Presidents Cup Sunday: A script writer's dream

BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2005 The Presidents Cup | Round Three | 25 Sep 2005

If there was such a thing as a script writer for this week’s Presidents Cup it would be fair to assume he would be putting his hand out for a bonus, given the situation the tournament finds itself in with just one day to go.

At 11 points apiece, the clash between the USA and the International Teams is perfectly poised for a titanic final day, which could go either way. History indicates that the Americans will grab the initiative, especially playing on a course where they have done so before and in front of a parochial and no doubt deafening home crowd. With that level of support, however, comes expectation and it may just be that the Internationals, who arguably have less to lose, are still very much in this.

The Americans made ground today, more especially in the morning foursomes. They have thrown down the gauntlet to an International team, who would have been keen to go into the singles tomorrow with some sort of lead.

The stars of the morning for the Americans were Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco, who continued the battle they had had yesterday with Angel Cabrera and Michael Campbell. Although the Americans fell behind briefly early in the match, their contest soon became a one sided affair with the local pairing winning five holes in a ten hole stretch to win 5 & 3. One of those holes was a par 3, which DiMarco won with an ace to get the momentum moving in their direction.

Davis Love and Stewart Cink held off a remarkable comeback from the tournament surprise package in Immelman and Weir to get home in a close one at the last. The Americans had led that match four up through 12 holes and in the end no doubt breathed a huge sigh of relief when they finally secured the point.

The International’s win in the morning came from the pairing of Nick O’Hern and Tim Clark, who turned around a two hole deficit at the 12th to eventually win 2 & 1 over Fred Funk and David Toms. They had actually lost the opening two holes to bogeys.

The other two morning matches were halved, perhaps the highlight coming when Stuart Appleby and Vijay Singh shared the honours in their match against Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk. It was a match that had both sides two up at one stage, the Internationals ahead by two with two holes to play before brilliant play by both the Americans over the closing two holes saw the match, perhaps fairly, so squared at the last.

Retief Goosen and Adam Scott continued on their point gathering ways when they halved their match against Leonard and Verplank perhaps though, a little disappointed that they let an early lead get away on them.

At lunch the event was all tied up at 8.5 each and no sooner had Goosen and Scott completed their morning match, they were back into it again against the same pairing looking to break a deadlock the second time round. Goosen set the tone for the afternoon match when he all but holed his second to the first and they led one up. The Americans made a brief comeback but when they won the par three, 7th, they started a run that would see them finish their match at the 14th five up. They had recorded ten birdies in that stretch of holes.

Next out were Mickelson and DiMarco up against Peter Lonard and O’Hern. Lonard had been rested in the morning and with their combination working well yesterday, they too must have felt a chance to continue the trend being set just ahead by Goosen and Scott. However, it was not to be, after losing the first, they were on the back foot and succumbed to a birdie barrage by the Americans.

The tried and true combination of Fred Couple and Davis Love, which has had so much success internationally in World Cups and other arenas were brought together for their afternoon match against Campbell and Cabrera. This would be an epic match with the lead changing on several occasions before both Campbell and, from a lesser distance, Couples, had a chance to win outright with birdies at the last. Neither could and the result was a half point each.

Mark Hensby, who had sat out the morning matches with Lonard, and Clark were no match for Kenny Perry and Stewart Cink and their match finished before the drama that was unfolding behind and ahead.

In the final match of the day, Singh and Appleby, neither of whom had won a match to this point were up against their morning adversaries, Woods and Furyk. It turned into a gripping match as first one combination, then the other, took the lead. The Americans went ahead for the last time with a birdie at the 16th and although Appleby had created a chance for himself with a good approach to the last, his miss and Woods’ conceded birdie saw the Americans win, 2 up.

The battle for the Sunday singles and the Championship trophy gets underway at 2.05am AEST Monday morning. The Internationals have done well until now but their impressive showing to date, the best to this point of the competition in their four times to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, is of little consequence if it can’t be converted to victory. The task is not impossible, after all in 1996 when the International Team was arguably not as accomplished as it is now, it halved the Sunday singles. Both sides no doubt think they can win setting the scene for a great day’s viewing wherever you are.

The pairings for the single are as follows:

12:05pm – Tim Clark (International) vs. Justin Leonard (US)
12:15pm – Trevor Immelman (International) vs. David Toms (US)
12:25pm – Retief Goosen (International) vs. Tiger Woods (US)
12:35pm – Mark Hensby (International) vs. Kenny Perry (US)
12:45pm – Vijay Singh (International) vs. Fred Couples (US)
12:55pm – Mike Weir (International) vs. Scott Verplank (US)
1:05pm – Adam Scott (International) vs. Jim Furyk (US)
1:15pm – Peter Lonard (International) vs. Stewart Cink (US)
1:25pm – Michael Campbell (International) vs. Fred Funk (US)
1:35pm – Nick O’Hern (International) vs. Davis Love III (US)
1:45pm – Angel Cabrera (International) vs. Phil Mickelson (US)
1:55pm – Stuart Appleby (International) vs. Chris DiMarco (US)

Virginia is 14 hours behind AEST eg 12:05pm (Sunday Virginia) = 02:05am (Sunday AEST)