- Associated Press - Saturday, November 19, 2011

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (AP) - Capsules from Saturday’s matches at the Presidents Cup:

FOURSOMES:

Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson, United States, def. Robert Allenby and Geoff Ogilvy, International, 3 and 2.

The Americans opened with two birdies for a 2-up lead when Allenby twice missed matching putts from inside 6 feet. Allenby made a 10-foot par putt on the third to win the hole, and he nearly made an ace with a 9-iron on the fifth to square the match. The Americans never trailed, and the International team didn’t threaten because of a few errant tee shots from Ogilvy and missed birdie chances from Allenby when they had a chance to win the hole. Watson holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 14th for a 2-up lead, and Simpson closed out the match with a 15-foot birdie on the 16th.

___

Ernie Els and Ryo Ishikawa, International, def. Bill Haas and Matt Kuchar, United States, 1 up.

Els and Ishikawa finally won as a team in the best match of the morning session. Els and Ishikawa were 2 down through seven holes and still trailed with four holes to play when Haas and Kuchar bogeyed the par-5 15th to square the match. Haas put his approach into the bunker on No. 16 and missed a 7-foot par putt to fall 1 down for the first time all day. On the next hole, Kuchar hit his approach to a foot for a conceded birdie, but Ishikawa made an 18-foot birdie to match him. Ishikawa made a 6-foot par putt on the last to win.

___

Hunter Mahan and David Toms, United States, def. Retief Goosen and Charl Schwartzel, International, 5 and 4.

Mahan and Toms played 27 holes in their two foursomes matches. This time, they fell behind early with a bogey on the fourth hole, only to win the next three holes, twice with birdie. From there, they were on their way. Another bogey by Goosen and Schwartzel put the Americans 3 up at the turn, and they finished off the International team with pars on 13th and 14th holes.

___

Dustin Johnson and Tiger Woods, United States, def. Adam Scott and K.J. Choi, International, 3 and 2.

Woods earned his first point, and small payback for losing to Scott (and Steve Williams) and Choi in Thursday foursomes. The Americans bogeyed the third hole to fall behind, but the match turned twice in their favor. Woods and Johnson won back-to-back holes with pars on the seventh and eighth. The match was all square when Scott and Choi chopped up the 13th, conceding before they even got to the green. Scott and Choi then were on the wrong side of the 14th green and three-putted to fall 2 down. Woods closed out the match with a 20-foot birdie putt on the 16th.

___

Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk, United States, def. Aaron Baddeley and Jason Day, International, 2 and 1.

Baddeley and Day, riding the momentum from Friday’s big win, quickly built a 2-up lead with three birdies on the opening five holes. They were still 2 up through 10 holes and looked to be the one sure point for the International team. That’s when Mickelson and Furyk came to life. Starting with a birdie on No. 11, the Americans won four of the next five holes to seize control at 2 up with three to play, and Mickelson ended it in dramatic fashion with a 50-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole.

___

FOURBALLS:

Retief Goosen and Charl Schwartzel, International, def. Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson, United States, 2 and 1.

Schwartzel made a 6-foot birdie putt on the opening hole, and the Internationals never trailed. Watson and Simpson, undefeated for the week, finally lost in the leadoff match. Neither could make a birdie at the short sixth or a par at the seventh and fell 3 down. Schwartzel birdied the 11th to go 4 up and then it was a matter of time. Goosen missed 5-foot putts to close out the match on the 15th and 16th, but his lag to within inches at the 17th sealed the win.

___

K.T. Kim and Y.E. Yang, International, def. Dustin Johnson and Tiger Woods, United States, 1 up.

Yang gave his side a 1-up lead with a birdie on the opening hole, and the International team never trailed. But the match was in doubt until the final hole. Woods missed only one green, yet he missed nine putts from about 15 feet or closer. Johnson contributed a birdie on No. 5 to square the match, and that was about it. The match turned on the 15th hole. Woods reached the par 5 in two, about 65 feet away. He ran his eagle putt 8 feet long. Kim holed a 25-foot birdie, and Woods three-putted. On the final hole, Woods missed a birdie putt from 15 feet to halve the match, and Kim knocked in a 6-footer for par and the win.

___

Geoff Ogilvy and K.J. Choi, International, def. Steve Stricker and Matt Kuchar, United States, 1 up.

Kuchar had the hot hand, running off five straight birdies early in the match. Ogilvy did his best to answer, keeping the Americans’ lead no more than 1 up. Choi birdied the eighth to square the match, and Ogilvy holed a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 11 to go 1 up. They halved the last seven holes. The key came on the par-5 15th, when Choi made a 20-foot birdie putt with Stricker 5 feet away for a sure birdie. Kuchar failed to reach the 18th green in regulation, while Stricker found the bunker and could not make birdie.

___

Bill Haas and Hunter Mahan, United States, vs. Aaron Baddeley and Jason Day, International, 2 and 1.

Mahan drove to a greenside bunker on the par-4 sixth and got up-and-down for birdie and a 1-up lead in a match that the Americans never trailed. The Aussie duo, together all week, bogeyed the next hole. They won the first two holes on the back nine with a par and Day’s birdie to square the match, but Haas responded with two birdies to restore the cushion. With the match dormie, Day knocked in a 30-foot birdie on the 17th, but Mahan made birdie from 20 feet to win the match.

___

Jim Furyk and Nick Watney, United States, def. Ernie Els and Adam Scott, International, 1 up.

Watney sat out Saturday morning and came out blazing, making three straight birdies early in the match as the Americans built a 2-up lead. They never trailed, although it was a tight match. The Americans bogeyed the ninth, and Els holed an 8-foot putt on the 10th to square the match, only for Watney to answer with a wedge over the bunker to 3 feet for birdie on the 11th. The Americans were 2 up when Els birdied from 20 feet on the 15th, and Scott holed a 12-foot par putt to halve the 16th. Scott missed a 12-foot putt to square the match on the 17th, and the Americans won when Scott missed from 25 feet on the 18th.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide