Sep 25, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Team USA captain Davis Love III celebrates with the trophy during the singles match play of the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club.
Robbed of top players who defected to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, the depleted Internationals were expected to be easy pickings for an American squad packed with nine players in the world's top 15.
The Internationals, with a record eight Presidents Cup debutants in their 12-man squad, kept the outcome in doubt until late into Sunday's singles when Xander Schauffele beat Canada's Corey Conners 1-up to register the winning point.
"But being the big, big, big favorite carries a little bit of weight.
Thomas, who won his first of two PGA Championships at Quail Hollow in 2017, was first off to chants of "USA, USA" taking on South Korea's Kim Si-woo.