After getting swept on Day 2 of the Presidents Cup, it seemed like things were unraveling for the U.S. team—but one pairing dominated on Saturday at Medinah and kept the Americans in the hunt: Cameron Young and Chris Gotterup.
They did it twice.
Young and Gotterup were sent out together for both the four-ball and foursomes sessions on Saturday—and they won both.
Their first match of the day came against Nick Taylor and Corey Conners, who had found their rhythm the day before, taking down Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns in Friday’s alternate-shot foursomes session. But Young and Gotterup were able to hold them off, beating the Canadians 2 and 1.
With one win under their belts, the dynamic duo carried that momentum into the afternoon foursomes. They made quick work of Adam Scott and Sungjae Im, with a dominant 6-and-4 victory.
So, what made the pairing work so well?
For starters, Young and Gotterup already know each other’s games. In a press conference on Saturday, Gotterup explained that the two play together at home and have developed a comfort level that clearly translated to their matches at Medinah.
“I think for me personally, one, we play at home, so we’re comfortable with each other. I know how he plays. I think he knows how I play,” Gotterup said.
It also didn’t hurt that they’re both from the same part of the country.
“We just have a connection through being from the Northeast and just playing golf, and then being from the same area, I think it helps,” Gotterup continued.
It also came down to playing styles. Both Gotterup and Young are some of the longest hitters on tour, ranked seventh and 14th respectively, which means they found themselves in familiar positions on the course. That’s something both players pointed to in explaining their ability to feed off of each other.
“We play similar styles of golf,” Gotterup said, “It’s not uncomfortable in the spots we put each other in.”
Which became particularly important in foursomes, where an errant shot can leave your partner scrambling. Instead, they trusted that their partner could recover.
“Golf-wise, it’s super easy. I think both of us, when in doubt, tee it up, hit it hard, go find it,” Young said, “We’re both pretty comfortable trying to figure it out from wherever the other guy hits it.”
They also were able to pick each other up, which can help to dissipate some of the pressure that surrounds team golf. For example, when Young hit his opening shot out of bounds on Saturday morning and Gotterup responded.
“Chris kind of picked me up first hole of the day after I hit it out of bounds,” Young said, “That’s kind of how it goes. We did really just kind of step up when the other guy needed it, and this afternoon I feel like we really both were just in control the whole day.”
After a winless Friday, the U.S. needed a spark, and Young and Gotterup provided exactly that. Let’s see if they can do the same in Sunday singles.
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