Everything is going the International Team's way on Friday and nothing encapsulated that more than the first foursomes match. After Nick Taylor's errant drive right on 18 that forced a Corey Conners pitch out back to the fairway, Team USA looked in good shape to win the hole and get a half point. But then Taylor totally redeemed himself by almost jarring the ensuing approach shot. Adding to the wild sequence was Sam Burns then horseshoeing out his birdie putt to win the hole, giving the Internationals a surprising 1-up victory. Have a look at the insane sequence that gave the Internationals their first lead of the event:

Geoff Ogilvy's squad trailed after Thursday, but that didn't seem to dampen the team's spirits. In a video captured by Sungjae Im's caddie, Willy Wilcox, Ryan Fox showed off his pipes on the team bus heading to Medinah on Friday. In front of a sleeping Tom Kim. Have a look and listen:

Nothing like singing a little Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler" to stay loose. And if you happen to be an actual gambler, the Internationals' long odds to win the Presidents Cup have now crept up to the 7-to-1 range. At least, before this video got out. 

Wyndham Clark noted that Thursday’s crowd noise was “kind of dead out there.” He wasn’t necessarily wrong, although it should be noted most of those on property were following Scottie Scheffler-Sam Burns and Justin Thomas-Jackson Koivun. Also a bit of context: both the Chicago Cubs and White Sox played postseason-clinching games Thursday afternoon. One fan proudly noted “We work in Chicago,” meaning many couldn’t leave the office, which … interpret what that says about him being onsite at your own peril. Anyway, don’t be surprised at a livelier environment for Day 2.

because they misunderstand how the ball breaks. They think it rolls straight, then curves. In reality it curves constantly—gently at first, then a lot at the end, when it's rolling slowest and gravity's grabbing it most.

Renowned putting coach Phil Kenyon has a fix he calls the two-thirds formula. Pick the spot where you want the ball rolling two-thirds of the way to the hole, then double that distance—that's your aim. So, if you want it a inch left of the hole two-thirds of the way there, aim two inches out.

It budgets for the break you're ignoring.

And much of the attention will center on whether an oversize number of reinstated amateurs play their way deep into match play. The griping about the reinstatement process is something the USGA is taking seriously, with officials working to try to come up with a system that’s more uniform and transparent. In the meantime, however, there are numerous heartwarming stories of 25-and-older golfers who have been lifelong amateurs and are living a dream by competing this week. Case in point: Tracy Vallandingham, 44, from California, Md. He’s a Navy civilian who works full-time in financial management for Naval Air Systems Command. It wasn’t until his college baseball career ended that he started to play competitive golf and has been trying to qualify for USGA championships since 2006. There’s also Nathaniel Spencer, 41, an Air Force veteran who played junior golf with Brian Harman and Patton Kizzire, took 15 years off from the game but is now back. He is also a competitive rock climber. One other to root for: McCormick Clouser, 33, from Indiana who played college golf at Ball State. His day job: hog farmer.

But the Internationals can take some solace in how they closed things out on Thursday. Specifically, the final swing of the day from Tom Kim on the par-3 16th hole.

A walk-off ace would have been something. But the gimme birdie was enough for Kim and Si Woo Kim to close out Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay, 3 and 2. And while trailing yet again after Day 1, the Internationals one-point deficit is the closest opening session since 2013 so they shouldn’t be hanging their heads just yet.

On the eighth hole of Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele's Four-ball match against Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune on Thursday, Young found himself in a situation we all find ourselves in during weekend team match play games with buddies. Young was pretty much out of the hole after hitting his approach in the water, but he took his drop anyway and chipped his fourth shot to four feet, setting up a bogey putt. His partner, Schauffele, meanwhile, missed the green with his second then chipped it up to eight feet, right on the same line as Young's bogey putt. 

After some deliberation and calling in a rules official, Hisatsune told Young to pick up his mark. Normally, in weekend games, your partner would ask you "show me the line." That's actually not allowed, as NBC rules analyst Mark Dusbabek pointed out right after. You are technically allowed to putt out even if the putt has been conceded, except if that putt is going to aid your partner. It's one of those rules we all break in our own money games, but it would actually get you in trouble in a legitimate Four-ball competition. According to Rule 23.6, if you putt out and show your partner the line, your score would count without penalty, put your partner's score would not count for your side. 

Schauffele, naturally, missed his eight footer, and the Internationals took the hole with a par.