[PHOTO: Keyur Khamar]

The day after the Tour Championship, all but one of the International team made their way to Royal Montreal Golf Club for a scouting mission ahead of the Presidents Cup. Hideki Matsuyama couldn’t make it, but the rest of the team set out as individuals to play a three-hole aggregate score match. Three of them, including Jason Day and Si Woo Kim, were tied after three holes, so they went to the analytics staff to decide how to break the tie. They settled on a chip-off, and with three balls in the rough near the third hole, and each player took his shot. It was Jason Day who came closest, and for his efforts, he pocketed $5,000. Second place took $3,000 and third came away with $2,000.

“I cleaned up the money then,” Day said with a laugh on Tuesday ahead of this week’s competition against the US.

But “the money” didn’t belong to the players, as it does in so many weekly practice-round games on the PGA Tour. In this case, it was staked by a man named Mark Smith. “Smitty,” as Day and the other players called him, is a member at Royal Montreal, a friend of International captain Mike Weir and someone who was clearly interested in giving the International squad some competitive stakes ahead of the Presidents Cup. The idea behind it, of course, is that generating pressure earlier in the week might help prepare the team for the nerves of the match itself.

Attempts to reach Smith weren’t immediately successful, but Golf Digest confirmed he’s the president of a private investment firm, and, among other honours, a member of the Board of Governors of the Canada Sports Hall of Fame. His generosity continued on Tuesday, when the format changed to foursomes. From holes 14-18, teams of two played alternate-shot strokeplay for a $10,000 first prize. It was Tom Kim and Min Woo Lee who recovered from a rocky start to claim the cash.

“It was such good vibes,” Kim said on Tuesday. “We were two-over after two alternate-shot holes, and we really had no chance. We were two back on the last hole and Min Woo hit a really good drive, I hit a good iron shot and he had to make the putt… I feel like it was a really, really good start to having that team environment. And we were all [cheering] for each other and against each other at the same time.”

On Wednesday, the Smitty money tap was turned off, and the Internationals played a series of short four-ball and foursomes matches within their foursomes, complete with private money games. Afterwards, Mackenzie Hughes joked that “it hurt more” that they were spending their own money and expounded on Smith’s role in the team. He’s not in the locker room, Hughes said, but he’s been on the course both this week and during the scouting trip.

“He’s my friend now,” he said. “I didn’t know him prior to two weeks ago. He’s been a big supporter of ours, and he’s done a great job of helping build team chemistry, and Mike likes having him around.”

Weir said he’s known Smith for four or five years and called him a “great friend”.

“He’s just been a big supporter,” Weir said. “We’ve always had international people support our team. Mark’s a local guy who’s been a big supporter.”

The International team might have a benefactor providing the stake money, but they’re certainly not the only ones playing money matches to ratchet up the pressure. One of the unlikely rivalries that has emerged on the American side is between assistant captain Brandt Snedeker and Xander Schauffele. For reasons that weren’t clear, Snedeker has taken to calling Schauffele “Alex”, but less ambiguous was the fact that Snedeker has made a pretty penny off the two-time major winner. Tony Finau described some of their bets as ridiculous, often hinging on a single shot.

“I know Xander pretty well,” Snedeker said. “I love him a lot more after this week. I’m a lot richer because of him.”

“I have a lot of false confidence at times and bet on myself a little too heavily,” Schauffele admitted. “DraftKings or anyone else would be very upset with my betting ability because I don’t think 30-yard bunker shot to four feet, even money, is a very good bet.”

“I’ve actually never even sports bet in my entire life,” he added, to a follow-up question. “You’re making me sound like a degenerate here.”

Brian Harman was similarly self-deprecating, admitting that he’s getting crushed in money games this week, while Finau said he’d made out well. Keegan Bradley, who said he finished 1-1-1 in money matches this week, praised the money games for how they simulated at least a little match pressure.

“I think today I had to make a three-and-a-half, four-footer slider down the hill that, if I’m in a practice round, maybe I whack or I just do quick,” he said. “It’s funny, I’m playing these matches, and then the next day, like, All right, you’re playing against Russell and Scottie. Geez, that’s a tough team. Then the next day I’m playing Xander and Tony. You’ve got to be on your game here against these boys. I think that’s a good thing.”

But it was Schauffele, despite his losses, who perhaps summed up the dynamic best, calling the money games the closest thing to the high stakes coming this weekend.

“It’s the only thing that can replicate any sort of pressure when you’re playing against the other side,” he said. “Everyone is ready to gamble when you get to that first tee.”