2017 pc book

L I B E RT Y N AT I O N A L G O L F C L U B J E R S E Y C I T Y, N E W J E R S E Y

5 6

7

2017 PRESIDENTS CUP LIBERTY NATIONAL GOLF CLUB HOLE

PAR

YARDS

HOLE

PAR

YARDS

1

4

427

10

3

150

2

5

538

114

4

481

3

4

467

12

4

325

4

5

611

13

4

445

5

4

474

14

4

490

6

4

513

15

4

398

7

3

225

16

3

219

8

4

431

17

4

395

9

5

563

18

3

193

OUT

38

4249

IN

33

3096

TOTAL

71

7345

10

4 8 12

3

1

2

18

17

9 13 11

16

15

14

Liberty National Golf Club

Jersey City, New Jersey September 25–October 1, 2017

United States Team

International Team

Steve Stricker, Captain

Nick Price, Captain

Daniel Berger

Jason Day

Kevin Chappell

Branden Grace

Rickie Fowler

Emiliano Grillo

Charley Hoffman

Adam Hadwin

Dustin Johnson

Si Woo Kim

Kevin Kisner

Anirban Lahiri

Brooks Koepka

Marc Leishman

Matt Kuchar

Hideki Matsuyama

Phil Mickelson

Louis Oosthuizen

Patrick Reed

Charl Schwartzel

Jordan Spieth

Adam Scott

Justin Thomas

Jhonattan Vegas

Fred Couples, Captain’s Assistant

Ernie Els, Captain’s Assistant

Jim Furyk, Captain’s Assistant

Tony Johnstone, Captain’s Assistant

Davis Love III, Captain’s Assistant

Geoff Ogilvy, Captain’s Assistant

Tiger Woods, Captain’s Assistant

Mike Weir, Captain’s Assistant

Honorary Chairman

Donald J. Trump President of the United States

The Presidents Committee

Isao Aoki Laurence Applebaum Pete Bevacqua John Bridger Josh Burack Mike Davis Dan Fireman Paul Fireman Gavin Kirkman Paul Levy

Masayuki Arai Steve Carman Stephen Cox Jeff Hall Andrew Langford-Jones Andy McFee John Mutch Dillard Pruitt

Chairman, Japan Golf Tour Organization

Rob Maxfield CEO, Golf Canada

Chief Executive Officer, PGA of America

Bruce Mitchell President, PGA TOUR Tournament Assoc.

Jay Monahan CEO, Asian Tour

Uttam Singh Mundy Executive Director, USGA

Diana Murphy Liberty National Golf Club

Keith Pelley Liberty National Golf Club

Antony Scanlon CEO, PGA of Australia

Andres Schonbaum President, PGA of America

HweeBoo Yang

Charlie Zink

Chief Executive, PGA of Great Britain & Ireland Captain, R&A Commissioner, PGA TOUR Executive Director, PGA Tour of India President, USGA Chief Executive Officer, European Tour Executive Director, Intl. Golf Federation President, Argentine Golf Association Chairman, KPGA Chairman, 2017 Presidents Cup

Match Committee Japan Golf Tour Organization PGA TOUR PGA TOUR United States Golf Association PGA Tour of Australasia PGA European Tour PGA TOUR PGA TOUR

David Rickman Steve Rintoul Mark Russell Jittisak Tamprasert Gary Todd Robby Ware Gary Young

Presidents Cup Past Captains David Graham Jay Haas Jack Nicklaus Gary Player

The R&A PGA TOUR PGA TOUR Asian Tour Sunshine Tour PGA TOUR PGA TOUR

Foreword

A

TRULY SPECIAL MOMENT of my ca-

reer and in golf comes every two years with the Presidents Cup, which I believe with all my heart is one of the most important golf events in the world.

It is a distinct honor whenever I am asked to attend this biennial event, and that was true again this past fall at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey, where players from the United States competed for the 12th time against an International Team comprised of the best players in the world excluding Europe. But what I love most about the Presidents Cup is that it remains as much about sportsmanship, goodwill and charity as it is about competition.

I was fortunate enough to captain the International Team on three occasions, including the 2003 Presidents Cup in my home country of South Africa, an event that I will always cherish for what it meant to the men and women of my country as well to the game of golf. To share the Presidents Cup with such a fine United States team and with my longtime friend Jack Nicklaus, the U.S.

captain, was no doubt a special occasion and one of the fondest memories of my career.

It was also meaningful to me to serve, along with Jack, as an honorary captain for the first Junior Presidents Cup played earlier in the week. We had the opportunity to spend time with the young players and watch them compete, and the talent on display at Plainfield Country Club bodes well for the future of our game.

Then there was the Opening Ceremony at Liberty National, when three past Presidents of the United States – Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama – helped to get the Presidents Cup started in memorable fashion. It was an inspiring scene to see the former world leaders at the first tee in support of the event named in honor of their office. It had never happened before, but that’s what the game of golf can do – bring people together.

In closing, I want to extend a special thank you to Rolex for again supporting this book and for their longstanding commitment to golf. I, for one, salute them for their dedication.

Gary Player 5

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Liberty National Golf Club Proves Itself a Worthy Venue for Match Play

F

EW COURSES in America can match the awe-

inspiring surroundings of Liberty National Golf Club, a private golf haven along Upper New York Bay that underwent a very public — and miraculous — transformation to become a worthy host of the 12th Presidents Cup. “We get to play some of the best golf courses in the world, but it’s very rare that you get to see the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty from everywhere on the course,” said Australia’s Jason Day, who could have added that New York Harbor and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge also contribute to the tableau. “It’s stunning. It’s imposing. It’s beautiful and pretty impressive.”

And it couldn’t have materialized without the persistence and resources of Paul Fireman, the former chairman of Reebok International, who conceded that “a moment of insanity” led to this massive undertaking to turn a wasteland into a bucolic wonderland. “It was a task,” Fireman said, “that if you knew what it would take to do it, you wouldn’t do it.”

Sure, the real estate, about 160 acres, was prime, but it also was compromised. The land once was home to a Standard Oil refinery and later a WWI munitions storage facility. There were gnarled, broken-down buildings, dumpsters, corroded oil tanks and contaminated soil. A man named Rusty Bayliss discovered it, but Fireman made the reclamation happen.

“It had a major attitude about it,” Fireman said of the parcel. “The location was iconic. How could you not want to do something with this property?”

“We are talking about of one of the heroic coastlines of the American experience,” late co-designer Bob Cupp said after he and former U.S. Open champion Tom Kite infused the property with their collective inspiration to create a hard and handsome championship layout.

Kite was apprised of the project not long after he had won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 1992, and he sought out Cupp, with whom he had collaborated on several projects after being thrown together for a 1988 renovation of Baltimore Country Club. Their

Above: A scenic view of the 14th hole at Liberty National.

Opposite: The Manhattan skyline was visible all week.

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

task at Liberty National was turning a piece of land that was “flat as a table top” into an intriguing course worthy of hosting something as significant as the Presidents Cup. It wasn’t easy, starting with the cleanup of the site and navigating various regulatory issues.

Then they needed material, so six million cubic yards of earth and sand were spread over the loam.

Every roll and contour and mound, every bunker,

The par-5 13th hole at Liberty National was the ninth hole for the Presidents Cup.

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every interior water feature was crafted. About 5,000 mature trees were planted as well. “Everything is 100 percent created,” said Kite, who with Cupp formulated more than 50 routings as they strove for perfection.

“The big thing in golf-course design right now is minimalist design. This is light-years on the other side of the spectrum.”

Well, they wanted to make an impression.

L I B E R T Y N AT I O N A L G O L F C L U B

The par-71 layout, which opened on July 4, 2006, features what is called “a parkland links-style” design, with the links feel coming, appropriately, on the holes closest to the harbor. The PGA TOUR brought The Barclays (now known as THE NORTHERN TRUST), to Liberty National in 2009. Relative unknown Heath Slocum defeated four household names — Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington and Steve

Stricker (the U.S. captain for the 2017 Presidents Cup) — by a stroke with a 275 total.

Player reviews were mixed, so Fireman agreed to have the course renovated in 2010 with Cupp and Kite assisting Steve Wenzloff and PGA TOUR Design. The most significant changes were made to the greens complexes, subtle tweaks designed to reward good approach shots. Thirteen fairways were altered

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

The difficult par-4 11th hole was halved in 17 of the 30 matches.

and some of the flowing bunkers were repositioned or eliminated. When the players returned for The Barclays to start the 2013 FedExCup Playoffs, they found the layout much more to their liking.

“It’s a course where it presents a lot of opportunities, but there are stretches of tough holes still out there, a good blend,” said Adam Scott, who won the event with a 273 total, one stroke ahead of Woods (again) and three others.

For the Presidents Cup, Liberty National measured 7,345 yards, but the hole sequence was altered.

The usual fifth hole, a tough par-4 of 427 yards with a pond lurking down the left side, was made into the first hole. That meant the par-3 fourth hole, 193 yards, was the finishing hole, and though it’s unusual for a course to end on a par 3, the choice here was shrewd. With matches on the line, the tee shot proved immensely challenging, and adding to the scene was the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop.

“Well, 10-out-of-10 for the golf course,” said Nick Price, the International Team captain, in the days leading up to the start of the competition. “The golf

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course is everything … it’s a great match-play course.

There’s a lot of risk/reward golf out there.”

“It’s a spectacular venue, as far as the views, the facility, and then the golf course itself. It’s a fantastic setup,” added America’s Matt Kuchar.

And it’s a test that players will see again. In 2014, the PGA TOUR announced a 25-year agreement with Liberty National to host upwards of 10 other tournaments in addition to the Presidents Cup. “I think it’s one of the most stunning settings for professional golf there is on the planet,” said former PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem.

No one could argue with that. Or with its merits as a venue for match play.

“I think the course held up very well for the best players in the world, and it was presented well,” said Derek Sprague, Liberty National’s managing director. “Especially when the ‘Liberty wind,’ as we call it up here, came in, the course was very challenging, especially on Thursday and a bit on Saturday, and that’s part of the defense of the course, so it was great that we saw it in different conditions. I think everyone got a real appreciation for what a terrific venue Liberty National can be.”

—David Shedloski

L I B E R T Y N AT I O N A L G O L F C L U B

The drivable par-4 12th hole easily was the most entertaining hole of the week with its risk-reward features.

The long par-4 14th hole, which usually serves as the 18th hole at Liberty National, played up to 490 yards.

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OPENING CEREMONY

A Historic Beginning Presidents heighten extraordinary atmosophere for Opening Ceremony

T

HE OPENING CEREMONY to the 12th Presidents

Cup preceding the first tee shots on Thursday was filled with an electricity seldom felt in sport. The wattage was supplied by the inspiring sight of three former Presidents of the United States — golf’s new Big Three, they were being called — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

It was the first time three U.S. presidents attended the matches together since the inception of the event in 1994. The only time previously that two past presidents were in attendance together was the 2005 edition featuring Clinton and his predecessor, George H.W. Bush.

“I get excited about the fact that three individuals ascended to the highest office in the land, and golf was an important part of their life and continues to be an important part of their life,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan said. “I think it’s a great statement for our game.”

The trio were the stars of the show, waving to fans and posing for photographs by the first tee at Liberty National. Phil Mickelson, never shy in the spotlight, approached the podium where the presidents were seated and snapped a selfie with them.

All three PGA TOUR commissioners dating to

1974 — Monahan, Tim Finchem and Deane Beman — joined the former Commanders in Chief. Drawing louder cheers were legends Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, who captained against each other in three Presidents Cups. (Nicklaus was captain four times.) Also on the podium were former captains Jay Haas and David Graham.

The ceremony’s most compelling moment featurednone of the assembled stars. The coveted gold Cup was walked up to the first tee and presented by the family of the late Mark Lee, captain of the Jersey City Fire Dept., who was among the first responders after the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Center. Lee died in 2014 from complications due to the exposure of debris when the towers collapsed. His son, Mark Lee, Jr., a firefighter on Engine Co. 10 of the JCFD, and his widow, Cheryl, delivered the Presidents Cup, and together they placed it on a podium behind the first tee.

Bagpipers played “God Bless America,” and then recording artist Darius Rucker sang the National Anthem before Charl Schwartzel of South Africa and Rickie Fowler of the United States hit the opening tee shots for the competing teams.

—David Shedloski

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F I R S T D AY

If It’s Thursday, America Must Be Ahead A familiar script emerges as U.S. Team jumps out to two-point lead

O

N A SUNNY but blustery day off New York

Harbor, the International Team’s players had to navigate serious headwinds early to remain close to their American counterparts, a task they have known only too well throughout the history of the Presidents Cup. They did just enough to feel hopeful, to turn consternation into consolation.

After losing the first three matches of foursomes — two in blowout fashion — the visitors managed to salvage the afternoon with a win and a tie in the final two games to trail by only two points. It was about as much as they could have hoped for in a format the U.S. has dominated.

“The day was a brutal day,” said Nick Price, the third-time International captain, referring to winds that gusted up to 20 mph across Liberty National Golf Club and not the ill wind that blew for his team most of the afternoon. At one point, the Internationals trailed in all five matches.

“Listen, we’re half-a-point better than last time, so that’s a big up for us,” Branden Grace of South Africa said with a laugh after he and countryman Louis Oosthuizen got the only full point for the Internationals, a replay of 2015 in South Korea when they scored their team’s only point in the first session.

The 3½ to 1½ lead marked the sixth straight time the American squad jumped ahead after the first day.

Overall, the U.S. has slept on the Thursday night lead in nine of 12 meetings — and has gone on to win each time.

And they ran to 27 straight sessions their streak of being in the lead. The last time the Internationals led after any session was the first day in 2005 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va., when they won opening foursomes 3 ½ to 2 ½. The two sides were tied going into singles that year.

“We felt good about what happened out there as far as the points won. So it was a good day,” said U.S. captain Steve Stricker. “Yeah, it was definitely a good start for us. Knowing the International Team, I’m sure they’ll come back strong. You know, there’s still a long, long ways to go. But we very much liked the day and the way it started.”

Everyone in attendance felt good about the way it started, primarily because of the historic appearance of three former U.S. Presidents: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama — Nos. 42, 43, 44, respectively, in your program. The last time more than one former president attended the event was in 2005, when Clinton and his predecessor, George H.W. Bush, were on hand at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia.

U.S.’s Dustin Johnson reacts after holing out from a bunker on the seventh hole during his Foursomes win with Matt Kuchar.

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

team without a blemish on their scorecard in the alternate shot format. Incredibly, they didn’t take the lead until the 16th hole.

“For us to go bogey-free is quite a feat today,” In truth, things looked promising early for the visKuchar said. “To play in these winds, to play alteritors when they jumped ahead in the first two matches. Hideki Matsuyama and Charl Schwartzel took a nate-shot where you don’t get quite the rhythm you 1-up lead on Rickie Fowler get in your normal round of and rookie Justin Thomas in golf, it was challenging.” the opening game, and right What wasn’t challenging behind them, Adam Scott was watching the established and Jhonattan Vegas won pairing of Jordan Spieth and the first two holes against Patrick Reed improve to 6-1-2 Dustin Johnson and Matt as a duo. They schooled rookKuchar. ies Si Woo Kim and Emiliano Then Fowler chipped Grillo, 5 and 4, as Spieth bein from 72 feet at the par-4 came the first player in Presithird hole to ignite an easdents Cup history to start his career in foursomes 4-0. ier-than-expected6-and-4 Kevin Kisner and Phil Mickelson celebrate forging an early lead.

“I think it comes down victory. Meanwhile, Johnson to on the greens. We’ve been and Kuchar quickly leveled very, very solid together,” said Spieth, who extintheir match, and although they couldn’t shake Scott and Vegas, one of four first-timers for the Internationguished a brief International rally by sinking a 35-foot par putt at the 11th hole. “We believe each other is als, the American duo eventually grinded out a 1-up going to make it. We get confident in our reads and win. we put aggressive putts on it because we’re OK with Impressively, they didn’t make a bogey, the only An enthusiastic group of U.S. fans cheer from the stands as the first day of the Presidents Cup gets underway.

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F I R S T D AY

leaving our partner something coming back.

“We do make quite a few putts together. That’s what ended up being the case today.”

Over the years, the International contingent has shown remarkable resiliency, and that attribute served them well yet again as the day wore on. The team of Oosthuizen and Grace, so tough in Korea when they went 4-0, had to come through, and the South Africans were up to the challenge. They pulled away for a 3-and-1 victory over U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger, both playing in their first Presidents Cup (though Koepka had team match-play experience as a member of the winning U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2016).

Grace ran his win streak to six straight matches after going 5-0 in Korea. He was 0-4-0 in 2013 at Muirfield Village Golf Club. “Having the record we have after the last one gives us a lot of confidence coming into this one,” Grace said. “I know you can’t ride on past success but it is nice knowing that you have done it and you can do it again. And it reflected today.

Our point was really important, and hopefully we inspired a little bit of the team, as well.”

The Internationals squeaked out another half point in the final match of the afternoon when Jason Day and Marc Leishman played Phil Mickelson and rookie Kevin Kisner to a draw. Appearing in his 23rd consecutive team competition, Mickelson had a chance to make the U.S. lead larger after winning the 17th, but he missed an 8-foot par putt at the par-3 18th.

“That’s about as intense as it gets,” Mickelson said. “You have all your teammates there and all the American guys, and the match is on the line.”

For whatever reason, the U.S. side seems better prepared to handle the intensity out of the gate.

“Jordan mentioned that this first session is pretty critical, and we need to go out there and take care of business,” Fowler said. “I feel like as a team, we did a really good job of that. If we can do the same thing tomorrow and win another session, it puts us in a great position.”

Of course, it’s not like the International Team has any less desire. “We’ve been off to poor starts for a while on Thursdays,” Price said. “You know, it’s our

First Day Foursomes Matches

United States 3.5 POINTS

International 1.5 POINTS

Rickie Fowler shakes hands with U.S. Captain’s Assistant Jim Furyk after scoring the first point with Justin Thomas.

toughest game, especially the first day because we’re feeling the pairings and all that. [But] we have a resilient team. You know, they have this ability to come back and bounce back, and they have done it. They did it last time in Korea.”

“We seem to be trailing every time after the first day, and then sort of find our feet and go from there,” Oosthuizen added. “I think tomorrow is a big day for us being better-ball, and we need to win tomorrow’s session.”

—David Shedloski

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Foursomes Match 1

Rickie Fowler/Justin Thomas WON 6 AND 4 OVER

Hideki Matsuyama/Charl Schwartzel AS ADVERTISED, the Statue of Liberty was indeed the

awe-inspiring landmark that loomed so prominently over Liberty National Golf Club and the 2017 Presidents Cup. Players interrupted practice rounds to steal looks, photographers produced breathtaking images, and ferry rides to and from Manhattan were never long enough for passengers.

But only a few holes into the first match of the competition, a glance toward Lady Liberty made you thankful she was turned facing the city and not looking at Liberty National Golf Club.

She was spared the sight of some shoddy play.

How shoddy? Consider that Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas conceded one hole after two shots in the native grass, bogeyed another, and badly missed a handful of greens — yet were 4 up at the turn. Yes, the deft bump-and-run wedge shot from 25 yards that Fowler holed from left of the green at the par-4 third certainly helped, but attach blame where blame is due: Hideki Matsuyama and Charl Schwartzel just didn’t bring much to make Lady Liberty want to turn around.

“The rhythm just wasn’t there,” said Matsuyama, after the 6-and-4 pounding.

“We made some bad errors during the middle of the round today,” said Schwartzel.

Justin Thomas plays to the supportive American fans.

Foursomes Match 1 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

AS - AS 1up 2up 2up 3up 3up 4up 3up 4up 5up 5up 6up

RICKIE FOWLER/ JUSTIN THOMAS

4 C 3 4 4 5 3 4 4 3 4 3 4 4

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA/ CHARL SCHWARTZEL

4 4 4 5 5 5 5 4 6 2 5 4 4 5

STATUS AS 1up AS - - - - - - - - - - -

20

F I R S T D AY F O U R S O M E S M AT C H E S

Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas discuss a little strategy.

Accurate statements by both after so many misfires.

So rough was it for the two of them that they would have signed for a 42 on Liberty National’s par-38 front and after being staked to a 1-up lead at No. 2, they lost each of the next three.

“To go from 1 down to 2 up really quickly, that kind of set the tone,” said Fowler, who was thrilled to pair with a major winner who happens to be a friend and neighbor in Jupiter, Fla. While Thomas was making his debut in this international pro team business, Fowler quietly was determined not to have a repeat of 2015 when he went 1-3 in the Presidents Cup in Korea. “Perfect fit,” he said of the pairing, though it didn’t look that way when Thomas drove it into knee-high grass at the par-5 second and Fowler couldn’t get the second shot into the fairway.

“The goal was not to give them a hole,” said Fowler, who then shrugged. “It was nice, though, to get that out of the way early.”

His chip-in at the third squared things, then Thomas curled home a 12-footer for birdie at the par-5 fourth. If the door was jiggled loose for the Americans, the Internationals made sure it was kicked wide open: Matsuyama and Schwartzel bogeyed the fifth and the sixth and never finished the par-3 seventh because the

Charl Schwartzel of South Africa shakes hands with U.S.’s Justin Thomas.

South African’s tee shot found water.

“You give Rickie and Justin just a little bit of momentum, they are hard to catch,” said Schwartzel, who added to the misery by driving it miles right at the ninth to go 4 down.

Never is Foursomes easy, but it’s especially difficult if your game is off. “We all know it,” said Fowler.

“There’s no hiding.”

Schwartzel — who was wide right with the opening tee shot under the watchful eye of former Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama — certainly knows that as he fell to 0-5-1 in the format.

—Jim McCabe

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Foursomes Match 2 Dustin Johnson/Matt Kuchar WON 1 UP OVER

Adam Scott/Jhonattan Vegas

BOYISH ADAM SCOTT was feeling old. The Aussie who always looks like he’d just stepped out of a fashion photo, was playing in his eighth Presidents Cup, and he’d yet to be on a winner. He was about to feel older than his 37 years.

“Me and Kooch,” Dustin Johnson was saying, before the opening Foursomes session of the 2017 Presidents Cup, “are both playing well.”

Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar? Like ham ‘n eggs, said Claude Harmon III, Johnson’s coach, invoking an old golf adage.

Who could blame Scott if he had come out of this match with a case of the blahs? He and Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas, 33, who has a linebacker-type physique and a soft touch, seemed headed for a win, or at least the moral victory of a tie, until the last three holes. The firm of Johnson and Kooch took their first lead at the 16th, and they hung on for a 1-up victory.

Scott had stressed the need for the underdogs — he acknowledged the role — to get off to a fast start.

And he got it, despite the flag-whipping winds that ripped Liberty National, knocking his approach to 7 feet. Vegas, making his Presidents Cup debut, then dropped the putt. Vegas also made a 3-footer for par

Matt Kuchar (right) gives Dustin Johnson a friendly nudge.

Foursomes Match 2 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

- - - AS - - AS AS - AS AS AS AS AS AS 1up 1up 1up

DUSTIN JOHNSON/ MATT KUCHAR

4 5 4 4 4 4 2 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 2 4 3

ADAM SCOTT/ JHONATTAN VEGAS

3 4 5 5 3 4 C 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3

STATUS

22

1up 2up 1up AS 1up 1up AS AS 1up AS AS AS AS AS AS - - -

F I R S T D AY F O U R S O M E M AT C H E S

Adam Scott of the International Team tosses his putter after missing a 6-foot birdie putt on the 16th green.

on the second. That 2-up edge was the biggest lead either side would have.

The Americans squared it on the next two holes, on Johnson’s 13-footer for par and Kuchar’s 5-footer for birdie. Then this one settled into a grinder after the teams traded wins at Nos. 5 and 7.

Momentum shifted at the 10th, a par-3 of only 150 yards, but devilish in the winds. Johnson held the green with a knock-down 8-iron, but Scott’s tee shot went over the back and down onto a pathway, leaving Vegas little room for a trajectory to the green over the high bulkhead. He ended up in deep rough. They bogeyed and the Americans two-putted for par to square the match, where it stayed for the next five holes.

A crack appeared at the par-3 16th. Johnson stuck his tee shot to 7 feet, and Scott missed the green.

Kuchar holed the putt for a winning birdie, and the Americans led for the first time, then had a 1-up win when the last two holes were halved in pars.

An interesting fact emerged from this struggle: That for all the oohing-and-ahhing over Johnson’s power, he was really fun to watch on bunker shots. At No. 4, he blasted from 80 feet to 5, and Kuchar birdied to win;

Jhonattan Vegas follows through on a putt and watches its path intently.

then at the par-3 No. 7, he holed out from 54 feet for birdie and another win; and at the 14th, he lifted a 59-footer to 11 feet, which Kuchar converted for a halve.

There was another thing, too. Against winds that added to the difficulty, Johnson and Kuchar were the only team to go 18 holes without a bogey. That’s like ducking confetti at the Mardi Gras.

“Amazing,” said the grinning Kuchar.

Added the easy-talking Johnson: “We just, you know, kept the ball in play.”

—Marino Parascenzo

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Foursomes Match 3 Patrick Reed/Jordan Spieth WON 5 & 4 OVER

Emiliano Grillo/Si Woo Kim THEY ARE AMERICA’S SURE THING, or at least a lock to be penciled together into the U.S. lineup in team competitions for years to come.

Ever since being paired at the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, in Scotland, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed have been hard to beat and nearly impossible to separate. Thursday’s Foursomes match against Emiliano Grillo and Si Woo Kim marked the ninth time the duo were placed together in a match-play event.

To Spieth, the secret of their success was quite

simple, if not a little bit odd, as he conceded.

“We just want to beat each other. When we’re playing alternate-shot, we want to be the ones to make the putt, not our own teammate — obviously, we’re rooting for each other but it’s kind of a competition within itself that for whatever reason works for us,” the reigning Open Championship winner explained.

“We don’t like one of us getting more credit than the other. It’s kind of a weird pride thing for us, but it’s been successful.”

Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth of the U.S. Team react on the 11th green as they watch a putt drop.

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F I R S T D AY F O U R S O M E M AT C H E S

With America’s winning chemistry, the match appeared as if it might be mismatch on paper with International Team captain Nick Price sending two rookies off to a potential slaughter. Reed, however, would hear none of it.

“It’s going to be a dogfight,” the fiery Reed said beforehand. “There are no easy pushovers.”

America’s dynamic duo never trailed, but they did get a bit of a fight.

Spieth and Reed won the second hole to move 1 up before losing the third with a sloppy bogey. But then they got hot, winning Nos. 4-7 to move 4 up. If it were a dogfight, the Internationals, who made three consecutive bogeys, had played like Chihuahuas — all bark, no bite.

But Reed was on the money that there are no pushovers. Kim and Grillo rallied to win the eighth and 10th to move within two. Then came the turning point of the match.

At the 11th, Spieth and Reed faced a 40-foot par putt while the International side had a putt of half that distance. It looked promising for the Internationals to walk off the green only 1 down and with all the momentum, but Spieth had different plans. He sized up his double-breaker, and when it started rolling he knew it was in. He raised his putter early and as if drawn by a magnet, the ball fell in the cup for par.

Grillo, from 20 feet, couldn’t answer, and the U.S. had won the hole to restore a 3-up lead.

“It was the difference in our match,” Spieth said.

The U.S. pair then won No. 12 with a birdie to move 4 up and Spieth made a 10-footer for par at 13 to stymie any thoughts the Internationals might have had of a comeback. The Americans won the 14th with

Si Woo Kim of South Korea hits a recovery shot near the water.

a 6-foot par putt to close out the match.

“This was a pretty boring day for us, but boring is what we needed today,” Spieth said, his record with Reed improving to 6-1-2.

—Adam Schupak

Foursomes Match 3 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS AS 1up AS 1up 2up 3up 4up 3up 3up 2up 3up 4up 4up 5up PATRICK REED/ JORDAN SPIETH

4 5 5 4 4 4 3 5 4 4 4 3 4 4

EMILIANO GRILLO/ SI WOO KIM

4 C 4 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 5 4 4 5

STATUS

AS - AS - - - - - - - - - - -

25

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Foursomes Match 4

Louis Oosthuizen/Branden Grace WON 3 AND 1 OVER

Daniel Berger/Brooks Koepka

DON’T BOTHER GUESSING who is the Presidents Cup’s

ing Foursomes matches at one point, until Grace and most Dynamic Duo. You wouldn’t get it in a dozen Oosthuizen stopped the landslide by pulling out the tries. team’s only victory, 3 and 1 over Brooks Koepka and Try Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace of Daniel Berger.

South Africa. Which is shocking since the Interna“It didn’t look good at times,” Oosthuizen said.

“We knew we needed something. We knew it was crutionals have mostly been flattened by the American side since this event began. cial to get this one.”

But Grace and Oosthuizen The breezy conditions are Super Team. They went helped the South Africans.

4-0 in 2015. The only other Grace is known for his low duo to match that was Tiger ball-flight and Oosthuizen Woods and Steve Stricker in certified his ability to play 2009. the ball low when he won The South Africans’ the Open Championship list of victims in 2015 was at St. Andrews in 2010. impressive, too: Patrick Berger and Koepka, on the Reed (twice), Jordan Spiother hand, are high-ball power-hitters, and they eth, Dustin Johnson, Rickie struggled in the wind at Fowler, Matt Kuchar, BubBrooks Koepka and Daniel Berger trade a fist bump. times. ba Watson and J.B. Holmes.

“It was just a grind, a Well, Super Team day like today,” Grace said. made it five in a row with what may have been its The Americans started birdie-birdie but didn’t most important victory to date. The Internationals make another one after the fourth hole. The Internawere getting pulverized again, down in all five open-

Foursomes Match 4 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

1up 1up AS AS - AS AS AS - AS AS AS - - - - -

DANIEL BERGER/ BROOKS KOEPKA

3 4 5 4 5 4 3 5 C 4 4 4 C 4 5 3 C

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN/ BRANDEN GRACE

4 4 4 4 4 5 3 5 3 C 4 4 3 4 4 3 3

STATUS

- - AS AS 1up AS AS AS 1up AS AS AS 1up 1up 2up 2up 3up

26

F I R S T D AY F O U R S O M E M AT C H E S

tionals won the third and fifth holes with pars but the match was all square at the ninth. That’s where Koepka bombed a tee shot that ran through the fairway into a pond. Berger faced a 217-yard shot, all over water, to the green and watched his attempt splash just short.

The Internationals conceded the 10th but took the lead for good when Oosthuizen made a 19-foot birdie putt at the 13th. Koepka missed the 15th fairway and the U.S. squad made a bogey to fall 2-down. Then the Americans missed the green at 17 and Oosthuizen holed another birdie putt to close out the victory.

“It was nice to hit clutch shots when it mattered,” Grace said. “We putted great.”

The Americans, making their Presidents Cup debuts, were understandably disappointed. “We just

didn’t give ourselves any chances on the back nine,” said Koepka, the U.S. Open champion.

They also ran into the International side’s strongest pair, who do everything short of finish each other’s sentences.

“We play similar styles of golf,” Grace said. “We hit it similar distances. We both get very streaky at stages, as well. We live close to each other in Palm Beach (Fla.), and we are good mates.”

They also are one less problem for beleaguered International captain Nick Price to figure out.

“They are such a great blend in match play,” Price noted, signaling his intentions to march them out again in team play. “It’d be hard to break them up.”

—Gary Van Sickle

The standard tells the story; South Africa’s Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen posted the lone International Team win Thursday.

27

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Foursomes Match 5 Kevin Kisner/Phil Mickelson H A LV E D W I T H

Jason Day/Marc Leishman U.S. CAPTAIN STEVE STRICKER made Phil Mickelson

one of two captain’s selecrtions due to his experience.

It assured the lefthander of perfect attendance at the Presidents Cup — 12 for 12 — which afforded him plenty of opportunities to mix with different partners.

He came into this year’s Presidents Cup having earned 23 points, just one behind Tiger Woods’ team record. And with an 11-6-3 Foursomes record, Mickelson figured to be in position to show his 16th different Presidents Cup partner, Kevin Kisner, a thing or two in this, his 52nd game.

“Phil is a guy that likes fiery players, and Kiz is one of those players,” Stricker said of the pairing.

“He talks a lot of smack. He’s a little bulldog and Phil really gravitates towards that — and so does Kiz (react) to Phil. It came along pretty naturally for them.”

Phil Mickelson hits a tee shot as the gallery looks on and takes photos.

28

The Americans needed all that experience against the talented Australian duo of Jason Day and Marc Leishman, who never had been paired together. It was a battle to the finish, and it ended with one of only three halves in team play.

With winds gusting to 20 mph, the Americans struck first after Leishman found the pond left of the first fairway. Kisner, meanwhile, hit a perfect drive and a perfect putt, draining a 34-footer after Mickelson’s safe approach. At the par-4 third, Mickelson stuck his approach to 2 feet to go 2-up.

The International Team bounced back with a par to win No. 4, but it lost the next two holes as Day couldn’t get his putter to cooperate; he missed par tries from 7 feet at the fifth and 23 feet at the sixth.

With a 3-up lead, the U.S. seemed in control, but

Kevin Kisner doesn’t like the result of this putt.

F I R S T D AY F O U R S O M E M AT C H E S

Marc Leishman greets a happy fan after chipping in on the ninth green.

a bogey on the par-4 eighth and then a chip-in eagle by Leishman on the par-5 ninth hacked into the U.S. lead.

“Only three back, (long way) to go. You still have a good chance to win and that’s the way we looked at it,” Leishman said. “Then you’re even three holes later and neither of us ever give up.”

Momentum clearly had switched to the Internationals. Day followed with a tee shot to 5 feet at the par-3 10th. The match was square when Leishman sank the putt, then it got even better for the Internationals when Mickelson and Kisner bogeyed the 11th to fall 2 down.

The back-and-forth continued when Mickelson

and Kisner won the 12th with a par, only to be followed by Day’s 4-foot birdie at the drivable 14th.

Then came a sloppy International bogey at 17.

Head-shaking stuff that left the match all square into the par-3 18th. Both teams faced testing par putts after wayward tee shots. Day missed from 20 feet, then breathed a sigh of relief when Mickelson’s try from 7 feet burned the edge.

Neither team won, and both sides probably felt like they had lost a good chance for the full point.

Still, the session had gone poorly for his team, so Day found a silver lining. “A half point,” he said, smiling, “is better than none.”

—Alex Miceli

Foursomes Match 5 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

1up 1up 2up 1up 2up 3up 3up 2up 1up AS - AS AS -

- - AS AS

KEVIN KISNER/ PHIL MICKELSON

3 4 3 5 4 3 3 5 4 3 5 4 4 5 4 3 4 4

JASON DAY/ MARC LEISHMAN

5 4 4 4 5 4 3 4 3 2 4 5 4 3 4 3 5 4

STATUS

- - - - - - - - - AS 1up AS AS 1up 1up 1up AS AS

29

30

31

32

S E C O N D D AY

U.S. Blunts International Surge Riding momentum, Americans right the ship, widen their lead to largest in history after two sessions

T

HERE WAS DANCING, and it was bad. There was the quality of the golf, and it was exceptional. And there was the momentum, which was unrelenting.

America enjoyed it all on the second day of the 12th Presidents Cup, continuing to ride a wave of enthusiasm and excellence to take a commanding lead over the flummoxed International Team. With 4 ½ points out of a possible five in Four-ball competition, the U.S. Team extended its lead to 8-2, the largest after two sessions in the history of the event.

For the second straight day the International contingent came out fighting and gained early control of the matches, only to see their leads evaporate with a familiar script — a barrage of U.S. birdies combined with International breakdowns.

“I am a little shocked, yeah,” U.S. captain Steve Stricker said when asked about the stunning turnaround to the day’s proceedings. “We were down in three matches at one point, and it could easily have been a scenario where we lost a point [for the session].

But we just keep digging in.”

Epitomizing the proceedings was the day’s third match pitting Phil Mickelson and Kevin Kisner against Aussies Jason Day and Marc Leishman, a rematch of

their opening Foursomes game that ended in a halve.

The U.S. duo never led — until it mattered most, the last hole. The Internationals, thanks to birdies on the first four holes, led for the first 14 holes, but the Americans, having chipped away, finally drew even with Kisner’s 20-footer on 15, his fifth birdie of the round.

Things remained all square until 18. Mickelson lasered an iron into the par-3 18th within 12 feet of the hole and Leishman countered with his own clutch shot to 10 feet. But the Aussie missed his birdie try right after Mickelson’s golden moment. Having misfired from 8 feet with a chance to win the day prior, Mickelson this time was true, giving the Americans a 1-up win.

Kisner approached his partner, but instead of a hug or a handshake, the two squared off, hands on hips, and did their own rendition of a dance from the film, “The Three Amigos.” Simultaneous hip thrusts were included. Talk about getting in the last laugh. Twice.

“I told him we were going to do it, but it had to be for a win,” said Mickelson, who basically called his shot on 18, warning Kisner as they walked to the green to get ready to dance. The victory was Mickelson’s 10th in Four-balls, a record, and his 24th overall, tying Tiger Woods for most in Presidents Cup history. Woods, one of Stricker’s assistant captains, was greenside for the

Phil Mickelson pumps his fist after sinking a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th green that gave him and Kevin Kisner a 1 up Four-ball victory over Marc Leishman and Jason Day.

33

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Justin Thomas raises a hand as his bunker shot finds the hole at 14.

awkward celebration that elicited all-around laughter.

“I’m the worst Three Amigos dancer,” Mickelson conceded, “but I can putt, and it was nice to roll that last one in.”

The International Team watched that kind of thing all day — not the dancing but the timely scoring. The U.S., which won for the 25th time in the last 31 sessions starting in 2007, was far from dominant. American pairs led for a combined 36 holes while the visitors led for 27, but the Yanks owned the back nine at Liberty National (holding a 13-3 edge in holes won). Drilling down even farther, it was the last four holes of each match where America did its real damage; over 20 holes collectively, the U.S. won 11 holes, the Internationals zero.

“You know, tough day for us — again. Another one,” said International captain Nick Price, straining to not appear too dejected. “I think we saw the strength

34

of the U.S. Team come out today, but in all fairness to my guys, I don’t think they played as well as they were capable of. You know, the guys are trying. That’s all I can say. They are trying their tails off. Just, they are just not making enough putts. Maybe not enough birdies.

“But you know, the one thing that I will say,” Price added, “we’re only 10 points through 30. There’s a long way to go. And I know the U.S. Team knows that.

An 8-2 lead is a very strong lead for them to have, but like I said … there’s a lot of golf left.”

It was not the amount of golf remaining that mattered, but rather the quality of golf the International Team needed to muster in the closing holes going forward.

“They finished off better than we have,” Price said, “so that’s what we’ve got to do over the next two days is finish off better than we have been doing and close it out a little earlier.”

Indeed, and a sequence of events in the late afternoon illustrated that, just when it appeared that the International Team, leading in three matches, could win

S E C O N D D AY

Hideki Matsuyama of Japan and Adam Hadwin of Canada enjoyed their first match together.

the session. All it took was four key shots in a 15-minute window for the script to flip. As rookie Adam Hadwin of Canada said, “they stole most of our points.”

First, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed, being tested

by Hadwin and Hideki Matsuyama, drew even when Spieth converted a 7-foot birdie putt at the 16th. Two holes behind them, Justin Thomas was holing out from the left greenside bunker for a birdie that helped him and Rickie Fowler preserve a 2-up lead on South Africans Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen. Then came two U.S. wins at the 12th hole. Charley Hoffman, despite hitting his drive into the water, redeemed himself with a 251-yard third shot within 5 feet, and the resulting par won the hole. Dustin Johnson, playing with Brooks Koepka, then won the 12th with a 7-foot putt to open a 2-up lead on Adam Scott and Jhonattan Vegas.

“When that momentum gets on your side, you can feel it as a team, and I think that’s what we saw today,” Stricker said.

Thomas and Fowler went on to hand the Grace-Oosthuizen team its first defeat, 3 and 2. Johnson and Koepka won by the same score, handing Scott his 19th career loss, a record he had shared with Ernie Els, an assistant captain to Price.

U.S. newcomers Hoffman and Kevin Chappell registered the quickest win. After sitting out Foursomes Thursday, they enjoyed a surprisingly easy 6-and-5 win

over Anirban Lahiri and Charl Schwartzel. So much for rookie nerves. “Yeah, neither one of us liked sitting yesterday,” Hoffman said. “It was great supporting the team and feeling the atmosphere, but we were chomping at that bit to get out there and play. This is what we came out here to do, play successfully and play strong and be great teammates.”

The only scoring for the International Team came from an unlikely source, and in an unlikely manner. Matsuyama and Hadwin hung on for a halve against the U.S. juggernaut of Spieth and Reed, but only after Spieth missed birdie tries on the final two greens.

“I feel good that at least we won a half-point,” Matsuyama said.

The American Team was feeling good all over.

With good reason.

“Right now, we’ve got this wave of momentum, adrenaline, excitement, and it’s going to carry on for a little while longer,” Mickelson noted. “But Captain Stricker will grab all of us together tonight and let everything kind of calm down and refocus for tomorrow, because we understand how great the players are on the International Team, what quality golf they are able to play, how close these matches have been, and how much work we have left to do.”

Second Day Four-ball Matches

United States 4.5 POINTS

International .5 POINT

Second Day Total

United States 8 POINTS

International 2 POINTS

35

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Four-ball Match 6

Patrick Reed/Jordan Spieth H A LV E D W I T H

Adam Hadwin/Hideki Matsuyama thing was the one game that slipped away. Sort of.

ASSIGNED TO A LEAD-OFF ROLE for Friday’s Four-ball If it’s not remembered as the match where Spieth session, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed owed that nearly disappeared by falling back into honor to the manner in which they had a steep bunker while hitting a recovdusted off their Foursomes opposition in just 14 holes Thursday. Oh, and that ery shot at the ninth, or where Hideki they had a combined record of 6-1-2 Matsuyama seemed intent on finding every hazard at Liberty National, it as partners in Ryder Cup and Presiwill be for the way in which this dydents Cup competition.

We’re talking as dependable as namic American duo produced in your mother’s meatloaf, this Spicrunch time to steal a half-point.

“We needed something to get goeth-Reed tandem.

So, what happens? In an aftering and we provided it on the back,” Spieth said. noon demolition that saw the AmeriThough it won’t rate in the ancans put a massive bear hug around yet Patrick Reed of the U.S. makes some another Presidents Cup win, the surest nals of great team comebacks in these noise after an eagle at No. 2.

Jordan Spieth follows through on his opening drive in the second of four team matches he would play with Patrick Reed.

36

S E C O N D D AY F O U R - B A L L M AT C H E S

biennial affairs, bouncing back from 2-down through 14, Spieth-Reed provided what little drama there was. Much to the chagrin of the beleaguered Internationals, who were on the cusp of an upset and did console themselves with the team’s only half-point of the Four-ball session.

“It’s a little bittersweet,” said Adam Hadwin, who provided consistency to Matsuyama’s streakiness but knew his team let a chance slip away. “Obviously, it’s not the best Hideki Matsuyama of Japan blasts out of a bunker. of moods right now.”

Credit that to the way in which the young Amertheir approaches, but Reed from 125 yards stuffed a icans stormed back. shot just inside of 15 feet.

Having fallen behind thanks to what few bright When it fell, Spieth pumped his first. spots Matsuyama brought to the match — he stuffed “Patrick got us going with a phenomenal putt a 215-yard approach to 6 feet to birdie the 496-yard that I was able to follow up on the next,” said Spieth. sixth and drained a 25-footer to put his team 2 up “They got the momentum on their at the eighth — the Americans side,” said Hadwin, new to this team scratched their way back in. Oh, it competition, but not to the magic of helped that the young Japanese star Spieth. He’s been watching that on the faded on the back and left Hadwin by PGA TOUR for a few years and, thus, himself, but what truly was the lighter felt fortunate to escape with a halffluid to the comeback was that most point. That’s because Spieth missed important component to golf: Great birdie rolls from 10 feet at 17 and 20 putting. feet at 18. “He doesn’t normally do Reed pointed to the 7-footer Spithat,” sighed Hadwin, sounding sureth holed at the par-3 16th to square the match, but truth is, it was what prised — and relieved. happened at the 15th that turned the It was a half-point stolen, but a match around. Spieth and both Interhalf-point he felt grateful to have.

Adam Hadwin tries a little body language on the green.

—Jim McCabe nationals were outside of 30 feet with

Four-Ball Match 6 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS AS 1up 1up AS AS - - - - - - - - - - AS AS AS PATRICK REED

- 3 4 C 5 4 3 - 4 - - 4 - 4 3 - - -

JORDAN SPIETH

4 - - C - 4 4 4 - 3 3 3 4 4 - 2 4 3

ADAM HADWIN

4 C 4 5 5 - - - 4 3 C 3 3 - 4 3 - 3 Adam Hadwin tries a little body language on the gre

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA

- C - 4 - 3 3 3 - - C - - 4 - - 4 -

STATUS

AS - - AS AS 1up 1up 2up 2up 2up 1up 1up 2up 2up 1up AS AS AS

37

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Four-ball Match 7

Justin Thomas/Rickie Fowler WON 3 AND 2 OVER

Branden Grace/Louis Oosthuizen ONE RUN ENDED just as another was kicking into gear when Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas, a tough new American pairing, finally unlocked the key to stopping South Africans Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace.

With a flurry of birdies, including a spectacular holeout from a bunker by Thomas, the U.S. duo never trailed in a 3-and-2 decision, their second win in as many days.

Fowler was the early catalyst, but Thomas was the showman down the stretch. He holed out from a greenside bunker from 25 feet for a birdie that stymied a likely International win at the 14th hole and

Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler share a laugh.

38

nearly did the same at 16, clanking his bunker blast off the flagstick for a conceded par. It turned out to be the winning shot on the par-3 after Grace from 10 feet and Oosthuizen from 13 missed birdie runs that would have extended the match.

It was their first loss in six pairings together after going 4-0 in Korea and winning their opening Foursomes match on Thursday.

“We ran into a brick wall today with those two,” Grace said. “Every time we tried to show them something, they threw something better back at us. It’s the way it goes.”

With fellow American and good friend Smylie Kaufman walking among the gallery, Fowler delivered the first blow when he rolled in a 15-footer for birdie at the par-4 third.

A mere par by Thomas at the fifth made it 2-up for the Yanks, after Grace lipped out a 7-footer for par. But Grace, who shot 62 in the third round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, the all-time lowest round in a major, bounced back with a 10-foot birdie putt from behind the sixth hole after an approach from 201 yards to cut the deficit in half.

Then Thomas took over. He converted from 7 feet for birdie on the par-4 8th, then put a cupped hand to his ear before waiving his hand in the air, whipping the crowd into a frenzy before exchanging a low-five with Fowler. At the par-5 ninth, he pulled out a 6-iron from 267 yards on his second shot to come up just short of the green, setting up a birdie that canceled Grace’s two-putt birdie from 50 feet.

He wasn’t done. He ran in a 15-footer for birdie at the 12th with Grace in tight. Grace made the 5-footer for the halve. Oosthuizen was 7 feet away when Thomas holed out from the back bunker at 14, stealing the International Team’s thunder again.

S E C O N D D AY F O U R - B A L L M AT C H E S

Branden Grace tees off with players, caddies and fans looking on.

“I think I did okay on the partner,” Fowler said with a smile. “Just glad that we’re working well together. I made a couple good birdies early, and I rode my horse on the way in.”

Winner of five PGA TOUR events in 2016-17, including the PGA Championship, Thomas galloped off with yet another birdie, this one from 6 feet, at the

15th to put the U.S. 3 up and dormie. It was over on the next.

“We’re obviously excited,” Thomas said. “I’m pumped that we took that team down. We took it seriously today like we do every match, but it was a little bit more fun than yesterday’s victory.”

—David Shedloski

Four-Ball Match 7 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

AS AS 1up 1up 2up 1up 1up 2up 2up 2up 2up 2up 2up 2up 3up 3up

JUSTIN THOMAS

5 4 4 5 4 4 3 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 3 3

RICKIE FOWLER

4 4 3 5 5 5 3 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 5 3

BRANDEN GRACE

4 4 4 5 5 3 3 4 4 3 5 3 4 4 4 3

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN

5 4 4 5 6 5 3 4 5 - 4 - 4 3 4 -

STATUS

AS AS - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

39

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Four-ball Match 8

Kevin Kisner/Phil Mickelson WON 1 UP OVER

Marc Leishman/Jason Day CALL THEM THE TWO AMIGOS.

The American tandem of Phil Mickelson and Presidents Cup rookie Kevin Kisner were hanging in the team room before their Four-ball match against Australians Jason Day and Marc Leishman when Mickelson pulled up a clip from the 1986 comedy, “The Three Amigos,” starring Chevy Chase, Steve Martin and Martin Short. They had a chuckle before Mickelson suggested they should reenact the trademark celebratory dance from the film. He and Kisner, his 16th

different partner in 53 matches, even went so far as to rehearse the scene.

“I saw him practicing it at one point,” said U.S. captain Steve Stricker of Mickelson. “I said, ‘I don’t think that’s such a good idea.’ But Phil is Phil.”

Mickelson also laid out the rules to Kisner for performing their dance. “I told him it had to be a big moment,” Mickelson said.

Kisner wouldn’t have it any other way. The American duo was still smarting from halving its match

Phil Mickelson and Kevin Kisner of the U.S. Team celebrate on the 18th green after going one up

Jason Day of Australia flips his putter in disbelief after a putt failed to drop for him.

40

S E C O N D D AY F O U R - B A L L M AT C H E S

with the Aussie tandem in Foursomes a day earlier when Mickelson’s 7-foot par putt for the win rimmed out at the last.

This time, the Internationals jumped out to an early lead thanks to birdies on the first four holes to build a 2-up lead that stood through 10 holes. Kisner cut into the U.S. deficit at the 11th, sticking his approach from 217 yards to 7 feet and canning the birdie putt. Then he drained a 20-foot birdie putt at the 15th hole to square the match.

Kisner’s contributions set up Mickelson with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3, 18th in what qualified as a big moment. How confident was Mickelson?

The last words the left-hander said to Kisner before standing over the putt was to be ready to do the dance.

There was never a doubt. Leishman still had a chance to salvage a half-point, but he missed his birdie try from 11 feet. It marked the 24th Presidents Cup match victory for Mickelson, tying the all-time record held by Tiger Woods, who was standing on the side of the green and gave Mickelson a congratulatory high-five.

After Mickelson holed the winning putt, he pumped his fist and both he and Kisner faced each other, crossed their chests with their arms, then dropped their hands to their hips and finished with a synchronized pelvic thrust, replicating the movie scene. “Neither of them is destined for ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ ” one reporter noted after witnessing the spectacle, which had the U.S. team howling with laughter.

In other words, it was executed about as well as Mickelson’s selfie from Thursday’s opening ceremonies with the last three U.S. presidents in which he

Jason Day of Australia and the International Team plays a shot from a bunker on the 14th hole

Phil Mickelson and Kevin Kisner perform their celebratory dance on the 18th green after their 1-up victory.

cropped half of his face out of the picture.

“I thought we biffed (the dance) when we were doing it, but when I looked back and saw the replay, I think we kind of nailed it actually,” Mickelson said.

“But I get that I can’t dance. I get that I can’t take selfies. But I can putt.”

—Adam Schupak

Four-Ball Match 8 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - AS AS AS 1up

KEVIN KISNER

4 4 - 4 4 4 3 3 - - 3 - - 4 3 3 - -

PHIL MICKELSON

4 - 4 - 4 4 3 - 4 3 - 4 4 - - - 4 2

MARC LEISHMAN

3 - 3 5 4 4 3 3 - 3 - 4 4 4 4 - 4 3

JASON DAY

- 4 - 4 - 4 3 - 4 3 4 - - - 4 3 - -

STATUS

1up 1up 2up 2up 2up 2up 2up 2up 2up 2up 1up 1up 1up 1up AS AS AS -

41

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Four-ball Match 9

Charley Hoffman/Kevin Chappell WON 6 AND 5 OVER

Anirban Lahiri/Charl Schwartzel THE HIGH FIVE, low five, hand slap, fist bump and elbow thump were already taken, so in anticipation of their first appearance in the Presidents Cup, Charley Hoffman and Kevin Chappell adopted the biceps mash for their celebration move. In this one, the celebrants rush toward each other, interlocking their uplifted bent arms, a move seeming better-suited for tearing rotator cuffs.

But after sitting out the first day, they did nothing

but celebrate in a 6-and-5 skate over South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel, the former Masters champion, and India’s Anirban Lahiri.

A captain’s pick, Lahiri came to this Presidents Cup seeking to redeem himself. In the 2015 Cup, he lipped out a 4-foot putt on the last hole, helping the U.S. to hang on for a one-point win. This time, he was in the water at No. 1 and double-bogeyed, and Schwartzel was under a tree and bogeyed, and the U.S.

U.S. rookies Kevin Chappell and Charley Hoffman celebrate on the 13th green after closing out their easier-than-expected victory.

42

S E C O N D D AY F O U R - B A L L M AT C H E S

Anirban Lahiri of India hits his opening tee shot.

had a gift to get things rolling.

Then things got complicated, and the International Team found itself even further stymied.

Hoffman eagled the par-5 second hole after a brilliant approach to 3 feet, and Lahiri stung his team with a weird penalty. Displeased that he’d barely got out of a greenside bunker, and with the hole already decided, he pulled the ball back and hit a practice shot.

A practice putt would have been permissible, but not a bunker shot. The penalty? Lahiri was disqualified from playing No. 3, leaving Schwartzel to go it alone.

He managed to par it for a halve, but at the next hole the Americans went 3 up on Chappell’s 4-foot birdie.

The Americans rightly sensed a rout coming on.

“We went into today with a strategy of, ‘Go get ’em,’ ” Hoffman said. “If we were going to go down, we were going to go down swinging.”

At the par-4 fifth, Lahiri showed some of the golf that brought him from the Asian Tour to the PGA TOUR. A brilliant up-and-down from 20 yards off the green matched Hoffman’s par. But it did not swing the momentum; instead, Chappell, who owns the Liberty National course record of 62, sprinted into the turn with two quick birdies — at No. 8 on a 351-yard drive and a 4-foot putt, and at the par-5 ninth on two putts from 31 feet. That made it 5-up for the U.S. The Internationals got their only birdie and only win at the par-3 10th, on Lahiri’s tee shot to 3 feet.

But it only delayed the onrushing inevitability of the outcome. The Americans took the 325-yard 12th with perhaps the par of the week. Hoffman watered his tee shot and from where he had to drop, he still had 251 yards to go. His hybrid shot ran up on the green and stopped just 5 feet from the cup. On the scorecard, it was a par.

The Americans closed things down on Hoffman’s birdie from 4 feet at the 13th for the 6-and-5 win.

Came the question: Was this as much fun as you thought it would be?

Said Hoffman: “More fun.”

Said Chappell: “Way more fun.”

—Marino Parascenzo

Four-Ball Match 9 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS CHARLEY HOFFMAN

1up 2up 2up 3up 3up 3up 3up 4up 5up 4up 4up 5up 6up

4

3

-

-

4

-

3

-

-

3

4

4

3

-

4

4

4

4

4

3

4

-

4

-

4

KEVIN CHAPPELL

5

ANIRBAN LAHIRI

6 C - - 4 5 3 4 5 2 4 5 4

CHARL SCHWARTZEL

5 C 4 5 - 4 3 4 5 2 4 5 5

STATUS

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

43

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Four-ball Match 10

Brooks Koepka/Dustin Johnson WON 3 AND 2 OVER

Jhonattan Vegas/Adam Scott “We felt the obvious choice was Jhonny Vegas going to play with Adam, which worked really well,” Price said of the pairing. “They are strong.”

Likewise, U.S. captain Steve Stricker never doubted the decision of combining Brooks Koepka and Johnson for Four-ball. They practice and work out together in Jupiter, Fla., and their massive length off the tee adds to the attraction.

The U.S. duo also had a bit of redemption on their minds; in Day 2 of the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National in Minneapolis, Johnson and Koepka trailed throughout in a 3-and-1 loss to Rory McIlroy and Thomas Pieters.

Vegas and Scott, who also can move it out there with the driver, seized the lead when the Venezuelan rolled in an 18-footer for birdie at the par-4 first. It would be a short-lived lead, however, as Koepka chipped within 4 feet to birdie the par-5 second and square the match.

Vegas would again be responsible for giving his side an advantage when he converted a 17-foot birdie putt at No. 5. Unfortunately, he and Scott would con-

Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka line up a putt together.

ADAM SCOTT STARTED the week with a 13-17-5 Presi-

dents Cup record, and the 1-up loss he and Jhonattan Vegas suffered at the hands of Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar in Thursday’s Foursomes only added to the Australian’s frustrations.

But Vegas, a newcomer to the matches, had shown some promise as Scott’s partner that first day in what was a close affair, so International Team captain Nick Price pushed the pair out again, hoping they could return with a better result.

44

Adam Scott and Jhonattan Vegas urge each other on.

S E C O N D D AY F O U R - B A L L M AT C H E S

Dustin Johnson plays his second shot on the ninth hole.

vert only one more birdie opportunity in the match and their lead soon was wiped away at the par-3 seventh when the Americans won with a par.

With things all square at the turn after two halves, the U.S. pulled away starting on the par-3 10th with Koepka making a 11-footer for birdie. The Americans added to their lead two holes later when Johnson drove it close at the 325-yarder, chipped to 7 feet, and ran that in.

Vegas made his team’s last birdie when he found the cup on a 34-footer from off the green on the par4 13th hole to cut the deficit in half. But the Ameri-

can pair closed the door with back-to-back birdies by Johnson on the par-4 15th and par-3 16th from 20 and 5 feet, respectively.

During the victory, the U.S. pair put on a driving exhibition, as one might expect, combining for 12 drives over 300 yards — with an average of 329.08 yards.

“Me and Brooks both played pretty solid, especially on the back nine,” Johnson said after his sixth win in the Presidents Cup. “I felt like we were both in every hole. We both had good looks at birdies, and we had a lot of putts win holes.”

It added up to a sense of redemption.

—Alex Miceli

Four-Ball Match 10 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

- AS AS AS -

BROOKS KOEPKA

4 4 4 5 - - 3 - - 2 4 - - - - -

- AS AS AS 1up 1up 2up 1up 1up 2up 3up

DUSTIN JOHNSON

- - 4 5 4 4 3 4 4 3 - 3 4 4 3 2

JHONATTAN VEGAS

3 5 4 - 3 - - - 4 C 4 - 3 4 - -

ADAM SCOTT

3 5 4 5 - 4 4 4 - C - 4 - - 4 3

STATUS

1up AS AS AS 1up 1up AS AS AS - - - - - - -

45

46

47

48

T H I R D D AY

Americans Close in on 10th Victory U.S. Team within one point of clinching after another commanding performance

W

International Teamplayers had on mounting a rally in the 12th Presidents Cup all but dissipated before they had a chance to digest their breakfasts Saturday morning. And by dinner time, the frustrated visitors were just thankful that the Sunday Singles were going to have some meaning — though not much drama.

Playing with confidence and determination and smiling nearly every step of the way, the United States Team was virtually unstoppable on a chilly Saturday along New York Harbor, continuing to win matches and pile up points at a record rate. By winning 6½ of eight points, the Americans surged to the largest lead in the event’s history heading into the final session. Only a spirited effort by Anirban Lahiri and Si Woo Kim in the day’s last Fourball match prevented the U.S. from closing out the Cup on Saturday, if you can imagine that. As it was, the U.S. squad led, 14½ to 3½, a bulge that broke the record nine-point lead the International Team enjoyed SaturHATEVER DESIGNS

day night in 1998 when it won its only Presidents Cup. The highlights were plentiful for the United States.

Phil Mickelson won his record 25th match when he teamed again with Kevin Kisner to beat Jhonattan Vegas and Emiliano Grillo, 2 and 1, in morning Foursomes. Dustin Johnson ran his record to 4-0. Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed won twice more, even after the U.S. lost a hole in Fourball because Spieth was penalized for trying to be practical.

Nothing seemed to slow down the Americans. Certainly nothing the International Team did. Unfathomably, in the 18 team matches, the Internationals posted two wins.

“It really has been just a perfect storm where we have gotten the breaks and they haven’t,” Spieth said, leaving out an important detail that the International Team couldn’t ignore or deny.

“You know what? These guys are playing great golf,” said Australia’s Jason Day, getting to the crux of the situation. “We’re not playing as good as those guys, but we are giving ourselves opportunities coming

Inset: Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler have fun with the gallery Saturday afternoon.

Oppsoite: Justin Thomas celebrates after U.S. teammate Daniel Berger made a birdie putt on the 11th green during their afternoon Four-ball victory.

49

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

American fans had a lot of reasons to cheer.

home. We’re just not capitalizing on them. That’s been pretty much the story the whole week.”

“We’ve just come up against a juggernaut of an American Team that has not put a foot wrong, it seems like, in three days,” International Team captain Nick Price said. “They have had all the momentum, and we’ve had nothing. It’s been very difficult. But you know, there’s no hard feelings. These guys have played phenomenally well so far.”

The Internationals’ chilly morning began by losing the opening hole in the first three Foursomes matches, a harbinger of things to come. Even when South African stars Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace birdied the first in the final game, they couldn’t win the hole against Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas, a rookie playing like the FedExCup champion that he was.

But even with that ugly start, the Internationals, at one point, nosed ahead in three of the four matches only to see it all fall apart in a script reminiscent of the first two days.

In the opening match, Day and Marc Leishman of

50

Australia, as good a pairing the Internationals could have, made Spieth and Reed work through the turn, but the American ham-and-egg specialists closed them out, 4 and 3, with four straight birdies starting at the 12th. It was an alternate shot clinic that even had Spieth shaking his head.

“For some reason, we’re able to make each other a little bit better when we play together,” the Dallas native said of his partnership with his fellow Texan.

“We don’t put ourselves in difficult spots, and we make putts. That more than anything makes a huge difference, because you go into the next hole with the mindset to keep doing that.”

Next, Johnson and Matt Kuchar dispatched Adam Scott and Adam Hadwin, 4 and 3; Mickelson and Kisner got their point; and Fowler and Thomas rallied from 2 down to tie Oosthuizen and Grace when Thomas sank a 5-footer for par at 18. That made the score 11 ½ to 2 ½, the largest U.S. lead in the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup after three sessions since they led by seven in the 1975 Ryder Cup at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pa., a team captained by Arnold Palmer.

“We are still fighting our hearts out. They are just

T H I R D D AY

out-playing us,” Grace said.

Weirdly, it was Spieth’s putter that got him in trouble in afternoon Four-ball against Oosthuizen and Day. At the short par-4 12th, Day was conceded a birdie after his second nudged near the hole, while Spieth faced 12 feet for a halve. But first, Oosthuizen had a chance to win the hole if his chip from behind the green for eagle went in. It wasn’t close, and his ball sped past the hole and down the slope, where Spieth halted it and scooped it up. Rules official Andy McFee, recognizing immediately what had just happened, disqualified Spieth from the hole for violating Rule 1-2: “A player must not take an action with the intent to influence the movement of a ball in play.”

While Spieth reasoned, correctly, that the shot no longer mattered, since Oosthuizen could not improve on Day’s score, it was still a violation of the rule. Captain’s assistant Tiger Woods entered the debate, and even the International players argued on behalf of the U.S. Feeling badly about the turn of events, which gave Internationals a 1-up lead, Oosthuizen, ever the sportsman, offered to concede the next hole.

The U.S. pair would have none of it. And then they got it all back. Two Spieth birdies wrapped around a 5-foot birdie at the 16th by Reed resulted in a 2-and-1 victory to boost their combined Presidents/Ryder record to 8-1-3.

Yet another American rally materialized in the second afternoon Four-ball when World No. 3 Hideki Matsuyama and Vegas raced to a 3-up lead through four over Thomas and Daniel Berger, the only U.S. player without a point. Somehow, the Americans wouldn’t succumb, not even with such a huge overall U.S. advantage, and they prevailed, 3 and 2. By the same score Johnson and Brooks Koepka took care of Leishman and Grace.

The U.S. now had 14½ points.

So, it was left to Lahiri and Kim to hold off an early victory party. They did it by holding off the enthusiastic rookie pair of Kevin Chappell and Charley Hoffman, even after the latter holed a 65-foot birdie pitch on the 17th hole that set off a raucous celebration by players, caddies, wives and U.S. fans. But Lahiri, who had birdied the 16th from 16 feet to give the Inter-

nationals a 1-up lead, was up to the moment, draining a 20-footer for the halve. When the two teams halved 18, the Internationals finally had their second win — 13 matches after their first.

“We gave them a standing ovation when they entered the team room,” Price said.

Small consolation, and yet a big moment, the kind that makes the Presidents Cup so compelling, even as the Americans were on the doorstep of another win.

“This American Team is really good. Having said that, you know, we are a good bunch of golfers ourselves,” Lahiri said, finding a way to smile. “We can compete. We haven’t this week. But you know, going into tomorrow, I think we have to enjoy ourselves a little more. It’s difficult to do that when you’re down. So, I think all of us are going to go out there and try and play our best. We have to play for our pride.”

Which still mattered, whatever the scoreboard said.

—David Shedloski

Third Day Morning Foursomes Matches

United States 3.5 POINTS

International .5 POINT

Afternoon Four-ball Matches

United States 3 POINTS

International 1 POINT

Third Day Total

United States 14.5 POINTS

International 3.5 POINTS

51

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Foursomes Match 11 Jordan Spieth/Patrick Reed WON 4 AND 3 OVER

Marc Leishman/Jason Day

Reed and Spieth share a laugh during a television interview.

Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed were a tough combo to beat.

WHERE THINGS had been rough on Thursday and even more deflating on Friday, Saturday morning brought a sense of relief. With a fresh session of four Foursomes, there was a rekindled spirit for the International Team … only it didn’t even outlast the morning dew.

Instead, Marc Leishman’s opening tee shot veered left and never faded back toward the fairway, coming to rest at the bottom of a dastardly pond.

That’s no way to lay the groundwork for a

Foursomes Match 11 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

1up 1up 1up 1up AS AS - - AS AS AS 1up 2up 3up 4up

JORDAN SPIETH/ PATRICK REED

- 4 4 5 5 4 3 5 4 3 4 3 3 4 3

MARC LEISHMAN/ JASON DAY

C 4 4 5 4 4 2 5 5 3 4 4 4 5 4

STATUS

- - - - AS AS 1up 1up AS AS AS - - - -

52

T H I R D D AY M O R N I N G F O U R S O M E S M AT C H E S

much-needed comeback, and Leishman knew it. “It was a day when you’re going to make a few mistakes, and we did,” said the Aussie. He shook his head dejectedly, knowing that he and Jason Day were already up against it, given their assignment — arguably America’s best duo, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed — so how could he open the door right away?

“They outplayed us, so credit to them.”

Handing the vaunted American team that first hole doesn’t rate as a sound blueprint, but throughout the front nine the Aussies hung tough.

Leishman answered Reed’s birdie at the par-5 second, and Day made a testing par putt at the third. It was rare gaffe Marc Leishman squats down to study the line of a putt. by the Americans — three putts from 45 feet — that squared the match at the par-4 fifth, but then came als bogeyed the 14th — the dynamic duo were 3 up. one of the few electric moments generated by the InMinutes later, with Spieth converting a 6-footer for birdie at 15, they were 4-and-3 winners to improve ternationals: Day’s pitch-in birdie from off the green at their combined record in the Presidents Cup and Rythe par-3 seventh.

There was blue on the board … even if it was der Cup to 7-1-3. Whatever momentum the Internajust for two holes, or until Spitionals were trying to build was swiftly halted. eth took Reed’s drive and hit a Day and Leishman had gone 225-yard second shot to set up to the 18th hole in each of their a two-putt birdie at the par-5 previous matches — a halve ninth.

Thursday, a loss Friday — and All square, the match would the former world No. 1 concedsoon turn red, not that Spieth noticed. ed that it was yet another bitter “I don’t think any of us result to swallow. He also took have really focused much on the the blame. scoreboard,” he said. “I think, “I didn’t do Leish any fafor the most part, we’ve been vors by hitting driver (wildly) on very focused on our own matchthe (short, drivable) 12th,” Day Jason Day shuts his eyes as debris blows back into his face. said, knowing that the Ameries and our own score.”

For the Spieth-Reed paircans’ birdie there set in motion the winning run.

“Unfortunately, we just didn’t have ing, the score arrives in a positive fashion nearly every it today.” time, and it did on this day, too. When they combined As opposed to Spieth and Reed, who clearly did. for a silly-good stretch early on the back nine — Reed Per usual. set up a 2-foot birdie with a deft pitch at 12, Spieth —Jim McCabe followed at 13 with a wedge to 7 feet, the Internation-

53

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Foursomes Match 12 Matt Kuchar/Dustin Johnson WON 4 AND 3 OVER

Adam Hadwin/Adam Scott

HAVING SAT DURING Friday’s Four-ball session, Ameri-

can Matt Kuchar couldn’t wait to rejoin partner Dustin Johnson in a Saturday Foursomes match against Team Adam — which would be the duo of Adam Hadwin and Adam Scott.

Kuchar and Johnson already had a victory under their belts on Thursday, and Johnson credited the practice rounds they frequently play together for their strong rapport. Kuchar echoed that sentiment.

“I love playing with this guy,” Kuchar said, looking at Johnson. “I’ve been a lucky recipient a number of times.

We make a great team and it’s really been a fun ride.”

Dustin Johnson talks with U.S. captain Steve Stricker.

It was a smooth ride, too. The Americans won six of the first nine holes, thanks in large part to some poor International play, and they maintained control fairway and watch that ball roll 300-plus down there the rest of the way en route to a 4-and-3 victory. for me to have a short iron in.”

Pars were good enough for the While Kuchar and Johnson U.S. to win hole Nos. 1, 3 and 6, gelled, Team Adam hadn’t preand the Americans even won the pared to play together during any fifth hole with a bogey. The Internaof the practice sessions, and they struggled to find their footing as a tionals suffered another double botandem. gey after Hadwin rinsed his tee shot Hadwin, the lone Canadian at the seventh, and their deficit grew to make the team, attempted to more insurmountable when Johnstart an International rally with a son won the ninth with a 7-foot 24-foot birdie putt to win the 10th birdie putt, putting the Americans 4 and rolled in another hole-winning up at the turn. putt after Scott knocked a short For the better part of a deiron from 157 yards to 8 feet at the cade, Kuchar has shined thanks to 13th. They had crawled back into one of the best all-round games in Matt Kuchar follows through on a tee shot. the match and had momentum on the world. But even he can’t help their side. That is until they made but marvel at the way Johnson can yet another hiccup. overpower a course with his length.

The par-4 14th was a crushing blow. Their comeback “Trust me, I can’t get enough of that,” Kuchar proved to be short-lived after Scott drove into a fairway said with a wide grin. “I love when I walk down that

54

T H I R D D AY M O R N I N G F O U R S O M E S M AT C H E S

Adam Scott of Australia works on his short game in the early-morning hours before the Foursomes session begins.

Adam Hadwin exhibits a low-key celebration.

bunker that led to the International’s third double bogey of the day. It cost them the hole and momentum.

“The air was let out of the sails a little bit,” Hadwin said.

Kuchar made it official, burying a 16-foot birdie putt at 15 to close out the match and pretty much assure that the U.S. rout was on.

“It was difficult between the two of us,” Hadwin noted. “I certainly was not up to par, early, for sure.

We’re both trying our hardest out there. We’re both trying to execute the shots. Unfortunately, today just wasn’t our day.”

—Adam Schupak

Foursomes Match 12 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

1up AS 1up AS 1up 2up 3up 3up 4up 3up 3up 3up 2up 3up 4up

MATT KUCHAR/ DUSTIN JOHNSON

4 5 4 5 5 4 2 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 3

ADAM HADWIN/ ADAM SCOTT

5 4 5 4 6 5 5 4 5 2 4 4 3 6 4

STATUS

- AS - AS - - - - - - - - - - -

55

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Foursomes Match 13 Kevin Kisner/Phil Mickelson WON 2 AND 1 OVER

Emiliano Grillo/Jhonattan Vegas

LEFTY HAD BOGEYED the presidents, and he already

had given himself a good self-admonishment for the misfire on a shot of a lifetime.

His aim was much better in the Saturday morning Foursomes, a 2 and 1 U.S. decision and his record 25th win, breaking Tiger Woods’ mark. Mickelson, who immerses himself in team play, praised his pals.

“I just love to be a part of these events and on these teams,” said Mickelson, 47, and a happy captain’s pick. And this team, he added, had as much or more talent than ever and, “… the camaraderie amongst each other on and off the course is a whole different environment.”

56

His partner for a third straight session, rookie Kevin Kisner, echoed the sentiment. “I’ve had a ball, hanging out, playing with these guys,” he said. “It’s been a fun week, a lot of fun. We all have a great time, every tournament, but when we come together and make a team, I think you guys are starting to see what we’re capable of.”

The Americans would wrap this one up with a birdie at the 17th, but it was a long time in the making. Neither team had a convincing grip on things unKevin Kisner and Phil Mickelson receive greetings and well wishes from supportive fans.

T H I R D D AY M O R N I N G F O U R S O M E S M AT C H E S

At the 15th, Mickelson fired an approach to 2 feet and the U.S. went 2-up on the conceded birdie. The Internationals weren’t finished. At the par-3 16th, Mickelson bunkered his tee shot and Kisner came out to 20. But Grillo had already stuck his iron shot to 2 feet. Birdie conceded to cut the deficit in half.

The end, at the 17th, was neat and precise. Just the way Mickelson programmed it. From 120 yards, the five-time major winner fired his approach to 7 feet.

Grillo, from 112, hit to 11. Vegas, putting first, missed. Then Kisner holed his birdie for the 2-and-1 win. It improved the U.S. Jhonattan Vegas shows off his recovery skills. duo to 2-0-1.

What’s it like, someone wondered, teaming with Mickelson? “It was great,” said Kisner, “… having til the last four holes of the match. Until then, both Phil to knock the nerves off. We love the drama, love teams held the lead, but by no more than 1 up. The having fun.”

U.S. led for two holes — the first And to Mickelson, what’s it two, then at 14. The Internationlike taking a young guy (although als led just once, at No. 7. The four Kisner is 33) on a ride like this? “It’s holes before then and the six after the other way around,” Mickelson were all-square. said, “having a guy like Kiz bringAbout the time this match reached the 14th hole, Jordan Spiing me along and pulling the best golf out of me.” eth and Patrick Reed were finishing They dispensed with “The a 4-and-3 win over Marc Leishman Three Amigos” dance they had and Jason Day, giving the U.S. an enjoyed in their Friday win. They amazing 9-2 lead that would only settled for a brotherly hug. But no continue to grow. Mickelson and photos.

Kisner then won the 14th with a par Emiliano Grillo of Argentina tries to decipher a green.

—Marino Parascenzo and were ahead to stay.

Foursomes Match 13 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

1up 1up AS AS AS AS - AS AS AS AS AS AS 1up 2up 1up 2up

KEVIN KISNER/ PHIL MICKELSON

3 5 5 4 4 4 4 3 4 3 4 4 4 4 3 3 3

EMILIANO GRILLO/ JHONATTAN VEGAS

4 5 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 4 4 4 5 4 2 4

STATUS

- - AS AS AS AS 1up AS AS AS AS AS AS - - - -

57

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Foursomes Match 14 Rickie Fowler/Justin Thomas H A LV E D W I T H

Branden Grace/Louis Oosthuizen it was a hard-fought match on both sides.”

“It was up-and-down,” Grace said. “We would less than 3 feet. They halved the last with par putts have loved a win, but to get half a point after that of about 6 feet. In between there were plenty of highs grind was worth it.” and lows for both sides, which in the end summed up The South Africans, 5-1-1 as the only match that didn’t conclude a team after the tie, won the secwith a U.S. victory in the Saturday morning Foursomes. ond and third holes, and they were Justin Thomas and Rickie still 2 up when they three-putted Fowler, impressive in their first two from 60 feet on the long par-3 sevoutings together, played the best enth hole while the Americans got International duo, Branden Grace down in two from 35 feet. and Louis Oosthuizen, to a draw It was the first of three U.S. in a match that seemed to follow a wins as they flipped the match — script similar with many from the if only briefly. More International first two days: an early Internationtrouble contributed. Oosthuizen missed the green at No. 8 from al lead going for naught. the fairway, and then Grace hit the “Gracey and Louis got off to next shot, out of the left greenside a nice start there birdieing the first bunker, over the green and into two. We did a really good job, J.T. Justin Thomas gets fired up. the rough. They eventually made a and I, fighting and clawing our way, double-bogey while conceding for getting the most out of a few of the par a 5-footer Fowler faced. holes out there to either stay in it or possibly win a couAt the par-5 ninth, the U.S. reached the green in ple of holes,” Fowler said. “We had to kind of fight two strokes, and Fowler lagged to tap-in distance for our way into the last few holes, a couple good up-anda birdie and a 1-up lead. downs. J.T. made a couple good putts out there. Yeah, THEY HALVED THE FIRST HOLE with birdie putts of

Foursomes Match 14 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

AS - - - - - - AS 1up 1up AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS

RICKIE FOWLER/ JUSTIN THOMAS

3 5 5 4 5 4 3 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 5 3

BRANDEN GRACE/ LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN

3 4 4 5 5 3 4 6 5 3 3 4 4 4 4 3 5 3

STATUS AS 1up 2up 1up 1up 2up 1up AS - - AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS

58

T H I R D D AY M O R N I N G F O U R S O M E S M AT C H E S

Rickie Fowler of the U.S. and Branden Grace of the International Team share a laugh after their match ended in a halve.

The International side responded with a birdie at 11 as Oosthuizen sank a 38-footer.

Both teams had chances from there, the Interna-

tional with better looks. But they couldn’t convert. “We got a little bit unlucky toward the end. Louis hit some superb putts on 16, 17, and they got a little bit lucky there with almost going in the water on 15,” said Grace. “On a day like today, you have to make the most out of your lucky bounces, and they did just that.”

On the par-3 18th, both Thomas and Grace came up short of the green with their tee shots, leaving awkward pitches. After Fowler bumped his short of the hole, Oosthuizen scooped a chip past it. Grace gave the visitors a chance for the full point by making his slightly longer putt after a measurement was taken to determine which side was away.

Thomas, the PGA champion, was having none of it, however, sinking the tying putt and then pumping a fist, something the Americans were getting used to doing.

—David Shedloski

Branden Grace (left) and Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa celebrate on the 18th green after scoring a halve.

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Four-ball Match 15

Patrick Reed/Jordan Spieth WON 2 AND 1 OVER

Louis Oosthuizen/Jason Day

THE PARTNERSHIP of Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth had its beginnings at the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles when the pair went 2-0-1. Three years and three Cups later, this time at Liberty National, Reed and Spieth were still together and again 2-0-1.

Could they go one better? They would have to defeat the tough duo of Jason Day and Louis Oosthuizen and shake off an unusual rules infraction to do it.

Things started well for the U.S. pair, even though they lost the opening hole when Oosthuizen calmly put his drive in the fairway, found the green and drained an 11-footer for birdie to give the International duo, playing together for the first time, a quick 1-up lead.

Reed answered with a brilliant approach on the par-5 second hole to 4 feet for birdie, and then Spieth got into the act on the fifth when the former world No. 1 hit a wedge to 8 feet and made it. More Spieth magic gave America a 2-up lead at the eighth when he dropped his approach from 157 yards to 5 feet and drained it.

All seemed to be going according to plan, but the Americans lost momentum around the turn. The Internationals won three straight with both men con-

Patrick Reed watches his tee shot on the opening hole.

Four-ball Match 15 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

- AS AS AS 1up 1up 1up 2up 2up 1up AS -

PATRICK REED

- 4 4 - - - 2 - - 3 - C - - 4 2 -

-

- AS 1up 2up

JORDAN SPIETH

4 - 4 4 3 4 - 3 4 - 4 C 4 4 3 4 3

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN

3 5 4 4 4 - 2 - 4 - 3 - 4 4 - 3 4

JASON DAY

4 - - 5 - 4 - 4 - 2 4 3 - - 4 - -

STATUS

60

1up AS AS AS - - - - - - AS 1up 1up 1up AS - -

T H I R D D AY A F T E R N O O N F O U R - B A L L M AT C H E S

Louis Oosthuizen escapes an awkward lie in a bunker on the 10th hole.

next hole then” which I thought was a really sportsman like gesture.”

But Spieth would have none of it. “No, we’ll play the next hole as it is.”

Oh, how the Americans played at Nos. 15-17: Spieth birdied from 7 feet, Reed made from 3 feet, and then Spieth closed it out with a 13-footer. From 1 down to 2-and-1 victor with a three-hole blitz.

“I was fired up,” Spieth said of the rules infraction. “I hit my next putt on the next hole about 8 feet by, really trying to throw it down the throat. Fortunately, we both were able to come through and ham-and-egg it nicely coming in and make a comeback.”

—Alex Miceli

tributing. Day sank a 7-footer for birdie at the par-3 10th hole, and Oosthuizen was good from 12 feet at No. 11 to square the match.

Things got weird at the short par-4 12th hole. Day was conceded a 2-foot birdie putt but Oosthuizen had a chance at eagle from 48 feet. He chipped too aggressively, however, and watched the attempt run by the hole. While the ball was still moving, Spieth stopped it and picked it up for Oosthuizen.

Walking rules official Andy McPhee saw it and cited Rule 1-2 that states a player “must not take an action with the intent to influence the movement of a ball in play.”

It was automatic loss of hole and precluded Spieth from getting a chance to attempt a tying 12-footer for birdie.

Spieth and assistant captain Tiger Woods tried to argue that once the ball went by the hole, it was inconsequential to the score, since Day already had a birdie.

The International players agreed, but the ruling stood. When they arrived on the 13th tee, Oosthuizen offered to make things right.

“We had a little bit of a talk there,” Price said later. “And then Louis said Jordan Spieth and Jason Day shake hands on the 17th green. to me, “We’re just going to concede the

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Four-ball Match 16

Daniel Berger/Justin Thomas WON 3 AND 2 OVER

Jhonattan Vegas/Hideki Matsuyama THINK OF A GUY trying to hit a golf ball out of the rough while standing up in an old phone booth balanced on the edge of a little creek.

Oh, and with his partner already in the water and his opponent sitting on the green, looking at a birdie.

That was Daniel Berger with his opening tee shot in the Saturday afternoon Four-ball session. Back in June, after he won his second straight FedEx St. Jude Classic, he complained of not being considered among young talents like Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. If he wasn’t, adventures like this one ought to start to correct the problem.

His tee shot ended up next to the little stream running down the left side of No. 1. His ball stopped

about 18 inches from the water, down in thick rough and well above his feet. He had to stand almost erect, in a narrow stance, with his heels just over the water.

And then there was the urgency of the moment. Justin Thomas, his partner, had put his tee shot into the water, and Hideki Matsuyama had the Internationals sitting pretty, on the green in two and three feet from the pin.

Berger, just a twitch from toppling over backward into the water, had to hit with very little body motion.

His shot was more like a slap. The ball jumped out toward the green, 76 yards away. It came down about 15 feet short and climbed the green in a long sweeping right-to-left curl. And grazed the hole. It stopped

Daniel Berger accepts a high five from Justin Thomas on the 11th green after Berger’s second straight birdie.

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T H I R D D AY A F T E R N O O N F O U R - B A L L M AT C H E S

7 inches away. Berger was free to breathe.

“Definitely nice considering J.T. hit a quack-hook in the water,” Berger said. “Matsuyama was 3 feet for birdie.

So it was nice to not be 1 down through one.”

For his next trick, Berger ran off a nice set of three straight birdies starting on No. 9, on putts of 5, 32 and 8 feet, to turn the match around.

That took the Americans from behind to a 1-up lead. Thomas, who was marking time earlier, jumped in at the 12th, getting a half in birdies, then added one of his own on a 42foot bomb at the 14th. It was a fierce streak. In six holes starting at No. 9, the Americans got five birdies, four of them winners, and went from 2 down to 2 up.

Berger closed it out with a par out of a bunker at the 16th.

All told, Berger had five birdies and no bogeys, and he won five holes.

“We played really well,” Berger said, getting his first win of the matches. “J.T. carried me when I wasn’t playing well, and I carried him when he wasn’t playing well.”

“We had so much fun out there,” Thomas said.

It was more fun for Berger, though. He’d been the only American without a point.

“I was feeling a little left out,” he said.

—Marino Parascenzo

Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas skillfully plays a tricky pitch shot from the rough as fans look on from close by.

Hideki Matsuyama watches an iron shot with trepidation.

Four-ball Match 16 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

AS - - - - - - - - AS 1up 1up 1up 2up 2up 3up

DANIEL BERGER

3 5 - - 3 - - 4 4 2 3 - - - 4 3

JUSTIN THOMAS

- 5 5 5 - 5 3 - 5 - 4 3 4 3 - -

JHONATTAN VEGAS

3 - - - - 5 3 4 - C 4 3 4 C - C

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA

- 4 4 4 4 - - - 5 C - - - C 4 C

STATUS AS 1up 2up 3up 2up 2up 2up 2up 1up AS - - - - - -

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T HE P RESIDENTS CUP 2017

Four-ball Match 17 Anirban Lahiri/Si Woo Kim WON 1 UP OVER

Kevin Chappell/Charley Hoffman

BY THE TIME Match 17 between Kevin Chappell and Charley Hoffman of the U.S. and the International side’s Anirban Lahiri and Si Woo Kim reached the final few holes, the Fat Lady was loosening her throat, the champagne already was on ice, and victory for the Red, White and Blue appeared impending.

But Lahiri and Kim had other plans, preventing the U.S. from reaching the 15½ points required to win the Presidents Cup before Sunday Singles in what was the best match of the day — and arguably the best of the three days of team play.

Anirban Lahiri shouts after sinking a putt at 17.

64

“I guess in the back of our minds it was there, but trust me, neither of us was thinking about it coming down the stretch,” said Lahiri, whose late heroics assured that the International side was mathematically alive.

Kim, the 21-year-old winner of THE PLAYERS Championship from South Korea, fueled his team on the front nine with three birdies, including draining a 14-foot birdie putt at the second hole to give the International Team an early lead and another at the eighth to go 2 up.

“Si Woo pretty much carried me through 10, 12

Lahiri and Si Woo Kim slap hands after Lahiri’s clutch birdie putt at 17.

T H I R D D AY A F T E R N O O N F O U R - B A L L M AT C H E S

U.S. rookies Charley Hoffman and Kevin Chappell celebrate after Hoffman chips in for a birdie on the 17th hole.

holes,” Lahiri said. “He didn’t miss a shot, even when I was out of play.”

Hoffman answered with a birdie at the ninth, Chappell contributed a birdie at No. 10, and when Hoffman made another birdie at 13, the U.S. had flipped the match in its favor, like it had in so many other games.

India’s Lahiri had sat during the morning session, and he observed that the Americans had saved their best golf for the closing holes. “I said, one of us or some of us have got to try and do the same,” Lahiri said.

Kim took Lahiri’s words to heart and birdied No.

15 from 7 feet to pull the Internationals even, and Lahiri put them in front by rapping a 16-footer up the hill to win the par-3 16th.

Realizing they would have to win the last two holes to win the Presidents Cup on Saturday, Hoffman chipped in for birdie from 25 yards off the green at 17. Chappell made a mad dash in his partner’s direction and leaped into Hoffman’s arms. Lahiri flashed a thumb’s up in recognition of Hoffman’s short-game wizardry, then stepped up to a downhill, left-to-right 19-footer and buried it.

“Got to give it up to Lahiri,” Hoffman said. “He made some great birdies coming down the stretch, and they knocked us off.”

At the final hole, in a display of sportsmanship, Chappell picked up Lahiri’s marker, conceding a ticklish 2-footer.

“That’s what golf is about,” Lahiri said. “That’s what we’re here for. I think it’s the spirit of the game.

I think that’s the right thing to do.”

Lahiri and Kim earned the only victory for the International Team over Saturday’s two sessions, and just the second full point overall.”

These guys have played their hearts out,” said International captain Nick Price. “They got a standing ovation when they walked in our team room tonight, which, it was fantastic. First time we had seen a match go our way for a long time.”

Four-ball Match 17 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

AS - - - AS - - - - AS AS AS 1up 1up AS - -

KEVIN CHAPPELL

4 - - 4 4 5 3 - - 2 4 3 - 4 - - - 3

-

CHARLEY HOFFMAN

- 5 4 - 3 - - 4 4 - - - 4 4 5 3 3 -

ANIRBAN LAHIRI

4 - - 4 - - - - - - - 3 5 4 5 2 3 3

SI WOO KIM

- 4 4 - 4 4 3 3 5 3 4 4 - - 3 3 - -

STATUS AS 1up 1up 1up AS 1up 1up 2up 1up AS AS AS - - AS 1up 1up 1up

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Four-ball Match 18

Brooks Koepka/Dustin Johnson WON 3 AND 2 OVER

Marc Leishman/Branden Grace Good thing, too, because after having recorded a WITH A CONCESSION to a layer of hyperbole, a touch Four-ball win Friday, they did so again during a Saturof Newman and Redford took to the plush surroundings of Liberty National — not once, but twice. day afternoon session that nearly did the improbable — “Butch Cassidy and the Sunclinch the Presidents Cup without a Singles match being played. dance Kid” and “The Sting,” if With saunters that are unyou will.

Tall, strong, and their swagmatched in golf, Johnson and Koepka also employ an array of gers dipped in matching syrup, skills that were on display in a 3 Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepand 2 win over Marc Leishman and ka were penciled in as Four-ball Branden Grace. Truthfully, though, mates months before the Presidents it was if Johnson was content to Cup team was made official. Probgive Koepka the stage — a role ably, it was their decision and was with which the lumbering lad out presented to the captains without of Florida State seemed at ease. any veto power.

After all, beyond the aforeThen again, why would you not acquiesce to their wish? Hadn’t mentioned similarities, Johnson they won each of the last two U.S. and Koepka also share the same Opens — Johnson at Oakmont, management company, live in the Aussie Marc Leishman gets himself out of a Koepka at Erin Hills? Don’t they same area of Jupiter, Fla., and work testy lie near a cart path. share the same swing coaches, out together. “We’re all close and Butch and Claude Harmon? Aren’t they both overwe’re all good friends and we’re all good players,” said Johnson, locked into breeze mode as Koepka took comflowing with power? Yes, yes, and yes. So, it stands to reason that captain Steve Stricker couldn’t say no. mand in this match.

Four-ball Match 18 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

AS AS 1up 2up 2up 1up AS 1up 2up 2up 2up 1up 2up 2up 3up 3up

BROOKS KOEPKA

- 5 3 4 4 4 - 4 3 - - 4 3 4 3 3

DUSTIN JOHNSON

3 4 - - - - 3 - - 3 4 - - - - -

MARC LEISHMAN

- 4 - 5 4 3 2 5 - - - - - - 4 -

BRANDEN GRACE

3 - 4 - - - 3 - 4 3 4 3 4 4 - 3

STATUS AS AS - - - - AS - - - - - - - - -

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T H I R D D AY A F T E R N O O N F O U R - B A L L M AT C H E S

The large gallery gets a close look as Brooks Koepka chips onto the green.

His birdies at the par-4 third and par-5 fourth built a 2-up lead. Then, after the Internationals won the sixth and seventh, Koepka went back to work.

He made a solid par at No. 8 against wild bogeys by Leishman (fairway bunker) and Grace (water), then at the 563-yard, par-5 ninth he unleashed a little thunder.

A massive drive and splendid approach to 19 feet for eagle provided a 2 up lead.

To the side, Johnson smiled, shook his head and simply strolled onward. Effortlessly, like the wind. For good reason. “Honestly,” he would say later, “we’re all playing really good golf right now.”

Naturally, Johnson hardly flinched when he hit into the water at the 12th and Grace’s birdie enabled the Internationals to trim the deficit to one hole. In Koepka he trusts — and birdies at the par-4 13th and par-4 15th simply provided far too much firepower for Leishman and Grace.

It completed a textbook team-play Presidents Cup for Johnson, who was 4-0 — a pair of Foursomes wins with Matt Kuchar, two Four-ball triumphs with his good friend Koepka.

Triumphs, to be clear, that showed that Johnson

Branden Grace of South Africa reacts to a missed putt for eagle on the 12th hole, but his birdie still was a winner for the International side.

and Koepka meld together as seamlessly as Newman and Redford. Classic cool, they played 32 holes of Four-ball, led for 20 of them, trailed for but three, and never seemed to break a sweat.

Then again, it was no sweat to Newman and Redford, either.

—Jim McCabe

67

68

F I N A L D AY

For Pride and For Glory With huge lead in hand, United States Team cruises to seventh straight win

T

HE INTERNATIONAL TEAM made a statement Sunday. The United States Team still got in the last word.

A spirited rally let the Internationals walk away from the 12th Presidents Cup with their heads held high, winning the singles, 7½ to 4½, and keeping the U.S. from becoming the first team in the series to win every session. Nevertheless, the Americans departed with the ultimate prize. Again. The final tally was 1911, the third-largest win after America’s 11-point romp in 2000 and the International Team’s nine-point victory in 1998 in Melbourne, Australia — still its only triumph.

“You’ve got a hell of a team,” International Team captain Nick Price told his American counterpart Steve Stricker after the United States improved to 101-1 with its seventh straight victory since the two sides tied in 2003.

With President Donald J. Trump in attendance (he would present the Presidents Cup trophy to Stricker), the Americans were attempting to eclipse the record 21½ points that the 2000 U.S. team compiled. Not quite, but they were satisfied to secure the victory early and enjoy what ebullient Phil Mickelson called “a stress-free day.” Daniel Berger, one of six U.S. rook-

ies, defeated Si Woo Kim of South Korea, another first-timer, 2 and 1, to supply the deciding point.

“You dream of moments like this to be able to clinch the winning point for your side,” Berger said, “but it was a team effort. It wasn’t about me. Si-Woo played great. We exchanged a bunch of birdie putts coming down the stretch, and it just so happened I came out on the right side of that.”

Which is what happened most of the week for the United States.

“They came in here riding a ton of momentum and a ton of confidence. It was just about getting out of their way, really,” said a proud and smiling Stricker.

“Put some good pairings together and get out of their way. They just played unbelievably well.”

Dustin Johnson was America’s top scorer with a 4-0-1 record after halving his singles match with Branden Grace of South Africa. Coincidentally, it was Grace, after a winless 2013 debut at Muirfield Village Golf Club, who had gone 5-0 in 2015 in South Korea, and he prevented Johnson from becoming the sixth player to post a perfect mark. However, the 2016 U.S. Open champion and World No. 1 became the 20th player in the event’s history to go unbeaten.

Mickelson, 47, was 3-0-1 for a second straight

Rickie Fowler shakes hands with Emiliano Grillo after their Singles match.

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T HE P RESIDENTS CUP 2017

Rickie Fowler and Steve Stricker enjoy the proceedings.

Presidents Cup, both as a captain’s pick no less, and for the fourth time overall, another record he owns.

His 2-and-1 victory against Adam Hadwin, in his 100th match in the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup combined, was his 26th, a record for either team. Fittingly, his was the last match completed.

“I’m just pleased to play well when Steve, and Jay [Haas] two years ago, went out on a limb and selected me,” Mickelson, the five-time major winner, said.

“These team events mean so much to me, and I think it comes out in my play. These are special weeks that I will always cherish, but they’ve even more fun when I can contribute to our success.”

Also unbeaten for the U.S. were Rickie Fowler, 3-0-1, and rookie Kevin Kisner, who went 2-0-2, with two wins and a tie paired with Mickelson. Fowler posted Sunday’s biggest victory, 6 and 4, over International rookie Emiliano Grillo in the 30th and final match. Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth both lost in singles, but they did their damage with a 3-0-1 team performance.

INDIVIDUAL POINT TOTALS United States

Played Won

International Lost Halved Points

Played Won

Lost Halved Points

DUSTIN JOHNSON

5 4 0 1 4½

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN

5 2 2 1 2½

RICKIE FOWLER

4 3 0 1 3½

BRANDEN GRACE

5 1 2 2 2

PHIL MICKELSON*

4 3 0 1 3½

JASON DAY

5 1 3 1 1½

PATRICK REED

5 3 1 1 3½

ANIRBAN LAHIRI*

3 1 1 1 1½

JORDAN SPIETH

5 3 1 1 3½

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA

4 1 2 1 1½

JUSTIN THOMAS

5 3 1 1 3½

SI WOO KIM

3 1 2 0 1

KEVIN KISNER

4 2 0 2 3

MARC LEISHMAN

5 0 3 2 1

DANIEL BERGER

3 2 1 0 2

CHARL SCHWARTZEL

3 1 2 0 1

BROOKS KOEPKA

4 2 2 0 2

ADAM SCOTT

4 1 3 0 1

MATT KUCHAR

3 2 1 0 2

JHONATTAN VEGAS

5 1 4 0 1

KEVIN CHAPPELL

3 1 1 1 1½

ADAM HADWIN

3 0 2 1 ½

CHARLEY HOFFMAN*

3 1 2 0 1

EMILIANO GRILLO*

3 0 3 0 0

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F I N A L D AY

than the others,” Price said. “These guys got out and Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa led the Internaput their hearts and souls into today. I think it’s going tional Team with 2½ points that included a 1-up win to leave a much better taste in our over Reed in a rematch of their mouths.”

2015 showdown in South Korea “It’s nice to see. We all knew the that ended halved. Oosthuizen guys were going to come out firing rallied to win the last two holes today to try and get a victory or to as part of a spirited team rally. In get a point for the team,” Oosthuia showdown of top-five players, Hideki Matsuyama outgunned zen said. “In the 18 matches before Justin Thomas, 3 and 1, by maktoday, (we had) only 3½ points, so I think everyone was anxious to get ing eight birdies (including conmore points on the board. A lot of cessions) and an eagle. us are going to play in two years’ It took that kind of effort as time together again. So you’re still the Internationals were pushed to playing for each other, and you’re at least the 17th hole in each of playing for yourself today, as well, their wins, so it was a well-earned to give yourself that belief that you feather in their caps to keep the Si Woo Kim gets pumped up after sinking a putt. can beat these guys in Singles.”

U.S. in check. America failed to While the overall score showed a big U.S. win, the win Singles for the fourth straight time, one silver lincompetitors were aware that the difference between ing for the International side. the two teams was minuscule, decided mostly by the “We all knew today was going to be a better day

Justin Thomas and his teammates crowd together for a victory selfie.

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Cigar chomping Charley Hoffman sprays Daniel Berger with champagne after Berger scores the winning point.

Americans’ ability to summon late magic. “When you look at their team, it didn’t come down to they weren’t better players. It came down to we played better at the right time,” Berger pointed out. “We won some important matches down the stretch that really made a big difference.”

“We struggled in the team aspect of the matches this week. But we also played maybe the most on-form United States Team that I can remember,” Adam Scott said. “I think we went up against one of the best teams that’s been put forward, and I think we have to do even more [to prepare] before we play again in two years.”

Regardless of the score, there was still the realization on both sides that the week was a big-picture success. Because it was fun.

“This reminds me a lot of the 2008 Ryder Cup Team when we finally were able to win at Valhalla. A

72

lot of close-knit guys there on that team,” Stricker said of his group.

“But this team is even, I think, better than that.

They are young, they are explosive, they have a lot of fun with one another,” Stricker added. “They truly do like being with one another and spur each other on and give each other crap throughout the day, and they laugh at each other. It is a very special team, and they are playing great golf. You know, they are having a lot of fun doing it.”

A couple of International rookies offered a similar perspective about the enjoyment derived from competing in such an important event, making the outcome secondary.

“Obviously, it wasn’t the result we needed, but it was a fun competition,” Jhonattan Vegas said. “I really, really, really enjoyed being here and being part of this team.”

“As a rookie, I’m so proud to be a Presidents Cup member. I’m so honored,” Si Woo Kim added. “This

F O U R T H D AY S I N G L E S M AT C H E S

Fourth Day Singles Matches

United States 4.5 POINTS

International 7.5 POINTS

Final Total

United States 19 POINTS

International 11 POINTS

Captains Steve Nick Price whole weekStricker I’ve and enjoyed a shake lot.”hands when it’s over.

—David Shedloski

The U.S. Team poses with the Presidents Cup as they pass the Statue of Liberty on the ferry ride back to New York on Sunday night.

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Singles Match 19 Kevin Chappell H A LV E D W I T H

Marc Leishman Team Scores Upon Completion: U.S. 15, International 4 WHEN ALL WAS SAID AND DONE, it was a perfect signoff. As the Americans’ Kevin Chappell put it: “It’s probably a fitting end to the match.”

The Presidents Cup had come to the 12 Singles matches on the final day. The Americans had so dominated that they needed just one point to win the cup.

It was just a question of time, but it didn’t happen in the first match: Chappell vs. Marc Leishman.

Chappell led much of the front nine, stumbled, and Leishman sort of won the back, and then they halved the final hole to tie their match — the “fitting end” Chappell referred to.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Chappell, a first-timer who was in the first match because he’d asked captain Steve Stricker to put him there.

Knowing that Chappell and Charley Hoffmann had missed a chance to clinch the cup for America Saturday, Stricker let them go 1-2 in Singles. “A position I asked to be in,” Chappell said. “Disappointed to only get a halve, but being down on the 17th tee and having a putt to potentially win, you know, I fought hard.”

That winning point was beckoning to Chappell.

He got a big jump at the par-5 second, holing out from

Kevin Chappell hits his tee shot on the par-3 18th hole.

Singles Match 19 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS AS 1up 2up 2up 2up 2up 2up 2up 1up AS AS AS -

- AS - AS AS

KEVIN CHAPPELL

4 3 3 4 4 4 3 4 C C 3 4 5 4 3 4 4 3

MARC LEISHMAN

4 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 - - 3 4 4 4 5 3 5 3

STATUS

AS - - - - - - - - AS AS AS 1up 1up AS 1up AS AS

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F O U R T H D AY S I N G L E S M AT C H E S

“Neither of us played great golf the whole day,” a bunker for eagle, and at No. 3 he sank a 6-foot birdsaid Chappell, who went 1-1-1 in his first Presidents ie putt to go 2 up. It stayed that way until Chappell Cup, “but we played great in stretches.” encountered two of the strangest holes of his career.

For Leishman, who finished 0-3-2, it sounded like At No. 9, a par 5, Chappell put his tee shot into a moral victory. “Yeah, I played the rough, hit his second into the OK,” he said. “Two halves was water, took a penalty drop, hit into probably not the outcome I was rough again, then into water again. after. Came up against some good He conceded the hole. Stranger still competition and played guys who was the par-3 10th. Chappell’s tee are playing well. So if you’re goball got away from him and ended up on the floor of a TV tower behind ing to get beaten, you don’t want the green, sitting inside a large coil of to get beaten when you’re playing TV cable. He thought about hitting poorly and get beaten by guys who it from there, but finally opted for a are playing poorly. You want to free lift. But then once down below, get beaten by guys who are playhe grounded his club in the hazard, a ing well, and, unfortunately that’s Marc Leishman offers a thumbs up to the gallery. violation of Rule 13-4. The penalty what happened.” in match play is loss of hole.

So, with the half-point, the The match was all square.

Americans led, 15-4, and the Cup was still up for grabs.

From there, Leishman won two holes on pars and “They didn’t win it on my game,” said Leishman, led for three holes, and Chappell squared things on a “which I’m pretty happy about.” birdie and a par, the latter at 17 to set up the fitting end.

—Marino Parascenzo

Kevin Chappell and Marc Leishman battled to a hard-fought halve in their opening Singles match.

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Singles Match 20 Jason Day WON 2 AND 1 OVER

Charley Hoffman Team Scores Upon Completion: U.S. 15, International 5 IT LOOKED like the old Jason Day.

In the second Singles match on the last day of this Presidents Cup, Day turned things around, winning three straight holes, then going on to beat Charley Hoffman, 2 and 1. It was Day’s first outright victory since the 2013 Presidents Cup at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, and it kept the Internationals’ flickering hopes alive.

“Yeah, I actually struck it well today,” Day said, relieved at encouraging signs. He’d had a dismal stretch in the Presidents Cup, going nine straight matches without a win. “It was one of those days where you’re

just kind of wearing the guy out by hitting a lot of fairways, hitting on the greens and taking your birdies when you can, and capitalizing on the opportunities.”

Maybe there was some inspiration in there, as well. Maybe Day didn’t want the Americans winning on his watch, just like Marc Leishman, in the first match, had mentioned.

Whatever the reason, it was a bright spot for Day, who hadn’t won a PGA TOUR event in 2017 after eight victories combined in 2015 and ’16.

“I drove it well, hit a lot of good iron shots and putted half decent,” Day said.

Jason Day strikes his opening tee shot in the day’s second Singles match amid a grand scene.

76

F O U R T H D AY S I N G L E S M AT C H E S

Charley Hoffman of the U.S. Team plays a shot from a bunker

Jason Day shows splendid form as he follows through on an approach shot.

Day took the lead with a birdie at the first, but couldn’t shake Hoffman. He lost it on a bogey at No. 3, retook it on pars at No. 5 and No. 7, and Hoffman took his only lead on a 3-foot birdie putt at No. 9.

From there, Day took command. He squared the match at the 10th with a 15-foot birdie, and then took the lead for good at the tough 11th hole on a par after Hoffman drove into the trees. Hoffman conceded the short, drivable 325-yard 12th after finding water twice to give Day a 2-up advantage.

“No. 12 was a pivotal hole for me,” Day said. “He dumped two in the water there and I hit a nice one just over the back of the green. Forcing his hand to try and be a little bit more aggressive there paid off, which was good.”

After a pause on Hoffman’s win at 15, Day, still 1 up, closed him out by winning the 17th with a par.

Said Hoffman: “I would have liked to play a little better the last couple of days, but when it’s said and done, it’s a team event and we’ve retained the cup, and it’s a great feeling. It’s been fun to be a part of this team and just sort of ride some coattails and have some fun. It’s going to be a good night to celebrate.”

It was Hoffman’s first Presidents Cup, and he was on a winner. Day was in his fourth and had yet to know how that felt.

“It disappoints me that we let Captain [Nick] Price down, because he’s put a lot of heart and soul into it,” Day said. “When I won the match, I said congratulations to Charley and his caddie. For the cup, it’s pretty much said and done. So, when they beat you, all you can do is say thanks.”

—Marino Parascenzo

Singles Match 20 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS - - AS AS - AS - AS - AS - - - - - - - CHARLEY HOFFMAN

5 4 4 4 5 3 4 4 4 3 5 C 4 4 3 4 5

JASON DAY

3 4 5 4 4 4 3 5 5 2 4 - 4 4 4 4 4

STATUS

1up 1up AS AS 1up AS 1up AS - AS 1up 2up 2up 2up 1up 1up 2up

77

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Singles Match 21 Hideki Matsuyama WON 3 AND 1 OVER

Justin Thomas Team Scores Upon Completion: U.S. 15, International 6 THERE WAS ONLY ONE PROPER WAY for The Year of

Justin Thomas to conclude. With another heaping helping of Justin Thomas, of course.

The Cup’s outcome was a foregone conclusion.

The winning point for the U.S. Team was sure to be delivered in an early match. The ultimate point in the American victory was in position to come from Thomas to neatly bookend his PGA TOUR season.

All Thomas did was win three times early in the season (including the Sony Open in Hawaii where he shot 59), turn into a major force (including firing a 63 in the U.S. Open), impressively capture the PGA Championship (where he outplayed Hideki Matsuyama, by the way), and snag the $10 million FedExCup bonus while erasing all doubt about the Player of the Year.

He was a human highlight reel during the Cup’s first three days. Thomas put on such a show that when he made a long putt early against Matsuyama, a PGA TOUR Radio commentator laughed and gushed, “Of course, he made it! He’s been making everything all week!” Funny because it was true.

Matsuyama, however, regained his No. 3 player in the world form and showed what it takes to beat

Thomas — seven birdies and an eagle, topping eight birdies by Thomas.

“Hideki played phenomenally well,” International captain Nick Price gushed.

When Thomas bashed it 322 yards off the first tee and Matsuyama hit it 324, it was “Game On.” Thomas stuck his approach to 5 feet for birdie. Matsuyama hit it to 10 feet and missed. At the second, Thomas poured in a 28-footer for birdie. Matsuyama matched him with a 5-foot putt for a halve. The tone was set.

Matsuyama took a 1-up lead with an eagle at the fourth, but Thomas squared the match at the next hole with another clutch birdie putt from 17 feet. “Of course, he made it!”

The shootout continued at a frantic pace. Matsuyama won the sixth with par to go 1 up. Thomas holed a 7-foot par putt at the seventh, then Matsuyama did likewise. When Matsuyama stiffed it to 3 feet at the eighth, Thomas sank a must-make 12-footer for a matching birdie.

At the par-5 ninth, Matsuyama reached the green in two and two-putted from outside 50 feet. But Thomas got up and down from a greenside bunker for his birdie.

Singles Match 21 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

1up 1up AS - AS - - - - - - - - - - - -

JUSTIN THOMAS

3 4 5 4 3 5 3 3 4 3 3 3 4 4 5 3 C

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA

4 4 4 3 4 3 3 3 4 2 3 3 4 4 4 4 -

STATUS

-

78

- AS 1up AS 1up 1up 1up 1up 2up 2up 2up 2up 2up 3up 2up 3up

F O U R T H D AY S I N G L E S M AT C H E S

Justin Thomas follows the flight of his bunker shot.

Matsuyama went 2-up with a 20-foot birdie putt at the 10th, then sank another 20-footer at the 11th, where Thomas birdied from 3 feet.

They tied the par-4 12th with very cool video game-like birdies. Thomas played a chip well left of the pin, where it caught a slope, made a 90-degree turn and trickled down a slope to within inches.

Matsuyama managed to two-putt from long distance down a treacherous slope. Wow moments.

Thomas hung on with crucial par putts at 13 and 14, but when he missed from 5 feet at the 15th, the match was dormie. Thomas conceded at 17 after he didn’t make a long birdie putt. The 3-and-1 match was his only loss and Matsuyama’s only win.

“Both of us were out there fighting,” Matsuyama said. “The American team had a big lead on us. I didn’t want to lose today.”

—Gary Van Sickle

Hideki Matsuyama reacts to gallery applause.

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Singles Match 22 Daniel Berger

WON 2 AND 1 OVER

Si Woo Kim Team Scores Upon Completion: U.S. 16, International 6 20-foot birdie putt at the ninth, only to see Berger anowed Sunday’s matches. The only remaining suspense swer with a 17-footer for a halve. involved who would post the deciding point.

At the 11th, Berger hit a pitch shot from 47 Daniel Berger, a Florida State yards that landed on the green’s alum who has been an overfront, released and softly kissed the flagstick before dropping for looked member of the vaunted a stunning birdie. Kim holed his high school class of 2011 that eight-footer to tie, gave two fist includes Jordan Spieth and Justin pumps and then put a finger to his Thomas, never trailed against Si lips to shush the crowd, the way Woo Kim and claimed the starPatrick Reed controversially did at ring role. the Ryder Cup in Scotland. It was He took the lead when Kim, the most emotion Kim had shown who won The PLAYERS in May, all week. hit two shots into the water on the The two men matched birdies second hole, and he got another at 12 but Berger’s lead grew to 3 gift at the fifth when Kim drove up at the 13th with a par. into the trees. Berger gave one The match’s high point came back at the sixth with a penalty for Si Woo Kim tries to quiet the excited crowd. at 14, where Kim poured in a grounding his club in a hazard, but 40-footer from the front of the a short birdie putt at the eighth regreen, a big breaker that was still picking up speed stored the 2-up advantage. when it dived in. Berger topped that with a downhill And then things got entertaining.

20-footer for a halve, pumped his fist and raised his Finally finding his footing and form, Kim sank a THE INEVITABILITY of the American victory overshad-

Singles Match 22 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS AS 1up 1up 1up 2up 1up 1up 2up 2up 2up 2up 2up 3up 3up 3up 2up 2up DANIEL BERGER

4 4 4 5 - 5 3 3 4 3 3 3 - 3 4 4 4

SI WOO KIM

4 C 4 5 C 4 3 4 4 3 3 3 C 3 4 3 4

STATUS

AS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

80

F O U R T H D AY S I N G L E S M AT C H E S

Daniel Berger raises his arms to celebrate victory.

arms to encourage the crowd. As they walked off the green, Kim offered Berger a sportsmanlike fist bump, and Berger responded with an encouraging pat on Kim’s behind.

While Kim and Berger played the 15th, Kevin Chap-

pell scored a draw against Marc Leishman in the leadoff match, which meant the U.S. clinched at least a tie.

The Americans officially won the Cup in undramatic fashion when Berger and Kim halved the 15th hole with pars. Their match was dormie, guaranteeing the U.S. another half point and the Cup. As Berger walked off the 16th tee after missing the green left, he got the news from captain Steve Stricker that he’d just closed things out. Captain’s assistants Tiger Woods and Fred Couples rushed over to shake Berger’s hand and congratulate him. Berger wore a huge smile. Then Justin Thomas, playing the 17th hole, detoured over to give Berger a congratulatory hug, too.

“What a feeling,” Berger said later of finding out that he’d scored the winning point. “I’m speechless, I’m just so excited for the team.”

After winning, 2 and 1, Berger got doused with champagne by Charley Hoffman, who had been waiting greenside at 17, a victory cigar firmly in his mouth.

Then Berger, at 24 the youngest player to clinch a Presidents Cup, got his hands on the bottle and took a swig. It tasted like victory.

—Gary Van Sickle

Berger gets congratulations from Captain’s Assistants Fred Couples and Tiger Woods.

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Singles Match 23 Charl Schwartzel WON 1 UP OVER

Matt Kuchar Team Scores Upon Completion: U.S. 16, International 7 EASILY THE MOST entertaining match of the final day

Charl Schwartzel was able to jump out to a huge lead.

featured former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, who has done well in Presidents Cup Singles, facing off against Matt Kuchar, a former U.S. Amateur champion who has struggled in Singles in both the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup. Only five holes were halved in a barn burner that went the distance when it appeared early on it might be the fastest match of the week. Taking advantage of some early miscues by the American, Schwartzel was able to build a 5-up lead through seven holes, then had to hold on after Kuchar furiously rallied.

Schwartzel’s 1-up victory wasn’t nailed down until each man conceded par on the 18th green.

“It was kind of a perfect storm at the beginning with Charl making a few birdies and me struggling, but I thought if I could get back to just 4 down at the turn maybe I’d have a chance,” Kuchar said. “I sure gave it a shot, but I left too many chances out there.”

Schwartzel was well rested for the match, having sat for all of Saturday’s play after being on the wrong side of blowout losses in the first two rounds.

“I was surprised that I sat out yesterday for both

Singles Match 23 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

-

MATT KUCHAR

C 5 4 5 4 5 3 3 4 3 5 2 3 4 4 4 3 3

CHARL SCHWARTZEL

- 4 4 4 4 4 2 4 5 3 4 3 4 5 4 3 4 3

STATUS

82

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1up 2up 2up 3up 3up 4up 5up 4up 3up 3up 4up 3up 2up 1up 1up 2up 1up 1up

F O U R T H D AY S I N G L E S M AT C H E S

Matt Kuchar’s knees buckle after just missing this putt.

matches,” the South African said. “I was playing actually pretty well. For me it was almost trying to really show, prove a point and play really decent today. Being way up was sort of nice for me in that sense, but Matt took me to the last hole with the comeback. I had to grind really hard.”

Kuchar found water hazards on his second shot on the first and second holes to fall quickly 2 down.

Schwartzel won the fourth and seventh with birdies, and Kuchar helped his opponent further with a wild drive that led to a bogey at the sixth.

With an 0-3 Singles record in the Presidents Cup coming in (plus 1-3 in the Ryder Cup), Kuchar started to turn things around when he sank a 9-footer at the eighth for birdie and an 8-foot birdie at the ninth to claw within 3 down.

“I think he could see I wasn’t going to throw in

the towel,” Kuchar said.

Even though he lost the 11th with another bogey, Kuchar bounced back with the only eagle of the week at the par-4 12th when his drive ended up 3 feet from the hole. And when he sank a 15-foot birdie putt at 13 and won 14 with a par, he had climbed back to just 1 down.

Schwartzel won 16 with a par when Kuchar missed from 12 feet, but Kuchar answered yet again by sinking a 25-footer for birdie to take the 17th.

When Kuchar didn’t find the green in two on the final hole, the contestants conceded jointly for a halve.

“He made one hell of a comeback, because I was way up, but I wasn’t playing badly,” Schwartzel said after improving to 3-1 in Singles. “It’s always going to be tough playing against Matt because he’s a really good putter, and he putted really phenomenal today.

I’m pleased with that win.” ­—David Shedloski

83

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Singles Match 24 Louis Oosthuizen WON 1 UP OVER

Patrick Reed Team Scores Upon Completion: U.S. 16, International 8

A terrific view of the huge gallery as Louis Oosthuizen begins his match against Patrick Reed.

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN a surprise to no one that Lou-

is Oosthuizen and Patrick Reed would lock horns in a tightly-contested Singles match. After all, two years ago at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, the pair squared off in an 18-hole affair that ended up halved.

With less pressure on either man, they weren’t as sharp as they were in South Korea, where they com-

84

bined for 10 birdies. But again, they battled to the wire, and just like two years ago, Oosthuizen won the 18th to decide the final score, in this case a 1-up victory.

“We brought the best out in each other in 2015.

Today, not so much,” the fiery Reed said. “It was a big pillow fight. With how much separation we had going into the day, it just seemed like it was hard for us to

F O U R T H D AY S I N G L E S M AT C H E S

Oosthuizen won the rematch from their 2015 Singles game.

kind of get going. You know, on his side and my side.

We were out there chatting the whole time and just having a great time out there playing some golf. This time it felt totally opposite (of 2015). But it was a lot of fun.”

Neither player led by more than 1 up at Liberty National, and going back to Korea and reviewing their 36 holes together, only once was a player 2 up at any point — when Reed led by that margin for one hole in the 2015 match.

Reed took the lead with a birdie on the second hole from 16 feet, but the South African squared it with a par only to give one back with his own bogey at the seventh.

Consecutive wins at Nos. 10 and 11, the first after a brilliant shot into the green at the par 3 to 2 feet for birdie, gave Oosthuizen his first advantage. Reed bounced back at the 12th with a birdie. All square again.

And then he birdied from 24 feet at No. 15 for another 1-up edge.

A former Open Champion, Oosthuizen came up clutch in the closing segment. He birdied the 17th hole from the back fringe with a 14-foot putt to square things, and then stuck his approach on the par-3 18th to 12 feet. Reed went long left, chipped to 12 feet and missed the par save. He conceded Oosthuizen’s putt and the match.

Reed was ahead for eight holes, Oosthuizen for two, but he led when it mattered.

“You know, it’s disappointing, of course, to lose the match, but it could have gone either way,” said Reed, who led for eight holes while Oosthuizen led for just two, also nearly a replay for 2015 when Reed led for 13 holes and only eked out a halve.

This time Oosthuizen led when it mattered, at the end, and he accepted the gift somewhat sheepishly.

“You know what, we both actually deserved probably a halve,” he said sympathetically. “We both didn’t play really well. We struggled the whole way around. I played a little better the last four holes. Actually, the last four we both played a lot better. He hit a bad tee shot on the last, but no one really deserved to win in that game.”

—David Shedloski

Singles Match 24 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS AS 1up 1up 1up AS AS 1up 1up 1up AS - AS AS AS 1up 1up AS PATRICK REED

4 4 5 5 5 4 3 4 5 3 5 3 5 4 3 3 4 4

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN

4 C 5 5 4 4 4 4 5 2 4 5 5 4 4 3 3 2

STATUS

AS - - - AS AS - - - AS 1up AS AS AS - - AS 1up

85

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Singles Match 25 Dustin Johnson H A LV E D W I T H

Branden Grace Team Scores Upon Completion: U.S. 16.5, International 8.5

Branden Grace rallied from an early 2-down hole.

IF NOTHING ELSE, Branden Grace is a proud South Af-

rican. Proud of his country, proud of its reputation as a great golf nation, and proud of what he and his countrymen have achieved in the sport.

Oh, and proud of his undefeated record at the 2015 Presidents Cup in South Korea. There likely are bigger achievements still to come for Grace, but for now he can proudly boast that he is one of just five players in

Presidents Cup history to win five matches in one year.

Grace’s opponent in Singles, Dustin Johnson, entered their matchup 4-0 in this Presidents Cup and in position to join Grace in an exclusive club. Grace set out to play spoiler and prevent the World No. 1 from becoming the sixth member of the 5-0 club.

“That was what I thought, I’m the last one to do it, and I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to try my hardest for him not to do it,’ ” Grace said.

He did just that, but early on it appeared Johnson would not be denied. He grabbed a 2-up lead through three holes thanks to a birdie at the first and a par at No. 3. But Johnson found trouble at the fourth and conceded the hole. Never one to worry, Johnson shook off a bad hole with his third birdie in the first five holes to surge 2 up again.

“I was on the back foot from the beginning,” Grace pointed out.

But that did little to diminish his determination.

Grace struck back with birdies at Nos. 8 and 9, the latter of which Johnson conceded to him, to go all square at the turn.

For the laid-back Johnson, it was hard to find his

Singles Match 25 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

1up 1up 2up 1up 2up 2up 2up 1up AS 1up 1up 1up AS AS 1up 1up AS AS

DUSTIN JOHNSON

3 4 4 C 3 4 3 4 C - 4 3 C 4 3 3 C 3

BRANDEN GRACE

4 4 5 - 4 4 3 3 4 C 4 3 3 4 C 3 - 3

STATUS

- - - - - - - - AS - - - AS - - - AS AS

86

F O U R T H D AY S I N G L E S M AT C H E S

Dustin Johnson led the U.S. Team with 4.5 points.

Johnson waves to fans accompanied by fiancee Paulina Gretzky.

Grace enjoys a fun moment with his International supporters.

rhythm, or, for that matter, his killer instinct with the U.S. holding a commanding lead.

“It was like we were out playing golf with my buddies or something,” Johnson said. “It was weird.”

Still, he pressed on in pursuit of a perfect record.

Johnson pulled in front again, thanks to a return gift from Grace at the par-3 10th, where the South African missed the green right into the native area and had to

take a penalty drop. He ended up conceding, and Johnson appeared poised to take control of the match. But that never materialized as they traded shots and holes.

For instance, Grace rolled in a birdie putt from 9 feet to win the 13th to make things intriguing, but Johnson retaliated with a birdie of his own, draining a 13-footer at No. 15 to regain the lead.

All told, Johnson led for 13 of the first 16 holes, but he tugged his tee shot at 17 into the thick stuff and hacked his way to a bogey and conceded the hole.

When neither Johnson nor Grace could do better than par at the last, they settled for a halved match. Johnson didn’t lose, but neither did he have his perfect record. He didn’t seem to mind.

“Branden played really well,” Johnson said. “It was a tough match, but it was a lot of fun.”

—Adam Schupak

87

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Singles Match 26 Adam Scott

WON 3 AND 2 OVER

Brooks Koepka Team Scores Upon Completion: U.S. 16.5, International 9.5 NO ONE HAS ENDURED losing at the Presidents Cup

quite like Adam Scott. He has represented the International Team eight times in the biennial competition since 2003, but he has yet to taste victory. As Geoff Ogilvy, one of the assistant captains for the International Team, put it, “Adam is burning to win one of these.”

Though he and his wife had welcomed a second child just five weeks earlier, Scott was eager to compete.

Unfortunately, it had not gone well for either Scott, who was winless in his first three matches, or

his team, as Sunday dawned. Even though his team’s chances of victory were slim, Scott showed up at the first tee Sunday smiling through gritted teeth — even stopping to sign a few autographs —and played his heart out to the bitter end. If there is such a thing as a moral victory, Scott earned one by rallying to defeat Brooks Koepka, 3 and 2.

It was a back-and-forth affair much of the way.

The reigning U.S. Open champion struck first at the third hole with a par and birdied the fourth to

Adam Scott of the International Team gets things underway against America’s Brooks Koepka.

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F O U R T H D AY S I N G L E S M AT C H E S

Brooks Koepka got off to a fast start, but couldn’t hold off Adam Scott.

grab a 2-up lead. Scott bounced back with a birdie at the fifth and took the sixth by concession to square the match.

But Koepka kept applying the heat with his fourth and fifth birdies on the front. At the par-4 eighth Koepka from 77 yards hit a wedge within 3 feet, and then at the par-5 ninth he pitched from just short of the green to 4 feet. He was again 2 up.

“It was hard weathering the storm,” Scott said.

It would have been understandable had the Australian got deflated. Instead, he bounced back. He buried a 22-foot birdie putt at the 10th to cut his deficit in half. Then, Koepka’s game came off the rails starting the par-4 11th, which was halved with bogeys.

He conceded three of the next four holes, and Scott all but wrapped up the match when he aimed three cups right on his 30-footer for birdie at 14. He gave it a rap and watched as the ball chased toward

the hole as if it had no place else to go but in.

“He has made putts from all over the place today,” said NBC’s lead golf analyst Johnny Miller.

“He’s come alive.”

Better late than never. Scott’s run of four consecutive victorious holes beginning at the 12th earned him a point and improved his career singles record to 5-3-0.

Not even victory on the final day could overshadow the fact that Scott now owns the dubious distinction of having lost the most matches in the event’s history with a 14-20-5 career record.

“I’ve taken plenty of licks in this thing,” he said frankly. “But I’ve always taken something so positive from this event. So many positive things have happened, so I don’t see this event as a real negative for me. And yeah, it feels good to win something.”

—Adam Schupak

Scott greets President Donald Trump.

Singles Match 26 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

AS AS 1up 2up 1up AS AS 1up 2up 1up 1up AS -

BROOKS KOEPKA

3 4 4 4 4 C 3 3 4 3 5 C C 4 C 3

-

- -

ADAM SCOTT

3 4 5 5 3 - 3 4 5 2 5 - - 3 - 3

STATUS

AS AS - - - AS AS - - - - AS 1up 2up 3up 3up

89

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Singles Match 27 Jhonattan Vegas WON 2 UP OVER

Jordan Spieth Team Scores Upon Completion: U.S. 16.5, International 10.5 picture, how this Presidents Cup is hopefully going to help grow golf in places where it isn’t yet entrenched fans singing jovially, there was a reminder of what is and where tough times are ongoing. at the heart of the 23-year-old Presidents Cup. It came Like his native land. in the moments after Jhonattan Vegas upset Jordan “Hopefully, this gives a little bit of a lift to the peoSpieth, 2 and 1, when a gentleman came onto the 17th green with a special gift. ple there, and they can find motivation from what I’m The International Team had been forced to ofdoing, to keep working and fighting for their lives.”

For this competition, the International Team fight ficially throw in the towel a short time earlier, but was over, and while it ended with a seventh straight now was the perfect time for Vegas to passionately loss, Vegas took pride in his win over Spieth. “I played wave the Venezuelan flag. my heart out this week,” he said. “That was my thing “Any time you can lift your flag on a stage like this week.” this, it’s always motivating,” said Vegas, whose sinSpieth’s “thing” is recovering from difficult spots and gles victory came after a frustrating set of losses in throwing down putts and all things gritty when it comes team play — twice in foursomes, twice in four-ball. to the foursomes and four-ball matches. But it clearly isn’t The losses still stung, but Vegas looked at the bigger the singles format in these team competitions, something his teammates were quick to remind him of.

“The Golden Child,” said Dustin Johnson, poking fun at Spieth’s winless mark. “You know, you need to job him every once in a while, just to bring him down to reality.”

Laughter filled the post-tournament press conference where a hot topic was the fact Spieth had fallen to 0-5 in singles in these team competitions (including 0-2 in the Ryder Cup). Even Spieth couldn’t stop from pointing the finger at such a resume.

When a post-round question asked about the Sunday lineup, Johnson Popular Texan Jordan Spieth enjoys greeting fans as he makes his way to the next tee. suggested “we could have sent three AGAINST A BACKDROP of a runaway competition and

90

F O U R T H D AY S I N G L E S M AT C H E S

The Presidents Cup sits in plain view while Jhonattan Vegas tees off.

guys out there and figured out a way to get one point,” Spieth smiled, then leaned into the microphone.

“Not if I was one of them,” he said.

That the winless skid continued is owed partly to Spieth’s choppy play; he was 1 up when he recorded bogeys at the sixth, eighth and ninth, and he was lucky to fall 2 down at the turn.

But credit Vegas, who preceded Spieth as a star at the University of Texas, for some clutch play. When he

drove it 330 yards at the 11th and stuffed his 140-yard approach to 8 feet and made the putt, Vegas was 3 up, a lead he added to when Spieth drove it in the water at the par-4 12th.

“I just didn’t play well,” said Spieth after his fifth match of the week. “It was nice to extend the match a couple of extra holes.”

Indeed, Spieth won the 13th, 15th and 16th but Vegas put a stop to things at the 17th. Then he marked the occasion with his nation’s flag.

—Jim McCabe

Singles Match 27 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

AS AS AS 1up 1up AS AS - - - - - - - - - -

JORDAN SPIETH

4 4 4 4 4 5 3 5 6 3 4 5 4 5 3 3 4

JHONATTAN VEGAS

4 4 4 6 4 4 3 3 4 3 3 3 5 4 5 4 4

STATUS

AS AS AS -

- AS AS 1up 2up 2up 3up 4up 3up 4up 3up 2up 2up

91

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Singles Match 28 Kevin Kisner H A LV E D W I T H

Anirban Lahiri Team Scores Upon Completion: U.S. 18, International 11 “RENDERED MEANINGLESS” is a catchy phrase that is

applied to describe various Singles matches when this international team golf business has reached its competitive conclusion on the team scoreboard.

Many times, it fits. In this case, it didn’t — even if both Kevin Kisner and Anirban Lahiri learned early in their game that the Americans had clinched. Kisner could have gone into celebratory mode; Lahiri was free to pack it in. Instead, they dug deep.

Kisner was making his first appearance on an American team and took to heart what Matt Kuchar told him: “If you make one, you don’t want to miss another one — and I got that feeling today.” In Kisner’s mind, he was auditioning for next year’s Ryder Cup. As for Lahiri, if you can’t get motivated to play for 3.1 billion people in Asia, why tee it up? He experienced national pride by winning silver at the Asian Games in 2006. But Lahiri was honest about the 4-foot

Anirban Lahiri has a contemplative look as he and caddie Mike Kerr read the break of a putt on 14.

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F O U R T H D AY S I N G L E S M AT C H E S

putt that he missed at the 2015 Presidents Cup that cost the International Team a chance to at least tie.

A piece of redemption had come at the close of Saturday’s Four-ball session as Lahiri and Si Woo Kim beat Charley Hoffman and Kevin Chappell, 1 up.

Nice, but Lahiri had a bigger appetite; for India, he wanted to secure a Singles point against Kisner.

“All things have a ripple effect, whether it’s back home in India or in Asia,” said Lahiri. “My performance is what I need to focus on.”

Early on, it was spot-on, too, as Lahiri won the second hole, then went 2 up at the fifth, thanks to a 166-yard approach he stuffed to 4 feet.

But then, “I really lost my concentration in the middle,” said the personable 30-year-old who is a national hero for having earned his PGA TOUR card.

Lahiri lost the sixth with a bogey, then did likewise at the par-5 ninth as his second found the water.

When he hit a shot wide of the green at the par-3 10th and was helpless against Kisner’s birdie at the short, par-4 12th, Lahiri was 2 down.

With the team competition over, Lahiri focused on the six holes he had left against Kisner. To his credit, he clawed back into the mix. He won the 13th to start thinking positively. Though Lahiri lost the 16th when he was just wide with an 8-foot par-save attempt and fell 2 down, the final two holes offered another piece of redemption.

He won 17 with a brilliant approach and 12-foot birdie, then the par-3 18th when Kisner made bogey.

Without hesitating, Kisner conceded Lahiri’s short putt for par, signaling that a celebration could start.

That was easy for Kisner, as he joined victorious teammates. The joy was evident.

Kisner and wife Brittany with their son Henry.

For Lahiri, it wasn’t such an outward look that people could see, but he felt some pride in helping the Internationals at least salvage the Singles session, 7 ½ to 4 ½.

“I looked at the board, and the way the team fought back today was magnificent,” said Lahiri, who was a comeback story himself.

—Jim McCabe

Singles Match 28 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

AS - - - - - - - AS 1up 1up 2up 1up 1up 1up 2up 1up AS

KEVIN KISNER

3 6 4 5 4 4 3 4 - - 5 - C 4 3 3 5 C

ANIRBAN LAHIRI

3 4 4 5 3 5 3 4 C C 5 C - 4 3 4 4 -

STATUS AS 1up 1up 1up 2up 1up 1up 1up AS - - - - - - - - AS

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T HE P RESIDENTS CUP 2017

Singles Match 29 Phil Mickelson WON 2 UP OVER

Adam Hadwin Team Scores Upon Completion: U.S. 19, International 11 Saturday night for the next day, how we are going to attack it, going through a game plan. It was a totally stead of 47 in New Jersey, going 2-0-1 in team games to different feel.” justify the captain’s pick by Steve Stricker. He continued In the end, the match would to shine in Singles against Adam be more of a “David and Goliath” Hadwin, holding the lead for 15 of matchup as Mickelson, playing 17 holes and cruising to a victory in his 100th international match, that was a bit less stressful than the would make four birdies and have 2 and 1 score indicated. two other holes conceded by HadThe left-hander started slowly as Hadwin won the opening win. hole with a bogey after Mickelson Mickelson took the lead for hit his tee shot in the water. Mickgood on the par-4 third hole when Hadwin couldn’t find the green elson would soon settle down, from the left fairway bunker and however, and seize command. eventually missed a 19-footer for Mickelson squared the match par, while Mickelson was in the on the second hole thanks to a birdsame predicament off the tee, but ie from 6 feet, and he never looked after missing the green he chipped back, extending his lead to 4-up by Adam Hadwin points to the International within 5 feet and made the putt. A the 10th hole.

Team supporters. birdie at the par-5 fourth from 2 “It was really weird to have feet and another from 4 feet at the fifth, coming on a a stress-free Sunday Singles,” Mickelson said. “We’re fantastic wedge shot that spun back to the hole, made always really feeling it in the team room and we’re it 3 up. always really focused. We’re usually going through PHIL MICKELSON seemed to play like he was 27 in-

Singles Match 29 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS

- AS 1up 2up 3up 3up 2up 2up 3up 4up 3up 3up 3up 3up 3up 2up 2up

PHIL MICKELSON

6 4 4 4 3 4 C 4 - - 4 3 4 4 4 4 4

ADAM HADWIN

5 5 5 5 4 4 - 4 C C 3 3 4 4 4 3 4

STATUS

94

1up AS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

F O U R T H D AY S I N G L E S M AT C H E S

Phil Mickelson plays his second shot on the 14th hole

Hadwin got back to 2 down after a concession on the par-3 seventh when Mickelson found the water left off the tee, but then Hadwin conceded both the ninth and 10th holes. From there, it was a victory lap for Mickelson on the back nine, though Hadwin continued to fight.

The Canadian birdied the 11th hole from 7 feet after an approach from 188 yards, and then he won the 16th when Mickelson missed a 13-footer for par.

The match ended on the next hole, however, when Hadwin conceded Mickelson’s short par putt.

The win gave Mickelson a 3-0-1 record for the week and he improved to 26-16-13 overall after his fourth singles win in the Presidents Cup. But the veteran spent most of his time after the match looking forward.

“We have the players, the foundation, and the direction; I want to be part of that team next year,” Mickelson said, taking aim at the Ryder Cup in France. “I’m going to go work hard on my game this off-season. I’m

Mickelson offers his signature thumbs up gesture.

going to add some tournaments to try to get up on the list and make the team on the points.”

But even when he doesn’t make a U.S. squad on points, he ends up being a strong contributor.

—Alex Miceli

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Singles Match 30 Rickie Fowler

WON 6 AND 4 OVER

Emiliano Grillo Team Scores Upon Completion: U.S. 17.5, International 10.5 After both players birdied the first hole, Fowler from 20 feet and Grillo from 12 feet, indications were Steve Stricker’s anchor on the final day of what was that the match could be close. And for a while it was. certain to be an American victory, playing in the 12th Fowler, who played solidly Singles match. It was highly in the team portion of the comunlikely that Stricker was going to need Fowler’s point, but petition, took the lead on the the former PLAYERS champisecond hole — a birdie against Grillo’s double-bogey — and on played with tenacity, as if never relinquished it to send his life depended on the outa message that he was still focome.

He was there to compete, cused on winning a point for regardless of the team score. the U.S. Then he doubled his At the same time, so was lead on the par-5 fourth, hittalented Argentine Emiliano ting his wedge from 93 yards Grillo, who seemed a bit overto 4 feet and draining his third Rickie Fowler and Emilano Grillo greet at the first tee. birdie in four holes. whelmed not only by his oppoGrillo struck back with a nent, but also by the challenge birdie at the par-4 eighth, hitting a 91-yard wedge to of his first Presidents Cup. There was the pressure of the tap-in range. Unfortunately for the rookie, it would be competition and the pressure of trying to concentrate in his last birdie. front of a boisterous pro-American crowd. As a result, Fowler immediately bounced back on the par-5 Grillo recorded only two birdies while making bogey ninth with a 6-foot birdie putt. He wasn’t going to or worse on five holes, and the miscues contributed to allow his younger foe to get in front.

Fowler’s 6-and-4 decision.

RICKIE FOWLER had the honor of being U.S. captain

Singles Match 30 HOLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

PAR

4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3

STATUS AS 1up 1up 2up 2up 2up 2up 1up 2up 3up 3up 4up 5up 6up

RICKIE FOWLER

3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 2 4 3 4 4

EMILIANO GRILLO

3 7 4 5 4 4 3 3 5 4 4 5 6 5

STATUS

AS

96

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

F O U R T H D AY S I N G L E S M AT C H E S

Rickie Fowler is all smiles with the Presidents Cup.

The 2-up lead at the turn grew quickly as Fowler played solidly. While Grillo lost his tee shot to the right at the par-3 10th hole and needed two more strokes to find the green out of the native area, Fowler knocked his tee ball to 13 feet and converted the birdie. Two holes later, he birdied again from 3 feet.

At the same time, once Grillo made the turn he seemed to run out of gas, going 4 over par in the last three holes and making Fowler’s victory easier than expected.

“Emiliano is a fighter, but it wasn’t too much of a fight today,” Johnny Miller said during the NBC broadcast.”

Fowler was 6-under in the 14 holes he played and never seemed anything but in control.

The win capped off a 3-0-1 week for the 27-yearold as he improved his Presidents Cup record to 4-3-1 and avenged his 6-and-5 Singles loss to Adam Scott in Korea in 2015.

“I was proud of myself,” Fowler said. “It’s nice to

Emiliano Grillo attempts to escape a bit of trouble.

have a winning record. Haven’t really done that yet.

It’s been a great week, and with one of the best backdrops you can have for this event.”

—Alex Miceli

97

All-Time Records Largest margin of victory

11 points

9 points

8 points

United States def. International 2000, 21½ - 10½ International def. United States, 1998, 20½ - 11½ United States def. International, 2017, 19-11

Smallest margin of victory

1 point

1 point

United States def. International, 1996, 16½ - 15½ United States def. International, 2015, 15½ - 14½

16 15 15 14

Phil Mickelson, U.S. (26-16-13) Vijay Singh, International (16-15-9) Tiger Woods, U.S. (24-15-1) Stuart Appleby, International (5-14-2)

Most matches halved

13 9 5 4 4 4 4

Phil Mickelson, U.S. (26-16-13) Vijay Singh, International (16-15-9) Adam Scott, International (14-20-5) Justin Leonard, U.S. (8-11-4) Davis Love III, U.S. (16-8-4) Nick Price, International (8-11-4) Jason Day, International (5-11-4)

Most matches played

Most matches won in one year

55

40

40

40

Phil Mickelson, U.S. (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017) Ernie Els, International (1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013) Vijay Singh, International (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009) Tiger Woods, U.S. (1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013)

39 Adam Scott, International (2003, 2005,

2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017) Most matches won

26 Phil Mickelson, U.S. (26-16-13)

24 Tiger Woods, U.S. (24-15-1)

20 20 16 16

Ernie Els, International (20-18-2) Jim Furyk, U.S. (20-10-3) Davis Love III, U.S. (16-8-4) Vijay Singh, International (16-15-9)

Most matches lost

20 Adam Scott, International (14-20-5) 18 Ernie Els, International (20-18-2) 17 Robert Allenby, International (8-17-3) Previous pages: Stricker caption

98

5 5 5 5 5

Mark O’Meara, U.S. (1996) Shigeki Maruyama, International (1998) Tiger Woods, U.S. (2009) Jim Furyk, U.S. (2011) Branden Grace, International (2015)

Most matches lost in one year

5 Ernie Els, International (2000) 5 Phil Mickelson, U.S. (2003) Most matches halved in one year

3 3 3 3

Angel Cabrera, International (2005) Vijay Singh, International (2009) Woody Austin (2007) Vijay Singh (2009)

Players who went undefeated in one year (those with no halves in bold)

Fred Couples (3-0-0), U.S., 1994 Davis Love III (4-0-1), U.S., 1994 David Duval (4-0-0), U.S., 1996 Mark O’Meara (5-0-0), U.S., 1996 Steve Elkington (3-0-2), International, 1998 Shigeki Maruyama (5-0-0), International, 1998 Stewart Cink (4-0-0), U.S., 2000

ALL-TIME RECORDS

Davis Love III (4-0-0), U.S., 2000 Kirk Triplett (3-0-1). U.S., 2000 Retief Goosen (4-0-1), International, 2005 Chris DiMarco (4-0-1), U.S., 2005 Jim Furyk (3-0-2), U.S., 2005 Phil Mickelson (3-0-2), U.S., 2005 David Toms (4-0-1), U.S., 2007 Scott Verplank (4-0-0), U.S., 2007 Vijay Singh (2-0-3), International, 2009 Phil Mickelson (4-0-1), U.S., 2009

Tiger Woods (5-0-0), U.S., 2009 Jim Furyk (5-0-0), U.S., 2011 Branden Grace (5-0-0), International, 2015 Louis Oosthuizen (4-0-1), International, 2015 Zach Johnson (3-0-1), U.S., 2015 Phil Mickelson (3-0-1), U.S., 2015 Dustin Johnson (4-0-1), U.S., 2017 Rickie Fowler (3-0-1), U.S., 2017 Phil Mickelson (3-0-1), U.S., 2017 Kevin Kisner (2-0-2), U.S., 2017

99

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Most Four-Ball matches played

21 16 16 16 15 13 12

Phil Mickelson, U.S. (10-5-6) Ernie Els, International (8-7-1) Vijay Singh, International (9-5-2) Tiger Woods, U.S. (7-9-0) Adam Scott, International (5-7-3) Jim Furyk, U.S. (8-5-0) Davis Love III, U.S. (7-4-1)

Most Four-Ball matches won

10 9 8 8 8 7 7 7

Phil Mickelson, U.S. (10-5-6) Vijay Singh, International (9-5-2) Ernie Els, International (8-7-1) Jim Furyk, U.S. (8-5-0) Retief Goosen, International (8-2-1) Davis Love III, U.S. (7-4-1) Mike Weir, International (7-2-0) Tiger Woods, U.S. (7-9-0)

Most Four-Ball matches lost

9 7 7 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Tiger Woods, U.S. (7-9-0) Ernie Els, International (8-7-1) Adam Scott, International (5-7-3) Robert Allenby, International (4-6-0) Phil Mickelson, U.S. (10-5-6) Jim Furyk, U.S. (8-5-0) Justin Leonard, U.S. (3-5-0) Vijay Singh, International (9-5-2) Nick Price, International (3-5-2) Angel Cabrera, International (1-5-2) Frank Nobilo, International (0-5-0)

Most Foursomes matches played

22 16 16 16 16 13

Phil Mickelson, U.S. (12-6-4) Ernie Els, International (8-7-1) Vijay Singh, International (6-6-4) Tiger Woods, U.S. (11-4-1) Adam Scott, International (4-10-2) Jim Furyk, U.S. (7-3-3)

Most Foursomes matches won

12 11 8 7 6 6

Phil Mickelson, U.S. (12-6-4) Tiger Woods, U.S. (11-4-1) Ernie Els, International (8-7-1) Jim Furyk, U.S. (7-3-3) Vijay Singh, International (6-6-4) Steve Stricker, U.S. (6-3-0)

Most Foursomes matches lost

10 8 7 7

100

Adam Scott, International (4-10-2) Retief Goosen, International (2-8-2) Robert Allenby, International (3-7-2) Ernie Els, International (8-7-1)

6 6 6 6

Stuart Appleby, International (1-6-2) Phil Mickelson, U.S. (12-6-4) Vijay Singh, International (6-6-4) Mike Weir, International (3-6-1)

Most Singles matches played

12 8 8 8 7 8 6 6 6

Phil Mickelson, U.S. (4-5-3) Tiger Woods, U.S. (6-2-0) Ernie Els, International (4-4-0) Vijay Singh, International (1-4-3) Jim Furyk, U.S. (5-2-0) Adam Scott, International (5-3-0) Retief Goosen, International (4-2-0) Davis Love III, U.S. (4-1-1) Robert Allenby, International (1-4-1)

Most Singles matches won

6 5 5 4 4 4 4

Tiger Woods, U.S. (6-2-0) Jim Furyk, U.S. (5-2-0) Adam Scott, International (5-3-0) Ernie Els, International (4-4-0) Retief Goosen, International (4-2-0) Davis Love III, U.S. (4-1-1) Phil Mickelson, U.S. (4-5-3)

Most Singles matches lost

5 5 4 4 4 4

Stuart Appleby, International (0-5-0) Phil Mickelson, U.S. (4-5-3) Robert Allenby, International (1-4-1) Ernie Els, International (4-4-0) Nick Price, International (1-4-0) Vijay Singh, International (1-4-3)

Players who clinched the Presidents Cup for their respective teams (captain’s picks in bold):

1994 Fred Couples (10th Singles Match;

defeated Nick Price, 1-up) 1996 Fred Couples (12th Singles Match,

defeated Vijay Singh, 2 and 1) 1998 Nick Price (Second Singles Match,

defeated David Duval, 2 and 1) 2000 Davis Love III (Fifth Singles Match,

defeated Ernie Els, 4 and 3) 2003 TIE 2005* Chris DiMarco (12th Singles Match,

defeated Stuart Appleby, 1-up) 2007 Stewart Cink (Eighth Singles Match,

defeated Nick O’Hern, 6 and 4) 2009 Tiger Woods (Ninth Singles Match,

defeated Y.E. Yang, 6 and 5) 2011 Tiger Woods (11th Singles Match,

defeated Aaron Baddeley, 4 and 3) 2013 Tiger Woods (Ninth Singles Match,

ALL-TIME RECORDS

defeated Richard Sterne, 1-up) 2015* Bill Haas (12th Singles Match,

defeated Sangmoon Bae, 2-up) 2017 Daniel Berger (Fourth Singles Match,

defeated Si Woo Kim, 2 and 1 *The Presidents Cup was decided by the final match on the 18th hole.

Presidents Cup first-timers are noted in italics (not including 1994).

Shortest match:

12 holes

12 holes

13 holes

David Frost (International) def. Kenny Perry (U.S.), 7 and 6 (1996 Sunday Singles) Adam Scott & K.J. Choi (International) def. Tiger Woods & Steve Stricker (U.S.), 7 and 6 (2011 Thursday Foursomes) 15 times

Played with same partner most times:

7 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5

Branden Grace/Louis Oosthuizen, International Ernie Els/Adam Scott, International Ernie Els/Vijay Singh, International Retief Goosen/Adam Scott, International Phil Mickelson/Chris DiMarco, U.S. Phil Mickelson/Tom Lehman, U.S. Tiger Woods/Jim Furyk, U.S. Tiger Woods/Charles Howell III, U.S. Tiger Woods/Steve Stricker, U.S. Jordan Spieth/Patrick Reed, U.S.

Partners to win three or more points in a single Presidents Cup:

4

4

3.5

3.5

3.5

3.5

3

3

3

3

2009 4-0-0 2015 4-0-0 1998 3-0-1 2000 3-0-1 2005 3-0-1 2005 3-0-1 1996 3-0-0 2011 3-0-0 2011 3-1-0 2013 3-1-0

Tiger Woods/Steve Stricker (U.S.) Louis Oosthuizen/Branden Grace (INT) Steve Elkington/Greg Norman (INT) Stewart Cink/Kirk Triplett (U.S.) Phil Mickelson/Chris DiMarco (U.S.) Adam Scott/Retief Goosen (INT) Mark O’Meara/David Duval (U.S.) Phil Mickelson/Jim Furyk (U.S.) Bubba Watson/Webb Simpson (U.S.) Tiger Woods/Matt Kuchar (U.S.)

3

2017 Jordan Spieth/Patrick Reed (U.S.) 3-1-1 Players who have played in each Presidents Cup: Phil Mickelson (U.S.)

ROUND BY ROUND RECORDS Four-ball records for U.S. and International Teams, combined, by year:

Year 1994 1996 1998 2000 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017

U.S. 6.5 6 3.5 5 3 5.5 4 5.5 5 7.5 3.5 7.5

Int’l 3.5 4 6.5 5 8 5.5 7 5.5 6 3.5 5.5 1.5

Differential U.S. +3 U.S. +2 INT +3 Tied INT +5 Tied INT +3 Tied INT +1 U.S. +4 INT +2 U.S. +6

Foursomes records for U.S. and International Teams, combined, by year:

Year 1994 1996 1998 2000 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017

U.S. 5.5 4.5 2 9 6.5 5.5 10.5 7 8 6.5 6 7

Int’l 4.5 5.5 8 1 4.5 5.5 .5 4 3 4.5 3 2

Differential U.S. +1 INT +1 INT +6 U.S. +8 U.S. +2 TIED U.S. +10 U.S. +3 U.S. +5 U.S. +2 U.S. +3 U.S. +5

Sunday Singles records for U.S. and International Teams, by year:

Year 1994 1996 1998 2000 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017

U.S. 8 6 6 7.5 7.5 7.5 5 7 6 4.5 6 4.5

Int’l 4 6 6 4.5 4.5 4.5 7 5 6 7.5 6 7.5

Differential U.S. +4 Tied Tied U.S. +3 U.S. +3 U.S. +3 INT +2 U.S. +2 Tied INT +3 Tied INT +3

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2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Point differentials after Day One, by year:

Year 1994 1996 1998 2000 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017

U.S. Int’l 7.5 2.5 7.5 2.5 3 7 5 0 2.5 3.5 2.5 3.5 5.5 0.5 3.5 2.5 4 2 3.5 2.5 4 1 3.5 1.5

Differential U.S. +5 U.S. +5 INT +4 U.S. +5 INT +1 INT +1 U.S. +5 U.S. +1 U.S. +2 U.S. +1 U.S. +3 U.S. +2

Point differentials after Day Two, by year:

Year U.S. Int’l Differential 1994* 12 8 U.S. +4 1996* 10.5 9.5 U.S. +1 1998* 5.5 14.5 INT +9 2000 10 5 U.S. +5 2003 9.5 6.5 U.S. +3 2005 5.5 6.5 INT +1 2007 7 5 U.S. +2 2009 6.5 5.5 U.S. +1 2011 7 5 U.S. +2 2013 6.5 5.5 U.S. +1 2015 5.5 4.5 U.S. +1 2017 8 2 U.S. +6 *Format was three days total in 1994, 1996, 1998 Point differentials heading into Sunday Singles, by year:

Year U.S. Int’l Differential 1994* 12 8 U.S. +4 1996* 10.5 9.5 U.S. +1 1998* 5.5 14.5 INT +9 2000 14 6 U.S. +8 2003 9.5 12.5 INT +3 2005 11 11 Tied 2007 14.5 7.5 U.S. +7 2009 12.5 9.5 U.S. +3 2011 13 9 U.S. +4 2013 14 8 U.S. +6 2015 9.5 8.5 U.S. +1 2017 14.5 3.5 U.S. +11 *Format was three days total in 1994, 1996, 1998

CAPTAINS PICKS

102

Captains’ picks by year:

1994: International Team,

David Graham (Captain), Australia

Fulton Allem, South Africa (1½ points, 1-3-1)

Tsukasa Watanabe, Japan (1 point, 1-2-0)

United States Team, Hale Irwin (Captain)

Jay Haas (3 points, 3-2-0)

Phil Mickelson (3 points, 2-1-2) 1996: International Team,

Peter Thomson (Captain), Australia

Robert Allenby, Australia (2 points, 2-3-0)

Peter Senior, Australia (1 point, 1-2-0)

United States Team, Arnold Palmer (Captain)

David Duval (4 points, 4-0-0)

Kenny Perry (2 points, 2-2-0) 1998: International Team, Peter Thomson

(Captain), Australia

Frank Nobilo, New Zealand (2 points, 2-2-0)

Greg Turner, New Zealand (2 ½ points, 2-1-1)

United States Team, Jack Nicklaus (Captain)

Fred Couples (2 ½ points, 2-2-1)

John Huston (0 points, 0-4-0) 2000: International Team, Peter Thomson

(Captain), Australia

Robert Allenby, Australia (1 point, 1-3-0)

Steve Elkington, Australia (2 points, 2-2-0)

United States Team, Ken Venturi (Captain)

Paul Azinger (1 point, 1-2-0)

Loren Roberts (2 points, 2-1-0) 2003: International Team, Gary Player (Captain),

South Africa

K.J. Choi, Korea (2 points, 2-3-0)

Tim Clark, South Africa (2 points, 2-3-0)

United States Team, Jack Nicklaus (Captain)

Fred Funk (1 ½ points, 1-2-1)

Jay Haas (2 ½ points, 2-1-1) 2005: International Team, Gary Player (Captain),

South Africa

Trevor Immelman, South Africa (1 point, 1-3-0)

Peter Lonard, Australia (2 points, 2-2-0)

United States Team, Jack Nicklaus (Captain)

Fred Couples (1 ½ points, 1-2-1)

Justin Leonard (3 ½ points, 3-1-1) 2007: International Team, Gary Player (Captain),

South Africa

Nick O’Hern, Australia (1 point, 1-4-0)

Mike Weir, Canada (3 ½ points, 3-1-1)

United States Team, Jack Nicklaus (Captain)

Lucas Glover (2 points, 2-3-0)

Hunter Mahan (2 points, 2-3-0) 2009: International Team, Greg Norman

(Captain), Australia

ALL-TIME RECORDS

Ryo Ishikawa, Japan (3 points, 3-2-0)

Adam Scott, Australia (1 point, 1-4-0)

United States Team, Fred Couples (Captain)

Lucas Glover (½ point, 0-3-1)

Hunter Mahan (2 ½ points, 2-1-1) 2011: International Team, Greg Norman

(Captain), Australia

Robert Allenby, Australia (0 points, 0-4-0)

Aaron Baddeley, Australia (1 ½ points, 1-3-1)

United States Team, Fred Couples (Captain)

Bill Haas (1 ½ points, 1-3-1)

Tiger Woods (2 points, 2-3-0) 2013: International Team, Nick Price (Captain), Zimbabwe

Marc Leishman, Australia (2 points, 2-2-0)

Brendon de Jonge, Zimbabwe (2 points, 2-3-0)

United States Team, Fred Couples (Captain)

Webb Simpson (3 points, 2-1-2)

Jordan Spieth (2 points, 2-2-0) 2015: International Team, Nick Price (Captain), Zimbabwe

Sangmoon Bae, Korea (2 ½ points, 2-1-1)

Steven Bowditch, Australia (1 point, 1-2-0)

United States Team, Jay Haas (Captain)

Bill Haas (1 ½ points, 1-1-1)

Phil Mickelson (3 ½ points, 3-0-1) 2017 International Team, Nick Price (Captain), Zimbabwe

Emiliano Grillo, Argentina (0 points, 0-3-0)

Anirban Lahiri, India (1 ½ points, 1-1-1)

United States Team, Steve Stricker (Captain)

Charley Hoffman (1 point, 1-2-0)

Phil Mickelson (3 ½ points, 3-0-1) Most points scored by a captain’s pick:

4 David Duval (U.S.), 1996, 4-0-0 3½ Justin Leonard (U.S.), 2005, 3-1-1 3½ Mike Weir (International), 2007, 3-1-1 3½ Phil Mickelson (U.S.), 2015, 3-0-1 3½ Phil Mickelson (U.S.), 2017, 3-0-1

Fewest points scored by a captain’s pick:

0 0 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

John Huston (U.S.), 1998, 0-4-0 Robert Allenby (International), 2011, 0-4-0 Emiliano Grillo (International), 2017, 0-3-0 Lucas Glover (U.S.), 2009, 0-3-1 Tsukasa Watanabe (International), 1994, 1-2-0 Peter Senior (International), 1996, 1-2-0 Paul Azinger (U.S.), 2000, 1-2-0 Trevor Immelman (International), 2005, 1-3-0 Nick O’Hern (International), 2007, 1-4-0 Adam Scott (International), 2009, 1-4-0 Steven Bowditch (International), 2015, 1-2-0 Charley Hoffman (U.S.), 2017, 1-2-0

Most combined points scored by a team’s two captain’s picks in one year:

6

6

5

5

5

U.S. Team, 1994, Jay Haas (3-2-0), Phil Mickelson (2-1-2) U.S. Team, 1996, David Duval (4-0-0), Kenny Perry (2-2-0) U.S. Team, 2005, Justin Leonard (3-1-1), Fred Couples (1-2-1) U.S. Team, 2013, Webb Simpson (2-1-2), Jordan Spieth (2-2-0) U.S. Team, 2015, Phil Mickelson (3-0-1), Bill Haas (1-1-1)

Fewest combined points scored by a team’s two captains picks in one year:

1½ International Team, 2011,

Aaron Baddeley (1-3-1), Robert Allenby (0-4-0) 1½ International Team, 2017,

Emiliano Grillo (0-3-0), Anirban Lahiri (1-1-1) 2½ International Team, 1994,

Fulton Allem (1-3-1), Tsukasa Watanabe (1-2-0) 2½ U.S. Team, 1998, John Huston (0-4-0),

Fred Couples (2-2-1) Most combined points scored by teams’ four captains’ picks in one year:

9

9

1996, U.S., 6 points, David Duval (4-0-0), Kenny Perry (2-2-0); International, 3 points, Robert Allenby (2-3-0), Peter Senior (1-2-0) 2013, U.S., 5 points, Webb Simpson (2-1-2), Jordan Spieth (2-2-0); International, 4 points, Marc Leishman (2-2-0), Brendon de Jonge (2-3-0)

Fewest combined points scored by teams’ four captains’ picks in one year:

5

6

6

2011, International, 1 ½ points, Robert Allenby (0-4-0), Aaron Baddeley (1-3-1); U.S., 3½ points, Bill Haas (1-3-1), Tiger Woods (2-3-0) 2000, International, 3 points, Robert Allenby (1-3-0), Steve Elkington ( 2-2-0); U.S., 3 points, Paul Azinger (1-2-0), Loren Roberts (2-1-0) 2017, International, 1 ½ points, Emiliano Grillo (0-3-0), Anirban Lahiri (1-1-1); U.S., 4 ½ points, Charley Hoffman (1-2-0), Phil Mickelson (3-0-1)

Players who were named captain’s pick more than once:

3 3 2 2 2 2 2

Phil Mickelson (U.S.), 1994, 2015, 2017 Robert Allenby (International), 1996, 2000, 2011 Jay Haas (U.S.), 1994, 2003 Fred Couples (U.S.), 1998, 2005 Lucas Glover (U.S.), 2007, 2009 Hunter Mahan (U.S.), 2007, 2009 Bill Haas (U.S.), 2011, 2015

103

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

Players who won the weekend before being named a captain’s pick:

Most first-time Presidents Cup participants, combined teams (not including 1994; captain’s picks in bold)

Ryo Ishikawa, 2009 Fujisakei Classic Bill Haas, 2011 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola

11

10

10

10

10

Lowest-ranked players in their respective team standings to be named a captain’s pick (eventual record that year)

Phil Mickelson, 30th in U.S. Team standings, 2015 (3-0-1) Tiger Woods, 29th in U.S. Team standings, 2011 (2-3-0) Paul Azinger, 24th in U.S. Team standings, 2000 (1-2-0) Fulton Allem, 22nd in International Team standings, 1994 (1-3-1) Trevor Immelman, 22nd in International Team standings, 2005 (1-3-0) Jordan Spieth, 22nd in U.S. Team standings, 2013 (2-2-0) Tsukasa Watanabe, 20th in International Team standings, 1994 (1-2-0) Mike Weir, 20th in International Team standings, 2007 (3-1-1) Ryo Ishikawa, 20th in International Team standings, 2009 (3-2-0)

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS Total international countries represented:

14 Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Fiji,

India, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Paraguay,

South Africa, Thailand, Venezuela, Zimbabwe Most countries represented by International Team (players only), by year

8 7 6 4

2000, 2009, 2017 1998, 2015 1994, 1996, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013 2011

Total representation, by country, in the Presidents Cup by International Team members (players only)

Australia, 50 South Africa, 34 Japan, 10 Fiji, 8 Zimbabwe, 8 New Zealand, 7 Korea, 8

104

Canada, 7 Argentina, 5 Paraguay, 2 India, 2 Colombia, 1 Thailand, 1

Venezuela, 1

2013 (INT): Louis Oosthuizen, Hideki Matsuyama, Branden Grace, Graham DeLaet, Richard Sterne, Marc Leishman, Brendon de Jonge; (U.S.): Brandt Snedeker, Keegan Bradley, Jason Dufner, Jordan Spieth 2003 (INT): Stephen Leaney, Peter Lonard, Adam Scott, K.J. Choi, Tim Clark; (U.S.): Chris DiMarco, Charles Howell III, Jerry Kelly, David Toms, Fred Funk 2011 (U.S.): Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, Nick Watney, Bubba Watson, Bill Haas; (INT): Jason Day, Charl Schwartzel, K.T. Kim, Aaron Baddeley 2015 (INT): Sangmoon Bae, Steven Bowditch, Thongchai Jaidee, Anirban Lahiri, Danny Lee; (U.S.): Rickie Fowler, J.B. Holmes, Chris Kirk, Patrick Reed, Jimmy Walker 2017 (INT): Emiliano Grillo, Adam Hadwin, Si Woo Kim, Jhonattan Vegas; (U.S.): Daniel Berger, Kevin Chappell, Charley Hoffman, Kevin Kisner, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas

Fewest first-time Presidents Cup participants, combined teams (not including 1994; captain’s picks in bold)

5

5

6

2005 (U.S.): Scott Verplank; (INT): Angel Cabrera, Mark Hensby, Nick O’Hern, Trevor Immelman 2009 (U.S.): Anthony Kim, Sean O’Hair; (INT): Camilo Villegas, Y.E. Yang, Ryo Ishikawa 2007 (INT): Geoff Ogilvy, Rory Sabbatini; (U.S.): Woody Austin, Zach Johnson, Lucas Glover, Hunter Mahan

Most first-time Presidents Cup participants, per team (not including 1994; captain’s picks in bold)

7

6

5

2013 (INT): Louis Oosthuizen, Hideki Matsuyama, Branden Grace, Graham DeLaet, Richard Sterne, Marc Leishman, Brendon de Jonge 1996 (U.S.): Mark Brooks, Justin Leonard, Mark O’Meara, Steve Stricker, David Duval, Kenny Perry 2011 (U.S.): Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, Nick Watney, Bubba Watson, Bill Haas 2017 (U.S.): Daniel Berger, Kevin Chappell, Charley Hoffman, Kevin Kisner, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas 1998 (INT): Stuart Appleby, Carlos Franco, Shigeki Maruyama, Joe Ozaki, Greg Turner 2003 (INT): Stephen Leaney, Peter Lonard, Adam Scott, K.J. Choi, Tim Clark

ALL-TIME RECORDS

4

3

2

1

2015 (INT): Sangmoon Bae, Steven Bowditch, Thongchai Jaidee, Anirban Lahiri, Danny Lee 2000 (U.S.): Notah Begay III, Stewart Cink, Hal Sutton, Kirk Triplett, Paul Azinger 2003 (U.S.): Chris DiMarco, Charles Howell III, Jerry Kelly, David Toms, Fred Funk 2015 (U.S.): Rickie Fowler, J.B. Holmes, Chris Kirk, Patrick Reed, Jimmy Walker 2005 (INT): Angel Cabrera, Mark Hensby, Nick O’Hern, Trevor Immelman 2011 (INT): Jason Day, Charl Schwartzel, K.T. Kim, Aaron Baddeley 1998 (U.S.): Mark Calcavecchia, Jim Furyk, Lee Janzen, Tiger Woods 2007 (U.S.): Woody Austin, Zach Johnson, Lucas Glover, Hunter Mahan 2013 (U.S.): Brandt Snedeker, Keegan Bradley, Jason Dufner, Jordan Speith 2017 (INT): Emiliano Grillo, Adam Hadwin, Si Woo Kim, Jhonattan Vegas 1996 (INT): Ernie Els, Greg Norman, Jumbo Ozaki 2000 (INT): Michael Campbell, Retief Goosen, Mike Weir 2009 (INT): Camilo Villegas, Y.E. Yang, Ryo Ishikawa 2007 (INT): Geoff Ogilvy, Rory Sabbatini 2009 (U.S.): Anthony Kim, Sean O’Hair 2005 (U.S.): Scott Verplank

Youngest participants (first-time participants in bold): YEAR PLAYER AGE RECORD

2009 Ryo Ishikawa 18/0/24 3-2-0 2011 Ryo Ishikawa 20/2/3 2-2-0 2013 Jordan Spieth 20/2/29 2-2-0 2013 Hideki Matsuyama 21/7/11 1-3-1 2017 Si Woo Kim 22/3/0 1-2-0 2015 Jordan Spieth 22/3/1 3-2-0 1998 Tiger Woods 22/11/13 2-3-0 1994 Robert Allenby 23/1/27 1-4-0 2003 Adam Scott 23/4/7 3-2-0 2011 Jason Day 24/0/8 1-3-1 2017 Jordan Spieth 24/2/1 3-1-1 1994 Phil Mickelson 24/2/23 2-1-2 1996 Justin Leonard 24/3/0 1-3-0 2009 Anthony Kim 24/3/22 3-1-0 2017 Justin Thomas 24/4/30 3-1-1 2003 Charles Howell III 24/5/3 3-2-0 2017 Daniel Berger 24/5/21 2-1-0 2000 Tiger Woods 24/9/22 3-2-0 1996 David Duval 24/10/6 4-0-0 Youngest average age of International Teams: YEAR

AVERAGE AGE

Oldest participants (first-time participants in bold):

2017 2015 2013 1994 2011 2005

YEAR PLAYER AGE RECORD

Youngest average age of U.S. Teams:

2003 Jay Haas 49/11/21 2-1-1 1996 Jumbo Ozaki 49/7/22 1-2-0 1994 Hale Irwin 49/3/15 2-1-0 2005 Fred Funk 49/3/11 0-2-2 2009 Kenny Perry 49/2/1 1-3-0 2003 Fred Funk 47/5/9 1-2-1 2017 Phil Mickelson 47/3/12 3-0-1 2003 Nick Price 46/9/26 2-2-0 2009 Vijay Singh 46/7/19 2-0-3 2013 Steve Stricker 46/7/13 3-2-0 2005 Fred Couples 45/11/22 1-2-1 2015 Thongchai Jaidee 45/11/0 1-1-1 2000 Greg Norman 45/8/12 1-3-0 2000 Loren Roberts 45/3/28 2-1-0 2015 Phil Mickelson 45/3/22 3-0-1 2005 Kenny Perry 45/1/15 1-3-0

YEAR

2017 2015 1996 1998 2013 2000 2011

30.3 30.4 31.3 32.8 32.9 33.6 AVERAGE AGE

31.8 32.8 32.8 33.1 33.6 34.1 34.3

105

2017 P RESIDENTS CUP

The Royal Melbourne Golf Club hosts the 2019 Presidents Cup.

Results/Future Sites 1994

United States 20, International 12 (Hale Irwin) (David Graham) Robert Trent Jones Golf Club Prince William County, Virginia

2009

United States 19½, International 14½ (Fred Couples) (Greg Norman) TPC Harding Park San Francisco, California

1996

United States 16½, International 15½ (Arnold Palmer) (Peter Thomson) Robert Trent Jones Golf Club Prince William County, Virginia

2011

United States 19, International 15 (Fred Couples) (Greg Norman) The Royal Melbourne Golf Club Melbourne, Australia

1998

International 20½, United States 11½ (Peter Thomson) (Jack Nicklaus) The Royal Melbourne Golf Club Melbourne, Australia

2013

United States 18½, International 15½ (Fred Couples) (Nick Price) Muirfield Village Golf Club Dublin, Ohio

2000

United States 21½, International 10½ (Ken Venturi) (Peter Thomson) Robert Trent Jones Golf Club Prince William County, Virginia

2015

United States 15½, International 14½ (Jay Haas) (Nick Price) Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea Songdo IBD, Incheon City, South Korea

2003

International 17, United States 17 (Gary Player) (Jack Nicklaus) The Links at Fancourt George, South Africa

2017

United States 19, International 11 (Steve Stricker) (Nick Price) Liberty National Golf Club Jersey City, New Jersey

2005

United States 18½, International 15½ (Jack Nicklaus) (Gary Player) Robert Trent Jones Golf Club Prince William County, Virginia

2019

The Royal Melbourne Golf Club Melbourne, Australia

2021

Quail Hollow Club Charlotte, North Carolina

United States 19½, International 14½ (Jack Nicklaus) (Gary Player) The Royal Montreal Golf Club Montreal, Quebec, Canada

2023

TBD

2025

Harding Park San Francisco, California

2007

Total: United States 10, International 1, Tie 1

106

JUNIOR PRESIDENTS CUP

U.S. Wins Inaugural Junior Presidents Cup A NEW CHAPTER in the Presidents Cup was written on

Monday and Tuesday of tournament week when the inaugural Junior Presidents Cup was held at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J. Twenty-four of the top junior amateurs from all corners of the world except Europe who were 19 years old or younger competed in the goodwill event that mirrors the Presidents Cup in format and spirit.

After rounds of Foursomes, Four-ball and Singles, the United States Team defeated the International Team, 14-10. The U.S. was captained by 2001 PGA champion David Toms, while 2008 Masters winner Trevor Immelman led the International side. Hall of Famers and former Presidents Cup captains Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player served as honorary captains for their respective sides.

The contestants, chosen by the PGA TOUR in conjunction with the American Junior Golf Association, were invited to stay for the Presidents Cup and witness first-hand the biennial competition that someday perhaps they will all have a chance in which to participate.

Members of the U.S. Team: Garrett Barber, Akshay Bhatia, Jacob Bridgeman, Prescott Butler, Canon Claycomb, Cole Hammer, Joe Highsmith, Eugene Hong, Turner Hosch, Noah Goodwin, William Mouw, Trent Phillips.

Members of the International Team: Josh Armstrong, Luca Filippi, Garrick Higgo, Christo Lamprecht, Fred Lee, Sean Maruyama, Naraajie Emerald Ramadhan, Jayden Schaper, Rayhan Thomas, Atiruj Winaicharoenchai, Karl Vilips, Wocheng (Aden) Ye.

The United States Junior Presidents Cup Team.

The International Junior Presidents Cup Team.

107

This official record of the 2017 Presidents Cup is published for Rolex by: Break70 Publishing, LLC PO Box 380 Alexandria, OH 43001 740.501.2265 ISBN 978-0-9912343-6-3 © 2017 Break70 Publishing, LLC All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by an means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise — without the prior written permission from the publisher.

Executive Editor: David Shedloski Contributing Editor: Jim McCabe Design and color retouching by: Legendary Publishing & Media Group, Inc. Writers: Jim McCabe Alex Miceli Marino Parascenzo Adam Schupak David Shedloski Gary Van Sickle Photography by: Getty Images: Rob Carr, Elsa, Sam Greenwood, Cliff Hawkins, Patrick Smith PGA TOUR: Stan Badz, Darren Carroll, Chris Condon, Scott Halleran, Ryan Young ROLEX: Chris Turvey David Cannon Photo of Gary Player on Page 4 courtesy of Getty Images/Ken C. Fox Photo of The Royal Melbourne Golf Club on Page 106 courtesy of L.C. Lambrecht Printed in the USA by: Worzalla Publishing Co.

5 6

7

2017 PRESIDENTS CUP LIBERTY NATIONAL GOLF CLUB HOLE

PAR

YARDS

HOLE

PAR

YARDS

1

4

427

10

3

150

2

5

538

114

4

481

3

4

467

12

4

325

4

5

611

13

4

445

5

4

474

14

4

490

6

4

513

15

4

398

7

3

225

16

3

219

8

4

431

17

4

395

9

5

563

18

3

193

OUT

38

4249

IN

33

3096

TOTAL

71

7345

10

4 8 12

3

1

2

18

17

9 13 11

16

15

14