International analysis: Quiet. Understated. And darn
good. Two-time U.S. Open winner Goosen and former PLAYERS champ Scott
will nice you to do death. Player loves them -- their strength, their
2-0 record. And this is the second time he's led with them.
Key statistic:Suggested Order of Play: Goosen first on odd
holes, Scott first on even holes. This has arguably been the best pairing of the tournament and there is
no reason why it will not continue. Goosen will continue to benefit
from Scott's PGA TOUR-leading approach accuracy and as long as they
continue with their excellent play on the greens they will be tough to
beat.
U.S. analysis: They're comfortable as old shoes. Buddies who
practice together and enjoy playing. Even if they do grind so hard you
have to look hard to find the smiles. Leonard wasn't as spot-on as
Verplank Friday, but he did make a couple of crucial saves and the
clinching putt. They don't have to wonder where their partner is
putting the ball in Foursomes -- it'll almost always be where they'd
expect their own to be.
Key statistic:Suggested order of play: Verplank first on odd
holes, Leonard first on even holes. This has been the best team for the U.S. and like their opponents, the
only ones to earn two points. Their similar styles of play have
blended well and their mix of accuracy and deft touch on the greens
should continue to keep them in every match. Leonard, who ranks
second on TOUR in putting from inside 10 feet, will be the key player
in this match.
Outlook:
Battle of the unbeatens. Like Nicklaus said, he's ready to give them a
bigger bite to chew on every session. Leonard didn't play as well as
he wanted Saturday, so expect him to be ready. He'll have to
be. Goosen and Scott aren't perfect either, but this one is going to
be a key match.
Projected Outcome: Halved.
Retief Goosen (2-0-0)
Adam Scott (2-0-0)
Match 2
United States Team
Insight and Analysis
International Team
Phil Mickelson (1-0-1)
Chris DiMarco (1-0-1)
International analysis: Cabrera can bust it down the fairway,
but he's got to be careful in this format. Campbell, the defending
U.S. Open champ, has had a magic second half to this season, but he needs
to have the ball in play to score. They defeated Davis Love III and
Kenny Perry 2 and 1 in Thursday's foursomes.
Key statistic:Suggested order of play: Campbell first on odd
holes, Cabrera first on even holes. A total of 39 percent of Cabrera's measured drives on the PGA TOUR
have traveled over 300 yards, but it has been his excellent putting
that has been an even bigger factor in this team's success. Campbell
has also putted very well and been very accurate on his approaches.
U.S. analysis: Comeback kids. Down by two with six to play,
they birdied the 15th and 17th to square the match with Cabrera and
Campbell. A birdie at the 18th would have been nice, but even the
comeback was a win. They like each other, feed off each other and go
into the final two days 1-0-1.
Key statistic:Suggested Order of Play: DiMarco first on
odd holes, Mickelson first on even holes. DiMarco, who is ranked eighth on the PGA TOUR in proximity to the hole
from 100-125 yards, will benefit from the extra distance he will gain
from Mickelson off the tee. He has shown how accurate he can be
through the first two rounds. It is the putting on this team that
will decide the outcome of this match.
Outlook: A rematch. Sort of. They tied Friday afternoon in
Four-balls, but Foursomes is a different animal. Edge here? We say too
close to call.
Projected Outcome: Halved.
Angel Cabrera (1-0-1)
Michael Campbell (1-0-1)
Match 3
United States Team
Insight and Analysis
International Team
Fred Funk (0-0-2)
David Toms (0-2-0)
International analysis: Clark and O'Hern lost to Phil Mickelson
and Chris DiMarco, 1 up, in Thursday's Foursomes, which wasn't a bad
showing. They came back with a win (O'Hern) and a tie (Clark) in their
respective four-ball matches Friday.
Key statistic:Suggested Order of Play: O'Hern first on odd
holes, Clark first on even holes. In 2005, O'Hern is the most accurate driver on the PGA TOUR, but it
was his short game and putting that propelled this team to victory in
the first round. He will need to keep up his play on the greens as
his accuracy advantage is countered on the other team by Fred Funk.
U.S. analysis: Nicklaus believes in pairing players of similar
skills and styles and Funk and Toms should find their games are
compatible. Toms still doesn't seem to be 100 percent, but Funk's
steady play, especially off the tee, should settle him.
Key statistic: Suggested order of play: Funk first on odd
holes, Toms first on even holes. Funk and Toms are two of the most
accurate players on the U.S. side. Funk ranks third on TOUR in accuracy from the tee, while Toms is
seventh in proximity to the hole on approaches from 125-150 yards.
Outlook: It's a virtual toss-up among four control players who
don't bomb it off the tee. O'Hern was taking some late putting
practice, which was a good idea because the greens will be where this
match is decided.
Projected Outcome: This match will come down to how effectively Toms and Clark can use their respective partner's drives. International Team wins.
Tim Clark (0-1-1)
Nick O'Hern (1-1-0)
Match 4
United States Team
Insight and Analysis
International Team
Tiger Woods (1-1-0)
Jim Furyk (1-0-1)
International analysis: Singh has two halves in his matches,
while Appleby has suffered two losses playing with less experienced
players. Now he teams with the world's No. 2 player in Singh and their
length off the tee matches up.
Key statistic: Suggested order of play: Appleby first on Odd
Holes, Singh first on Even Holes. Appleby and Singh have very similar games from the tee, ranking just
behind Cabrera on the International Team in Average Driving
distance. These players will need to take advantage of their length
and give themselves a couple of legitimate eagle opportunities on the par 5s
to win this match.
U.S. analysis: A breakthrough in Four-ball should be a lift to
Woods, whose Foursomes record is rather good. Both he and Furyk are
nursing injuries, but if Woods can give Furyk enough short-iron
approaches, Furyk should be able to help the team score.
Key statistic: Woods ranks fifth in greens in regulation while
Furyk ranks ninth, and they are 17th and 18th in putts per greens in
regulation, respectively. They were a tough draw in Four-ball
competition and could be even tougher in Foursomes. However, they
both need to remain healthy to have any success in this match.
Outlook: Woods and Singh haven't faced off since Woods beat
Singh 2 and 1 in an intense singles match in 2000. No one is liable to
give an inch here, and it remains to be seen if the injured Americans
will be able to keep up with a strong International duo.
Projected Outcome: U.S. Team wins.
Vijay Singh (0-0-2)
Stuart Appleby (0-2-0)
Match 5
United States Team
Insight and Analysis
International Team
Davis Love III (0-2-0)
Stewart Cink (0-1-1)
International analysis: Immelman and Weir have meshed extremely well. The South African isn't playing like a rookie and Weir is healthy again and starting to regain his form. They ran up against a buzz saw on Friday in the team of Justin Leonard and Scott Verplank, but it was hardly a rout. And the two International players know how to play Foursomes after a 6 and 5 rout of David Toms and Stewart Cink on Thursday.
Key statistic:Suggested order of play: Weir first on odd holes, Immelman first on even holes. Weir will benefit from Immelman's distance off the tee and accuracy on approach. Weir is putting like the Weir of 2003 (when he was 11th in putting average), and his continued success on the greens will be the key to this match.
U.S. analysis: Love seemed to finally get untracked on the back nine Friday. He made four birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine of his match with Kenny Perry, and although they fell short of the win, U.S. Captain Jack Nicklaus must have been encouraged. Love, who has played in all six Presidents Cups, would like to build on his 14-8 record and Cink might be the perfect partner.
Key statistic:Suggested order of play: Cink first on odd holes, Love first on even holes. The order of play is crucial to this pairing, as Love is long off the tee and this should help Cink on his approach shots, especially on the par 5s. Love must putt well and take advantage of Cink's approach shots for this team to be successful.
Outlook: Immelman and Weir have already found the comfort zone that Love and Cink will be seeking.
Projected Outcome: Immelman and Weir have played very well as a team, especially in this format. International Team wins.
Trevor Immelman (1-1-0)
Mike Weir (1-1-0)
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United States Team
International Team
