How Fred Couples Built the Schauffele-Cantlay Team Pairing
By Staff Writer
2 min read
LoopGolf
Key takeaways
- Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay first bonded over gin rummy on a 26-hour charter flight to the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia.
- Then-vice captain Fred Couples suggested pairing them after watching that trip, according to Schauffele.
- The duo is a combined 7-4 in foursomes and 1-3 in fourball across nine Presidents Cup and six Ryder Cup matches together.
- Their most memorable match came in the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal, when Cantlay holed a 17-footer in near-darkness to help the US win 18.5-11.5.
- At Medinah, Schauffele opened fourball play paired with Cameron Young, and Cantlay with Chris Gotterup.
Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay have become one of the US team's most durable pairings in foursomes play, a partnership Schauffele says traces back to a 26-hour charter flight to the 2019 Presidents Cup in Melbourne and a suggestion from Fred Couples.
How did the pairing start?
Schauffele and Cantlay, both Presidents Cup rookies at the time, spent much of that 2019 flight from the Bahamas playing gin rummy. Couples, then a US vice captain, noticed the chemistry and pushed for the pair to play together that week in Australia, where they went 2-2. Two years later, at the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, the pair teamed up twice more and went 2-0, including a 5-and-3 foursomes win over Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter.
What is their combined record?
Across nine Presidents Cup matches together, Schauffele and Cantlay have gone 4-1 in foursomes and 1-3 in fourball. Add their Ryder Cup results and the pair is a combined 7-4 in foursomes and 1-3 in fourball. Their foursomes record includes the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal, where a weather delay pushed their match against Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim into near-darkness before Cantlay holed a 17-footer to extend the US lead to 11-7 on the way to an 18.5-11.5 win.
| Format | Presidents Cup | Ryder Cup | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foursomes | 4-1 | 3-3 | 7-4 |
| Fourball | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-3 |
Freddy Couples spotted a card game on a 26-hour flight and turned it into one of the US team's most trusted foursomes pairings.
Why isn't their fourball record as strong?
Schauffele has said the modest fourball mark reflects limited reps together in that format rather than a lack of chemistry, pointing to their 2022 Zurich Classic fourball round of 59 as evidence the partnership can produce when given the chances. He also noted that pairing decisions weigh more than friendship, since each player plays his own ball in fourball and the team's analytics staff looks for matchups that complement specific holes.
At Medinah, the two are apart in Thursday's opening fourball session, with Schauffele partnered with Cameron Young and Cantlay with Chris Gotterup.
Frequently asked questions
Who paired Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay at the Presidents Cup?
Then-US vice captain Fred Couples suggested the pairing after watching the two bond during a 2019 charter flight to Australia.
What is Schauffele and Cantlay's record as a pairing?
Combined across the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, they are 7-4 in foursomes and 1-3 in fourball.
When did Cantlay and Schauffele last play foursomes together?
Their most recent foursomes match came at the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal, where Cantlay holed a decisive 17-foot putt.
- presidents cup
- xander schauffele
- patrick cantlay
- fred couples
- medinah country club
- team usa
