Corey Conners and Nick Taylor are facing American duo Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman in Saturday’s foursomes. Early on in the round, it looked like Conners got an unbelievable break. His wayward approach at Medinah’s second hole appeared headed for trouble before something unexpected happened. But the officials overlooked the lucky break and decided against the Canadian professional.

The incident unfolded on the par-four second hole of Course No. 3. Conners went left, and his ball was out of the split-rail fence. While everyone thought it went out of bounds, a spectator kicked the ball back into the range, and it was very close to the pin.

“Somebody kicked it. That’s going to be in play. I don’t know what happened. Yeah, it looked like somebody kicked it,” the broadcasters reacted, as seen in a video NUCLR GOLF shared via X.

As NUCLR GOLF reported, officials ultimately ruled it a penalty. Golf balls often ricochet off fans by accident. Take, for example, Jordan Spieth’s final hole incident during Round 2 of the 2023 Players Championship. After starting on the back nine, Spieth drove on the par-five ninth, and the ball was headed into the water. However, it hit a spectator’s knee and went onto the fairway instead. The American professional resumed his game from where the ball rested after hitting the fan’s knee.

But this scenario was different. PGA Tour rules official Mark Dusbabek explained that it was deliberate action in this case. So they ruled Corey Conners’ ball out of bounds.

A few rules go into this decision. According to Rule 11.2, if a spectator deliberately deflects a ball, golfers can’t play from where the deflection sends it. Instead, under Rule 11.2c, officials estimate where it would have come to rest without the interference. In this case, that estimation would be out of bounds. Thus, under Rule 18.2b, which specifies a penalty for out-of-bounds, Conners and Taylor had to play the stroke again from its previous position.

Nick Taylor started that hole with a 276-yard drive to the right fairway. But because Corey Conners’ second shot went out of bounds, the team received a penalty, which took their count to three. On the fourth, Taylor hit a 207-yard shot to the right fairway. Conners followed with a 40-foot, 11-inch shot to the left side of the green, leaving only seven feet and nine inches to the hole.

The Americans didn’t play the hole well, either, and finished with a bogey. But because of the penalty, the International team still couldn’t match them and lost the hole. This helped Henley and Bridgeman build an early lead and derail Corey Conners’ and Nick Taylor’s games.

The International pair never looked in control. The American duo started with a birdie on the first hole to take the lead. They then won the second and third holes, too, for a 3-up lead. Corey Conners and Taylor won back a point on the par-four fourth. They then lost the eighth, won the ninth, and lost the tenth. Thus, through 10 holes, the American team has a 3-up lead.

Corey Conners and Nick Taylor’s Presidents Cup 2026 campaign hasn’t been that great until now, but they did manage to upset one powerful American duo.

Corey Conners and Nick Taylor upset Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns

Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns were supposed to be among the most powerful American pairs. They share a very friendly relationship. The two know each other from junior golf days and have maintained their friendship to date. Speaking ahead of the biennial event, Burns said that he was happy to play with the World No. 1.

They started the campaign with a win against Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im at the Thursday four-balls. However, the Canadian duo of Corey Conners and Nick Taylor defeated them 1 up in Friday’s foursomes.

Five of the first six holes had a winner. Conners and Taylor twice answered early deficits. They won Nos. 5 and 6, and emerged 1 up after six holes. The Americans had squared the match with a par at No. 10.

Nick Taylor then pulled his tee shot left at the 12th. However, it bounced off a corporate tent into a playable lie in the intermediate rough. Corey Conners hit a wedge to roughly five feet, and the Canadians won the hole with birdie to regain a 1-up lead. The next five holes were halved with pars.

Still up 1 on the 18th, Taylor drove into the trees, and Conners punched their second shot back to the fairway. Taylor then hit a cut 9-iron from 151 yards to about two feet for a near-certain par. Scheffler found the green with his approach, but Burns’ birdie attempt from about 18 feet lipped out. The hole was halved, and the Canadians won 1 up.

The win over Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns had given Corey Conners and Nick Taylor a strong moment heading into Saturday. But their fortunes quickly changed against Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman.