Shigeki Maruyama was all smiles, just like always, watching from in front of the 12th green as Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im delivered a record-tying rout over America's best foursomes duo Friday at the Presidents Cup.

He's there in the locker room: the Presidents Cup-winning, Tiger-and-Phil-beating, undefeated legend, Shigeki Maruyama, back in a new role. The post At the Presidents Cup, the ‘Smiling Assassin’ lurks as secret weapon appeared first on Golf.

Twenty-six years have passed since Shigeki Maruyama produced a performance for the ages, going a perfect 5-0-0 in his Presidents Cup debut at Royal Melbourne in Australia. That performance powered what has since become the lone International Team victory to date against the United States in the biennial competition.

Hideki Matsuyama was described by some of his teammates as a Japanese sensation, leader, master and great golfer. The version that everybody on the International Team truly hopes will show up at the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club starting on Thursday is assassin.

So maybe this Presidents Cup won't be a walkover after all. One day after getting pasted, 5-0, in the Thursday fourballs round, the International Team swung back hard at the United States. Leading the charge: Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im,

Matsuyama and Im had an incredible Day Two at the Presidents Cup, putting the first International point on the board with authority.