MONTREAL — They had a chance. As incredible as that seemed Thursday night, and improbable considering it was only an hour before Saturday sunset, the Internationals had the opportunity to do something they’ve only done once in thirty years as the third day of the 2024 Presidents Cup came to a close walked. close for an increasingly enthusiastic Canadian audience. But as the sun finally disappeared over Royal Montreal, it became clear that fate cannot be willed and that there is no invisible energy between the crowd and the players that can influence the results.

The Internationals had a shot at victory, and honestly, they still do. But thanks to a period of 34 minutes, that chance has become small.

After trailing by two points, 8-6, at the end of the morning session, the Internationals had a chance to even things up in the afternoon and perhaps even take the lead heading into Sunday’s singles. Taylor Pendrith and Adam Scott dispatched Brian Harman and Max Homa in the first foursomes match to reduce the Internationals’ deficit to one. Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes drew against Collin Morikawa and Sam Burns, and Si Woo and Tom Kim drew against Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. In the caboose match, it looked like Scottie Scheffler had run out of gas and was having the damn time with the putter again. You didn’t have to squint to see a yellow leaderboard at the end of the night, a sweep that could clear the stage for just the second win in the event’s thirty-year history.

The fans, many of whom had been on the grounds for more than twelve hours and had clearly enjoyed adult libations for part of that time, saw it too. They started screaming and yelling and acting like the crowds do at hockey games. And given who they extended that love to, the favor was often returned — with the Kims turning celebrations into interpretive dances and Canadian duo Conners and Hughes raising their arms to the heavens — it seemed like the momentum belonged behind the Internationals’ shield. Considering that the Americans seemed visibly tired of hearing unrepeatable things said about their matches, their masculinity and their families, it certainly seemed like the US was ready for this Presidents Cup to get rowdy.

But the rules of momentum don’t apply in match play, especially with alternating shots. A rowdy crowd can be a factor, but it’s not the factor. And whatever forces or energies exist, they are fickle and do not yield to any change other than their own.

It started at the end with Scheffler and Henley. The American pair trailed by three through six holes, and for a moment you could imagine Scheffler doing his best to get Henley home in time for the Alabama-Georgia match. But the duo were square with six to play and took a one-goal lead after Scheffler almost undermined his approach on the 14th. Sungjae Im continued with his tee shot into the water on the 15th; within two swings separated by seven minutes, a toss-up turned into a win for the Yanks, which they made official with a par on the 16th. Scheffler, bearing the brunt of the crowd’s shouts, was emphatic as the final putt fell, pushing Henely with delight with a demonstrative character the stoic giant rarely reveals.

Moving on, Conners and Hughes had taken their fight to the 18th against Burns and Morikawa. But Hughes sprayed his tee shot and Conners’ approach was just short. With Morikawa safely on the green, Hughes needed a chip-in for a potential win and sometimes to use worst-case scenario range for the tie. Instead, Hughes, one of the better short game players in the world, threw his chip, the ball barely reaching the green five yards away when Hughes collapsed, his hands on his knees and his hat halfway down his forehead. The weight of his country and his team was palpable, and Hughes struggled to get back to his feet, knowing he couldn’t get it off his shoulders. Conners couldn’t clean up the mess; the Americans stole another point, with Morikawa adding a fist pump and punching Burns in the chest for good measure.

The Kims. It had to be the Kims. Their performance over three days in Montreal was less a golf feat and more a performative art, with every putt and shot punctuated by pumped arms and primal screams and chest thrusts. The fans knew it too, which is why they became hostile on the final holes, shouting things like “Sorry you have to play with Patrick, X!” and “Remember, you don’t get paid for this!” The scene culminated in Si Woo hitting a flop shot on the 16th, and when his ball disappeared, Kim ran across the green with his hands clasped in a sleeping position, which would have made sense if the shot had won the match instead of what it did was bind it. That was the score for the next 20 minutes after the teams traded pars on 17 and reached the 18th green, both Cantlay and Si Woo with birdie attempts at their feet.

The Americans went first and Cantlay proved he remains ice-cold, dropping a 20-footer with an ease you shouldn’t have at such a moment. Si Woo couldn’t repeat his performance on the 16th, his birdie putt not coming close, and was forced to watch in dazed resignation as many of the American caddies, players and family waved their hats in Cantlay’s direction in a nod to his Ryder Cup -heroic deeds.

Worse still for Si Woo, just two holes into his “night-night” celebration, a number of Americans repeated the move towards each other and towards the crowd, letting everyone know that it was they – and not Si Woo – who turned on the lights took off. What could have been a draw, what could have been an international lead just 34 minutes earlier, was now 11 against 7 Americans.

It was emotional, it was memorable, it was exhausting. It was everything the Presidents Cup hopes to be. One problem: Saturday essentially made Sunday irrelevant, as the Americans needed just four and a half points out of twelve to close this baby out.

Even playing on foreign soil, the advantage is for the Americans, as singles rewards frontline firepower and tests a team’s depth. That doesn’t mean a miracle can’t happen. Friday showed that this team is steadfast and cannot be counted out. But unless the tournament moves to Medinah and Rory McIlroy discovers he has Canadian citizenship, that prospect is highly unlikely.

This is not the International’s fault. They are the underdogs, and bouncing back from a disastrous 5-0 sweep was an exercise in grit and perseverance. To even get the opportunity they did on Saturday night was something special. But that’s the thing about moments; sometimes they’re gone before you realize they were even there.