Match recaps: Saturday's four-ball matches

text size

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Here's a look at each completed match in Saturday afternoon's four-ball session at The Presidents Cup. The Internationals won three of the five matches but trail the U.S. 13-9 overall going into Sunday's singles session. (click here for latest scores/pairings).

MATCH 18: Retief Goosen-Charl Schwartzel, International def. Webb Simpson-Bubba Watson, U.S., 2 and 1

Match Flow: The International side won the first hole with a Schwartzel birdie and never gave up the lead after that. A Goosen birdie at the sixth put the South Africans 2 up. Simpson and Watson each bogeyed the seventh to lose another hole. The Internationals were 3 up at the turn and then increased that to 4 up with a Schwartzel's third birdie of the day. The U.S. won its first hole of the day at the par-3 14th with a par, but by then the deficit was too large, although Goosen made it interesting by lipping out a couple of makeable putts that extended the match against the previously undefeated American duo.
Tipping point: At the par-4 sixth, each player had a birdie putt inside 25 feet. The only player to make his was Goosen. Simpson failed to hole his 12 footer, and the Internationals walked off the green 2 up. That seemed to set the one for the rest of the match.
Notes: The Internationals' birdie at the opening hole ended a streak of 44 holes in which Watson and Simpson had not trailed . . . With the loss, Simpson-Watson failed to become the second team to post four points at a Presidents Cup. . . . The Americans produced just one birdie between them (Watson at the par-4 second) after combining for six birdies in their previous four-ball match on Friday . . . Schwartzel's tee shot at the par-4 17th bounced into the back of a moving flat-bed cart. The cart immediately stopped, the ball was retrieved and Schwartzel received relief. . . . Goosen is now 8-2-1 in four-ball matches at The Presidents Cup.
Quotes: "I think since we didn't play as well as what we wanted in the morning, we wanted to prove something in the afternoon and that's the sort of golf we need to play tomorrow." Charl Schwartzel . . . "Me and Charl played solid from the first few holes and got up on them early on. Then we got a bit spooked -- or I got spooked the last few holes and couldn't get a ball in the hole. But luckily we finished it off." -- Retief Goosen

Click here for hole-by-hole details | Discuss the match

MATCH 19: Y.E. Yang-K.T. Kim, International def. Tiger Woods-Dustin Johnson, U.S. , 1 up

Match Flow: Yang opened with a birdie at the first hole to give the Internationals the lead, and they never trailed after that. The Korean duo maintained the tight 1-up advantage as the next eight holes were halved. After making the turn, Woods squared the match at the 10th when he rolled in a birdie putt of 34 feet. Yang answered with a birdie at the next hole from 10 feet to put his team 1 up, but then Woods answered again with another birdie, this time from 11 feet, to again square the match. At the par-5 15th, Kim was the only one to birdie, rolling in a 28-foot putt. The U.S. had chances to get even again, but Woods missed a 16-foot birdie putt that would've won the 17th. Kim closed out the match with a clutch 6-foot putt to save par and win the point.
Tipping Point: At the decisive 15th, the Americans appeared to have the advantage. Woods was on the green in two, and Johnson was just off the green, while Kim was still 150 yards from the green. But Kim hit a nice third shot and rolled in the long birdie attempt, while Woods 3-putted from 67 feet, missing a 9-footer for birdie that would've halved the hole.
Notes: The Americans didn't suffer a bogey at any hole, as Woods made three birdies and Johnson made two. The International team suffered only one bogey (by Yang, but it didn't cost the Koreans the hole). Kim played his best match of the week, a bogey-free 2 under with some clutch putts down the stretch. . . . Woods is now 5-9-0 in four-ball at The Presidents Cup.
Quotes: "When I heard I was being paired up with Tiger, I was a bit nervous, especially because I haven't been playing well the last two days. I've felt a lot of pressure. But because we had the morning off, I think it helps conditioning-wise, and I think I got used to the course. I also think that at the tail end, I think we trusted each other. That's probably the main reason why we won." - K.T. Kim . . . "It's always good to have a win. Having it over Tiger is an added perk, definitely." - Y.E. Yang . . . "I played well today. So did D.J. Unfortunately, we just didn't make enough putts. It's all about making putts in match play and we didn't do that." - Tiger Woods

Click here for hole-by-hole details | Discuss the match

MATCH 20: Geoff Ogilvy-K.J. Choi, International def. Steve Stricker-Matt Kuchar, U.S., 1 up

Match Flow: After halving the first four holes, the Americans went 1 up thanks to Kuchar's third consecutive birdie. But Choi's putter then heated up. He squared the match with a 30-foot birdie putt at the eighth, and made two 10-foot par putts to halve holes. Ogilvy then gave the Internationals the lead, winning the 11th hole with a 19-foot birdie putt. From there, neither team could win a hole the rest of the way. Choi made a key birdie on the 15th hole, rolling in a 16-foot putt to match two American birdies.
Tipping Point: At the par-4 8th hole, none of the four players were inside 30 foot of the hole with their approach shots. But when Choi became the only one to sink his long birdie attempt, the Internationals grabbed the momentum by squaring the match. Choi and Ogilvy perked up after that, while Kuchar could not regain the hot streak he produced earlier on the front nine.
Notes: Ogilvy-Choi won both of their four-ball matches this week on the 18th hole . . . Choi had only one win in either four-ball or foursomes prior to this week, but he finished with three wins in four attempts. . . . Choi and Ogilvy combined for seven birdies on seven different holes, while Stricker and Kuchar combined for eight birdies on six different holes.
Quotes: "We had to bounce back this afternoon and have a good day, and we've done that. We are going to still need a really big day tomorrow but we are still in with a chance." - Geoff Ogilvy . . . . "Today is up and down, and with the weather, and so we have to stay calm and patient and did a good job making birdies." - K.J. Choi

Click here for hole-by-hole details | Discuss the match

MATCH 21: Hunter Mahan-Bill Haas, U.S. def. Aaron Baddeley-Jason Day, International, 2 and 1

Match Flow: Baddeley's birdie at the opening hole put the Australians up quickly, but Haas countered with an eagle on the next hole, the par-5 second, when he hit his second shot to 19 feet and drained the putt. The Americans grabbed their first lead at the par-4 sixth with a Mahan birdie from six feet. The International duo each got in trouble at the seventh, losing the hole with bogeys. Now 2 down, the Internationals got one of the holes back when the Americans could do no better than bogey at the 10th. Day then came to life at the 11th with a 13-foot birdie putt that squared the match. But the Americans immediately answered with a Haas birdie at the 12th from 12 feet. Another Haas birdie at the next hole, this time from 8 feet, extended the Americans' advantage. Day got one of those holes back with a birdie at the 15th, but the Aussies found trouble at the 16th and lost the hole with a bogey. Day gave the Internationals one last bit of hope with a 32-foot birdie putt just off the green at the 17th, but Mahan immediately rolled in his putt from 23 feet to halve the hole and close out the match.
Tipping Point: The Internationals had the momentum after winning the 15th hole and slicing the U.S. advantage to 1 up. But both Australians sent their approach shots at the 16th into greenside bunkers and couldn't get up-and-down to save par.
Notes: Haas' eagle was the only one made during Saturday afternoon's four-ball session . . . Haas earned his first full point of his Presidents Cup career. The FedExCup champion is 1-2-1 on the week.
Quotes: "It was difficult. It was tough. We grinded. We got 2 up and we got it back to even and Bill made two birdies. Boy, it was a lot going on today. This is an Australian team we were playing today, we heard it all day and to make it like that feels good." - Hunter Mahan . . . "I give all the credit in the world to Hunter today. He carried me, a couple nice birdies on the back nine, carried me midway through the round and it's fitting he made that putt there. It was his match. That was pretty special to watch." - Bill Haas . . . "I made a bomb on 17. I was so excited. I was pumped for it. Hunter just walked in and did it so easily. And you just he just stood up there and he had to make the putt. And he did, which was good for him." - Jason Day

Click here for hole-by-hole details | Discuss the match

MATCH 22: Jim Furyk-Nick Watney, U.S. def. Adam Scott-Ernie Els, International, 1 up

Match Flow: After halving the first three holes, the Americans won the fourth and fifth holes with two Watney birdies and never trailed after that. The Internationals did claw their way back into the match. The U.S. found trouble at the 10th and lost the hole with a bogey. Els then rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt at the 11th and suddenly the match was all square. But the Internationals' momentum was fleeting. Watney hit a terrific approach shot to four feet for a birdie at the 12th and the U.S. never trailed after that. At the par-3 14th, Watney's tee shot landed 10 feet from the pin, and he rolled in that putt to go 2-up. Els responded with a birdie at the par-5 15th to win the hole but that was as close as the Internationals could get.
Tipping Point: The Internationals had a chance to even the match on the 17th hole when Adam Scott faced a birdie putt from inside 10 feet. Win that hole and the Internationals could've gone to the 18th with a chance to win the match. But Scott missed the putt, as well as his last-gasp 26-footer for birdie to halve the match at the 18th.
Notes: With the win, Furyk becames the only player on either team to win each of his first four matches this week. He'll look to become just the fourth player in Presidents Cup history to win all five matches . . Watney was the difference maker with five birdies on the round. Furyk contributed an early birdie but nothing after that. . . . Watney's five birdies were the most by any player in Saturday's four-ball session . . . Furyk moves into a tie with Tiger Woods for most matches won In Presidents Cup history with 19. . . . Els and Scott are now 3-3-0 as partners in their Presidents Cup careers.
Quotes: "I had chances. 17 was the real chance and a shame to miss that." - Adam Scott

Click here for hole-by-hole details | Discuss the match