GAINESVILLE, Va. -- Two years later and halfway across the
world, the Presidents Cup is as close as ever.
Chris DiMarco came up aces, Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk came
through with clutch comebacks and Retief Goosen and Adam Scott
proved as formidable as ever Saturday, all of them turning in solid
performances that left the matches tied going into a final round of
12 singles matches.
Each team had 11 points, the first time the Presidents Cup has
been tied going into Sunday since it began in 1994
"I think tomorrow is a toss-up," Phil Mickelson said. "The
International team is very strong, 12 of the best players in the
game. They are extremely tough and are playing some extremely good
golf. I feel the American team is playing exceptional golf, as
well. I have faith in my team. But we have a lot of work ahead of
us."
Woods will face Goosen in the third match, while Fred Couples
will take on Vijay Singh in the fifth match. Mickelson and DiMarco
anchor the U.S. team, facing Angel Cabrera and Stuart Appleby in the final two matches.
Goosen came from behind to beat Woods in the Tour Championship
last year, one of only three players to win on the PGA Tour when
Woods has a 54-hole lead.
"I don't think too many players have a great record against
Tiger," Goosen said.
Sunday's play begins at 12:05 p.m. ET with Justin Leonard facing Tim Clark. Other matches, with Americans listed first: David Toms vs. Trevor Immelman; Kenny Perry vs. Mark Hensby; Scott Verplank vs. Mike Weir; Jim Furyk vs. Adam Scott; Stewart Cink vs. Peter Lonard; Fred Funk vs. Michael Campbell; and Davis Love III vs. Nick O'Hern.
The Americans had a chance to take the outright lead in the
final better-ball match of the afternoon.
Couples, who has provided some of the most dramatic images from
Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, hit a wedge into 8 feet on the 18th
hole and was poised to score a 1-up victory. But his putt stayed
above the cup as he and Love had to settle for a halve
with Campbell and Cabrera.
No one had to work harder than Woods and Furyk, who birdied the
last two holes in alternate shot Saturday morning to earn a halve
against Singh and Appleby, then went the distance against them in
the afternoon. It was just as tight, just as tense as Furyk carried
the load and kept the Americans in the match.
Woods finally delivered, making an 18-foot birdie on the 16th
hole that barely caught the left edge of the cup for a 1-up lead.
Appleby hit a wedge into 10 feet on the last hole, but missed the
putt.
"I didn't really do much except for read putts and have the
pompoms out," Woods said. "Finally, I was able to help him out on
16 and I made a putt there."
The star was DiMarco, who has only three PGA Tour victories in
his 10-year career, but plays like a major champion in these team
events. He made only the second hole-in-one in the Presidents Cup
in the morning, holed just about every putt that mattered and
joined Mickelson in two victories the Americans needed.
DiMarco and Mickelson were so dominant that neither of their
matches Saturday reached the 16th hole.
The International side got more strong play from Scott and
Goosen, who battled Verplank and Leonard to a draw in
the morning, and buried them in a better-ball match with 10 birdies
in 14 holes.
As close as these matches have been, the Americans might have
history on their side. They have never lost at RTJ, and they have
never lost a singles session in five previous President Cup
matches.
The only other time the matches were this close was in 1996,
when the Americans took a one-point lead in the final day and split
the singles to win the cup.
"We had to go through all of this just to be tied," Furyk
said. "It all boils down to tomorrow."
The Americans started the day trailing by one point, but pulled
even by winning three points from the five alternate-shot matches
in the morning.
There was no shortage of dramatic shots and stunning rallies.
DiMarco, 3-0-1 in his partnership with Mickelson, started it off
with an ace on the par-3 seventh hole. Assistant captain Jeff Sluman was on the tee and mentioned that Leonard in the group ahead
had hit 7-iron. DiMarco went with the same club, and it hopped onto
the green and rolled gently into the heart of the cup.
That sparked the American tandem, and they never let up in
beating Campbell and Cabrera.
Behind them, Woods and Furyk were in trouble.
Appleby, who had made two long par putts to keep his
International team in the match, came through again on the 16th
hole with a 15-foot par for a 2-up lead with two holes to play.
Furyk and Woods got all they could get, a half-point that
ultimately tied the matches after three sessions.
Furyk made a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th that broke sharply
to the right to give the Americans a chance. And after Woods found
the fairway, Furyk hit his approach to 4 feet. Singh had a 25-foot
putt that stopped a few blades of grass to the right of the cup,
then Woods made his birdie putt for the halve.
Then came the confusion.
Love and Cink, who were 4-up with six holes to play,
were clinging to a 1-up lead when Cink hit his wedge on the 17th
into about 18 inches. Weir called out to Cink, "Good shot."
All Love heard was "good." So, he picked up the ball, and Weir
asked him what he was doing.
As Love stood with his arms outstretched, the gallery began to
boo.
"I think they thought I was trying to win the hole that way,"
Weir said. "That wasn't the case at all."
Weir wanted to see the coin mark on the green, a psychological
reminder that the match was over if Weir had missed his 8-foot
attempt.
Unsure what to do, both captains arrived on the green, along
with retired USGA rules chief Tom Meeks. Weir's partner, Immelman, argued that picking up the ball without it being conceded
is loss of the hole, but all Weir wanted was for Love to replace
the ball.
Meeks said that's what the rule required under this situation.
Weir made his putt, picked up Love's coin and they headed to the
18th. The Americans won the match when Immelman's 25-foot birdie
putt lipped out.
That was as close as anything came to controversy. Singh made
light of partisan U.S. crowd when he holed a birdie on the eighth
hole, heard muffled cheers and cupped his hands to his ears.
The gallery was plenty loud as twilight fell on RTJ, and it
figures to be that way Sunday.