Thursday's Foursomes match recaps
 
Sep. 27, 2007

Match 1
Hunter Mahan and Steve Sticker def. Geoff Ogilvy and Adam Scott, 3 and 2

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The Americans secured the first point of the Presidents Cup in the day's opening match, in which they never trailed. Rookie Hunter Mahan set the tone when he drained an 18-foot birdie putt at the first and Steve Stricker, playing in his first match in 11 years, took care of the tail end of the proceedings when he sank putts of eight and 12 feet to win the last two holes. The International Team of Adam Scott and rookie Geoff Ogilvy made a run, however. Ogilvy's 11-foot putt at No. 8 ignited a run of three birdies in four holes. Scott rammed in a 25-footer at No. 9 to cut it to 1 down, but then the two Aussies gave it back with a wayward drive and second that led to a bogey. Another birdie by Scott at 11 cut it to one again. It was as close as the Internationals got as Scott continued to fight his swing. They barely saved par after a wild tee shot at the par-3 13th, and at 14, Stricker's bogey putt from eight feet won the hole when Scott flared his second from the middle of the fairway way right, leading to a double bogey. Mahan's approach settled inside Scott's at 16 and Stricker, with captain Jack Nicklaus looking on, drained the birdie to put it away.

Match 2
Phil Mickelson and Woody Austin halved Vijay Singh and Mike Weir

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There were fireworks aplenty as one of the most amazing matches in Presidents Cup history ended in fitting fashion, with America's Woody Austin holing one more crucial shot and then him and Phil Mickelson conceding a testy par putt at the behest of captain Jack Nicklaus to ensure a tie with Vijay Singh and Canada's Mike Weir. "It was probably, in my four years in the Presidents Cup, one of the toughest matches I've ever been in," Weir said after the seesaw battle in which only six holes were halved. The U.S., after an early 2-up lead, appeared cooked when the International Team won five of seven holes starting at the fifth to take a 3 up lead with seven holes remaining. Weir ignited the run with a kick-in birdie at No. 6 and a 16-foot birdie conversion at the short par-4 eighth. But the Americans wouldn't quit, and the match was really just heating up. The U.S. won the next three holes to square the match with Austin sinking a 25-foot birdie at 12 and Mickelson setting up an easier 3-footer for Austin at 14 surrounding an International bogey. The U.S. was poised to win a fourth hole in a row, but Singh birdied from a greenside bunker at 15 and Austin couldn't halve from eight feet. Mickelson got them back to even, however, nailing a 20-footer at the par-3 17th. Both teams missed the green at 18, and the Internationals were looking good with just under four feet left for par while the Americans had a 13-footer. When Austin drilled it, Nicklaus intervened to let the match end in a tie and the only scoring the International Team managed all day.


Match 3
Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson def. Rory Sabbatini and Trevor Immelman, 1 up

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Timing is everything. In this match, the Americans had it. The Internationals didn't. Standing on the 18th hole with a chance to come away with a halve or a win, Sabbatini put his drive in the water and it was, basically, over. Yes, the two teams wound up conceding each other's final putts -- the U.S. conceded a longer bogey for the Internationals first -- but all the Americans needed was a safe par and they got it. At the end, at least. The Internationals won the first two holes to take a 2-up lead, then came the Zach attack. Two big putts at the seventh and eighth squared the match then the U.S. took the lead at No. 12. Sabbatini squared it at the 14th. Johnson, who wasn't great off the tee, kept the Americans in the match with key up-and-downs at the 16th and the 18th to take the point.

Match 4
David Toms and Jim Furyk def. Ernie Els and Angel Cabrera, 1 up

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For a while, it looked as though Toms and Furyk might pick up the first point of the match. Then Furyk's swing got a bit loose and they wound up in a dogfight. They were 3 up at the 11th tee, losing just one of the first 10 holes. The Internationals did win the 12th hole, but after Toms made an 18-footer at the 13th hole, the U.S. was 3 up again. This time with five holes to play. Then Els came out of the bunker to give Cabrera a short putt to cut the lead to 2. Furyk found the water of the tee at 15 and the Internationals two-putted to cut it to 1 up. Then, Furyk found the water off the tee again at the 18th. Toms put them in position to two-putt for bogey and Els missed a four footer that would have won the match for a halve, but he ran it past four feet. The U.S. did concede Els' bogey putt.

Match 5
Lucas Glover and Scott Verplank def. Stuart Appleby and Retief Goosen, 2 up

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Making his first start in the Presidents Cup, American Lucas Glover discovered early in his match with partner Scott Verplank against Stuart Appleby and Retief Goosen just how quickly momentum can swing. After missing an 8-foot putt on the first hole that gave the Internationals a 1-up advantage, Glover squared the match by holing a 15-footer for birdie at No. 2. The Americans never trailed again. Goosen provided a thrill at No. 6 when he holed a 40-foot bunker-shot for eagle to square the match. The turning point came at No. 15. After a great leave by Glover with his second shot, Verplank canned a 6-footer for a 1-up lead. Glover drained a 12-footer on No. 16 -- a birdie that gave Team USA a 2 up advantage with two holes to play. Goosen would send the match to the final hole after making birdie at No. 17. But, when the Internationals got in trouble with an air-mailed approach by Appleby on the final hole, followed by a beautiful third shot out of a bunker from Glover, the U.S. walked away with a 2-up win.

Match 6
Tiger Woods and Charles Howell III def. K.J. Choi and Nick O' Hern, 3 and 1

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After a shaky start -- Woods popped his first tee shot high into the air, carrying it just 233 yards and well short of consistent but not long-hitting O'Hern -- and going 1 down to the International team at the fourth hole, the American team squared it at the fifth hole when Woods holed a momentum-shifting 14-footer. There were three consecutive halved holes at Nos. 7, 8 and 9 and the U.S. made the turn at 1 up. The Howell-Woods duo then went 2 up at No. 10 but quickly lost one when Howell missed a 3-foot putt at the 11th hole. Two halved holes followed before the real roller coaster ride began, on No. 14, Howell sank an 11-footer to go 2 up, then O'Hern's made 14-foot putt cut the lead back to one at the 15th hole. The two pairs took penalties on No. 16 after Howell and Choi found water, but Howell managed to right his tee shot wrong, save par on the hole and give he and Woods a 2-up lead. The U.S. didn't look back, winning the par-3 No. 17 with a birdie and taking the match 3 and 1.

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STANDINGS
Results Points
US TEAM 19.5
INTERNATIONAL TEAM 14.5
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