THE PRESIDENTS CUP

September 26, 2024

Xander Schauffele

Tony Finau

Royal Montreal Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. With Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau. Xander, clutch birdies on 17 and 18. How would you describe the honor and responsibility in going out first and closing this one out?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: We knew what we were supposed to do. Tony got the party started on that front nine and keeping it close and then getting that lead.

He had my back all day. I figured it's my turn to have his back.

Q. Tony, your captain says you understand team concepts better than anybody. You could be paired with any of the 11 guys. Why does this format and match play seem to bring out your best golf?

TONY FINAU: I love team golf. It's an atmosphere out here, match play versus stroke play. I love the challenge, the emotions. The momentum changes in match play, but I feel like my attitude serves me well, just staying positive no matter what.

When you've got a partner like Xander, it's a lot of fun out there, no question.

Q. Congrats. That was a lot of fun. The match goes all the way to 18. Didn't look like it would, but it does, and there's a little pressure.

TONY FINAU: No question. They closed the gap there after 16, and my man right here clutched up. That's all there was to it. He's a major champion for a reason, and I definitely saw why today.

I knew he was going to have my back, and I have his back. That's team golf. That's what I love about it, the atmosphere. We were able to really just do a great job of making putts when we really needed them.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: And chips.

TONY FINAU: And chips, yeah, exactly. It was a lot of fun to be part of a match like this, and happy we came out on top.

Q. Xander, after the business on 16, I thought, gosh, here's a guy who's had the best year of his life, and you knew you were going to come through. You had to feel it, right? On 17 and 18 you delivered big shots.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, we had plenty of time left. It's a long day. Like I said before, Tony got the party started there, making that clutch putt on 7 and almost holing out on 8. That chip-in was huge.

TONY FINAU: Yes, it was.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: They started to press, and they birdied a couple of holes in a row. Tony being able to chip in there really stalled them out.

Maybe we lost a little focus there on 16. That was a really tough pin. But it was nice to be able to have my teammate's back here because he had mine all day.

Q. Xander and Tony, the first red, white, and blue numbers up. You had a lead on the 10th hole, and it was gone after the 16th hole. Talk about stepping up. Great shot on 17 to make that birdie and close it out here on 18. How would you describe the clutchness of that shot?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: There was so much more before that. Both those boys were close on 14. Tony chips in from the rough, and that sort of set the tone. Then we get to the next hole, they both had really good looks at birdie. Then we get to the next hole, and Tony and I were a little lackluster there on the greens. We'll have a conversation about that later (laughter).

But Tony got everything going there early and even late. So it was nice to sort of get in my gear and feel some nerves and feel some juices flowing since the regular season.

Q. Tony, Captain Furyk gave you and Xander the beautiful responsibility of being the first out to kind of set the tone for the day. How important and impactful do you feel like this moment, this victory must be?

TONY FINAU: It's definitely an honor when you get asked to go first, the respect to go first.

Having Xander as a partner, he's a dream partner. He's got my back, and I try to have his. We did a good job of that today. We deserved to win. I feel like we played a lot better than them.

That's the beauty of match play. Momentum is a crazy thing, and they were able to switch some momentum on us leading up to the last couple of holes.

You've got a guy like Xander on your team, he closes the door on 17 and 18. It's fun to be part of a match like this, but especially just to win it.