THE PRESIDENTS CUP

September 26, 2024

Scottie Scheffler

Russell Henley

Royal Montreal Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. With the World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley. Getting a little bit chippy out there. You're good friends with Tom Kim, a little bit of back and forth. How would you describe the ebb and flow of this day?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I think it was a fun match. We did some good stuff out there. I think Russell and I did a good job keeping the pressure on them for most of the match.

I think we did a good job of getting a lot of looks out there, and we had a couple chances in the middle of the match to extend ourselves and we weren't able to hole them, but Russell stepped up in a big way on 14 and 15 with back-to-back birdies to give us a 3-up lead.

Q. Russell, your first International Team competition since your amateur days. How would you describe the emotion of a Thursday at the Presidents Cup?

RUSSELL HENLEY: Yeah, it's hard to describe. Making the team is one thing, and then going out and getting a point for your team is another. I just really wanted to get a point today. Obviously love having Scottie as my partner.

Q. Scottie, take us through 7 and 8, the back and forth with you and Tom. Obviously you guys are good buddies and practice partners, but you seemed to get in each other's face and giving a little back and forth to each other.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, that was a bit of fun. It's the same thing I would have done at home if he had made a putt and we were playing Wolf and he celebrated like that. So it's all in good fun. We enjoy competing against each other.

That's what it's like out here. It's fun to compete and fun to represent our country, and at the end of the match you take your hat off and shake hands. We're friends after, we're not friends during, I guess.

Q. Russell, your very first Presidents Cup, and you're paired up with the No. 1 player in the world, and you're able to get that point for the U.S. in your match. What was the difference in the match from your perspective?

RUSSELL HENLEY: Yeah, Tom was making some long putts there in the middle. Obviously he likes this stage. I was just trying to focus on my game. I felt like the best way for me to help my team was just to focus on playing really solid and hitting good shots, and I try to just stay in my lane.

Q. Scottie, you and Tom have been great friends for a while now. You compete against each other. You went back and forth on the 7th hole and kind of did some on the 8th as well. What were those moments like?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It's a lot of fun being out here and competing. It's all in good fun, I think. That's all I've got to say. It's good fun.

We're out here competing, doing our best. Like Russell said, Tom obviously loves this stage, but Russell and I were a good match today and we did some good stuff out there.

Russell did some good shots early in the match and hit some key shots late. Really glad to have this guy on my team.

Q. When Tom made birdie on 8, he and Sungjae walked to the next tee. Did that bother you guys at all?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I didn't see it.

RUSSELL HENLEY: It bothered me a little bit (laughter).

Q. Scottie, do you feel like those first six you were kind of finding your footing a bit, and maybe that reaction on 7 maybe got you going at all?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I don't know. It's the same thing I would do at home if we were playing Wolf and he made his first putt of the day and celebrated like the match was over and we had a 2 up lead. It was kind of a nice moment there for us to keep a little bit quiet.

Yeah, it was a fun match. That's really all there was to it.

Q. You didn't notice the walk-off on 8?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: He may have. I didn't. They told me a few holes later.

RUSSELL HENLEY: I didn't notice it (laughter).

Look, we're all out here competing, trying to win points. I play so much golf with those guys. I love both their caddies, Pauley and Willie. So like Scottie said, it's all in good fun, and we're just trying to win points.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: To be fair to them walking off, I did like scream at them on the hole (laughter). I'm not going to say it was their fault, you know what I mean?

Q. On that note on 10, I noticed that you both hit long putts again, but the reactions were 180 degrees different. It was very muted. Was there a conscious choice to lower the temperature at all compared to 7?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: No, I think I made my putt first, and I'm not usually one to react very big. So you'd have to ask Tom, but I made the putt first, so I didn't really feel the need to go kind of crazy. I wasn't really thinking much about it, to be honest with you.

Russell didn't even know I made that birdie. He thought it was for par.

(Laughter).

RUSSELL HENLEY: I thought you were in the water.

Q. It bounced off the tent?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I think it hit the tree and landed in the tent.

Q. You love those Wolf games and whatnot. Do you think it helps you to have someone kind of like in match play to go up against, like in a Wolf game?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Well, I think what I like about playing Wolf and gambling at home is you always have important putts, and I feel like that's a skill to be able learn and hole those putts. I feel like that's a skill that's paid off for me in my career and hopefully will pay off in events like these.

Q. Russell, for you what does it feel like to be out there?

RUSSELL HENLEY: Hard to describe. Making the team is one thing, and going out and playing is another. Obviously Scottie has played in a lot of these matches, and I was just trying to kind of stay in my lane and do my thing.

From the start, there's a very high emotion, and you're just trying to focus on what the game plan is.

Q. Was the pairing like data match, relation match, or was there a reason?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: We're not good friends, so there was a lot of statistics and analytics, and they kind of forced us into it.

(Laughter).