “To play that well yesterday and not have any points on the board was disappointing. So to see their hard work and them sticking in there and us captains and myself asking them to stick in there and believe, couldn’t be happier.”

It was the sixth time a session had been swept in the Presidents Cup, and the first for the International team since a 6-0 foursomes shutout in South Africa in 2003.

Weir put out three of his best foursomes matches for the Saturday morning fourballs session; U.S. captain Jim Furyk kept three of his fourballs partnerships from Thursday.

“I said yesterday, ‘Their back's against the wall. They're going to come out firing,'” Furyk said. “Well, I'm sure my guys are a little pissed off right now back in the team room. The idea is to come out firing tomorrow.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

International team captain Mike Weir, right, hugs player Jason Day of Australia following their second round foursome match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

United States team members Scottie Scheffler, right, and Russell Henley line up a putt on the second hole during a first round four-ball match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

United States team member Xander Schauffele chips onto the second green during the second round of the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

International team member Si Woo Kim, of South Korea, left, walks with partner Byeong Hun An, of South Korea, and United States team member Scottie Scheffler down the eighth fairway during the second round of the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

International team member Adam Scott of Australia, makes a putt on the 10th green during a foursome match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

International team member Jason Day of Australia, celebrates after defeating the United States team on the eighteenth hole of their second round foursome match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at the Royal Montreal Golf Club, in Montreal, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

International team member Si Woo Kim of South Korea, celebrates with partner International team member Byeong Hun An of South Korea, after sinking the winning putt on the 18th hole during second round foursome match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Montreal. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

International team member Mackenzie Hughes of Canada, pumps up the crowd on the 16th hole during second round foursome match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Montreal. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

International team member Jason Day of Australia, celebrates after defeating the United States team on the eighteenth hole of their second round foursome match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at the Royal Montreal Golf Club, in Montreal, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

International team member Hideki Matsuyama, left, of Japan, and partner Sungjae Im, right, of South Korea, celebrate after winning a second-round foursome match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Montreal. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

International team member Si Woo Kim, of South Korea, listens to applause after making a putt on the 16th hole during a second-round foursome match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Montreal. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

International team member Si Woo Kim, left, and celebrates with partner Byeong Hun An, after sinking the winning putt on the 18th hole during a second round foursome match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club Friday, Sep.27, 2024 in Montreal. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — First-time Tony Award host Pink kicked off Sunday’s telecast by leading a crowded, exuberant version of “Lady Marmalade” and John Lithgow took home the first award for “Giant.” A blockbuster revival of “Death of a Salesman” was racking up awards even before the halfway mark.

Lithgow won best lead actor in a play as children’s author Roald Dahl in Mark Rosenblatt’s production set in 1983, when the author is facing intense backlash to his antisemitic comments. The role earned Lithgow his first Olivier Award in London and now the Tony for lead actor in a play, his third.

The win puts Lithgow in an exclusive group of actors who have won in three separate acting categories. He previously won featured actor in a play for “The Changing Room” and lead actor in a musical for “Sweet Smell of Success.”

“Two Tony bookends with 53 years between them," he said. "In those years, I have worked with hundreds of just fantastic theater artists. I’ve had dozens and dozens of ecstatic moments on the stage, but I have to tell you right now, this moment has got to be one of the best.”

A revival of “Death of a Salesman” won at least five Tonys, nearing the record for most statuettes ever won by play revival, which is seven.

Laurie Metcalf won her third Tony for playing Willy Loman’s wife opposite Nathan Lane in “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman,” which also won for lighting, scenic design and sound design. Joe Mantello won best director for a play.

Pink started the show spinning and then dangling uncomfortably from a harness over the stage, dressed like Peter Pan. Former host Neil Patrick Harris stepped in to suggest the first-time host just be herself. “You’re Pink, Pink. You can do anything,” he told her.

After lifting Harris off the stage with her legs, Pink relented to his suggestion of being “less Pan-ish” by taking off her harness, adding a top hat and leading an extended “Lady Marmalade” that included contributions from dozens of performers including Lea Michele and Megan Thee Stallion — plus some strange, new lyrics like “Gitchie, gitchie, Laurie Metcalf” — and ended with some 170 performers on stage and crowding the aisles.

In her opening remarks, Pink, who has not yet gotten a Broadway credit, called herself theater’s second-biggest fan after her teenage daughter, Willow. “I’m not here just to steal peoples’ wigs, although I will be doing that. I’m here to celebrate the hardest-working people in show business,” she said.

“Schmigadoon!” and “Death of a Salesman” each went into the main telecast with a lead of three Tonys after a pre-show on Pluto TV hosted by Laura Benanti and Tituss Burgess that announced the more technical awards. Qween Jean became the first openly trans Tony winner ever for making the costumes for “Cats: The Jellicle Ball.” Kai Harada, nominated twice for the sound design of a musical, didn’t initially know which one he had won for until told onstage — “Ragtime.”

Twenty-four Broadway shows are hoping to nab at least one win Sunday across the 26 Tony categories, which can mean the difference between keeping the doors open and pulling down the curtain.

There will be performances from the seven best new musical and best musical revival nominees: “The Lost Boys,” “Schmigadoon!,” “Titanique,” “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” “Ragtime” and “The Rocky Horror Show.”

Other performances include the original lead cast members of “The Book of Mormon” — Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, Rory O’Malley and Nikki M. James — this year celebrating its 15th anniversary. Leslie Odom, Jr. will sing “Without You” from “Rent” during the In Memoriam section, in honor of that show’s 30th anniversary.

Another show celebrating a milestone, “Chicago” now at 30, will have a performance slot featuring Pink, as well as Queen Latifah, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Alex Newell, Adrienne Warren, Julianne Hough, Whitney Leavitt and Dylan Mulvaney. Plus, “A Chorus Line,” which last year celebrated its 50th anniversary, will get a special tribute by Rachel Zegler.

The competition for best new musical is between four very different shows: “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” an opposites-attract rom-com; “The Lost Boys,” a stage adaptation of a 1987 teen movie vampire thriller; “Schmigadoon!,” which gently mocks Golden-Age Broadway shows; and “Titanique,” a camp musical comedy that reimagines the 1997 movie “Titanic.”

The two top best play nominees are “Giant,” exploring accusations of antisemitism against children's author Roald Dahl, and “Liberation,” about a consciousness-raising women’s group in the 1970s that explores inequality, gender roles and racism.

There are intriguing races in both the revival categories: A “Death of a Salesman” is competing for best play revival with a modern-set “Oedipus” led by Marc Strong and a sweet “Every Brilliant Thing” starring Daniel Radcliffe.

The best musical revival pits a new “Cats” reimagined as a “Pose”-like competition show, the sweeping American history show “Ragtime” and a rollicking, frisky “The Rocky Horror Show.”

For more coverage of the 2026 Tony Awards, visit https://apnews.com/hub/tony-awards.

Bill Rauch, left, and Zhailon Levingston accept the award for best direction of a musical for "Cats: The Jellicle Ball" during the 79th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

John Lithgow accepts the award for best performance by a leading actor in a play for "Giant" during the 79th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Maya Rudolph, left, and Cole Escola present the award for best performance by a leading actor in a play during the 79th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Host Pink, left, and Shoshana Bean perform during the 79th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Bernadette Peters speaks during the 79th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Neil Patrick Harris, left, and Host Pink perform during the 79th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Omari Wiles, left, and Arturo Lyons accept the award for best choreography for "Cats: The Jellicle Ball" during the 79th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Host Tituss Burgess speaks during the 79th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Kristin Chenoweth speaks during the 79th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)