MELBOURNE, AUstralia -- Matt Kuchar clawed back but Retief Goosen hung tough to beat the American 1 up.

The victory was Goosen's third in five matches this week at Royal Melbourne. But it came after Tiger Woods assured the United States of its seventh win in nine Presidents Cups.

Kuchar won the first hole with a par but Goosen promptly eagled No. 2 to even the proceedings. The South African then birdied the sixth and won Nos. 10 and 11 with pars to take a 3-up advantage.

Kuchar caught fire at that point, though, winning the next three holes with two birdies and a par. But Goosen seized the lead with a par at the 16th hole and brought it home for the Internationals.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- In arguably his finest individual performance in months, Tiger Woods beat Aaron Baddeley 4 and 3 to give the United States the Presidents Cup.

Woods blasted out of a greenside bunker to a foot for a conceded birdie that would give the U.S. the win for the second straight Presidents Cup. The win was assured after Baddeley was unable to hole his chip for a halve to extend the match.

With the performance, Woods silenced the critics who questioned Couples' using a Captain's Pick on the former world No. 1. Woods was 5 under through 15 holes as he made six birdies.

Woods took the lead in the match with consescutive birdies on Nos. 5 and 6. He never trailed and eventually built a 5-up lead with a par at the 13th before Baddeley birdie the next to take the match to the decisive final hole.

MELBOURNE, Australia – The United States continued its domination of The Presidents Cup, officially clinching the trophy for the seventh time in nine attempts.

Just as he did two years ago at Harding Park, Tiger Woods won the decisive match to give the American an insurmountable lead. Woods, a Captain’s Pick by Fred Couples, beat Australian Aaron Baddeley 4 and 3 to provide the necessary 18th point for the U.S.

“It does feel good,” said Woods, who was in the penultimate match of the day. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come down to my match.”

Two matches were still unfinished when the U.S. clinched the Cup.

By winning at Royal Melbourne, the U.S. avenges its only Presidents Cup, which came here in 1998 when the International team dominated the event, winning by nine points.

Since then, the U.S. has won every Presidents Cup except in 2003 when the event ended in a tie and the teams shared the Cup.

The Americans’ dominance in foursomes competition proved too much for the International to overcome. The U.S. won eight of 11 matches in foursomes, including a 4-1 advantage in the Day 3 morning session that made an International comeback near impossible.

The U.S. needed to win just five of 12 singles matches coming into Sunday while the Internationals had to win eight of 12.

The first four players that International Captain Greg Norman sent out all won their matches, but the home team could not carry the momentum through the rest of its lineup.

The Internationals will get their next shot at winning the Cup in 2013 on U.S. soil at Muirfield Village.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Jim Furyk completed an undefeated run through the 2011 Presidents Cup on Sunday when he beat Ernie Els 4 and 3.

Only three other players -- Mark O'Meara in 1996, Shigeki Maruyama in 1998 and Tiger Woods in 2009 --  have gone 5-0 at the biennial event. Furyk won three matches with Phil Mickelson at his side and the fourth with Nick Watney on Saturday afternoon.

Furyk's point insured the United States at least a tie at the Presidents Cup. The U.S. now leads 17-14.

Furyk took the lead Sunday with a birdie on the second hole. He never trailed and doggedly built his advantage, twice getting to 4 up before earning the win.

The American now has a 20-10-3 record in seven Presidents Cup appearances. If Tiger Woods goes on to win his Singles match – he’s 4 up with four holes remaining – he and Furyk will be tied for the most matches won in Presidents Cup history.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Geoff Ogilvy completed an International sweep of the first four matches when he beat Bill Haas 2 up.

The point moved the International Team within three points of the U.S. at 16-13 -- but needing to win the five remaining matches to win the Presidents Cup. The Internationals led in only one of those and another was all square.

Haas actually picked up the first win of the match when he parred the fourth hole. But Ogilvy birdied the next to square the affair and then went 1 up with a par at No. 8.

Haas, who didn't make a birdie until the 17th hole, evened the match briefly when he parred No. 11. But Ogilvy, who grew up in a house adjacent to Royal Melbourne, responded with another birdie at the next and hung tough until Haas bogeyed No. 18 for the final margin.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- David Toms won the first hole and never looked back as he handed Robert Allenby a 7 and 5 defeat.

Toms posted a 3-1 record, winning twice with Hunter Mahan as a partner, as well as picking up his third Singles win in four Presidents Cups. Allenby only won one hole Sunday as he went winless in four matches this week.

The point put the Americans within two of a win at the Presidents Cup. The U.S. leads 16-12.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Nick Watney earned his first point of the Presidents Cup on Saturday afternoon in Four-Balls and he rode that momentum into the Singles.

Watney beat K.J. Choi, who was the leading point-getter on the International side, by a 3-and-2 score in the sixth match on Sunday. The U.S. now needs three points to win the match.
 
Watney never trailed in the match after winning the fourth and fifth holes with a par and a birdie. Choi did manage to square the proceedings with a birdie at No. 7 and a par at the 11th but Watney won three of the next five to earn the win.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Ryo Ishikawa told Greg Norman that K.T. Kim would win his match and the young Korean delivered, beating Webb Simpson 1 up in Sunday's opener.

Kim appeared to hit his stride on Saturday afternoon when he and Y.E. Yang beat Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson. Some were surprised when Norman sent him off first in Singles, but the move was certainly rewarded.

Kim won the fourth and fifth holes with pars to put the International flag on the scoreboard early. He was the third International player to win in the first three matches, and a fourth was leading on the 18th hole when Kim finished.

Kim never trailed in the match, although Simpson did square the match with a birdie and a par at the 15th and 16th holes. Undaunted, Kim made a 10-footer for birdie at No. 17 and held on for the win.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Charl Schwartzel made a 13-footer for birdie at the 17th hole to halve the hole and beat Dustin Johnson 2 and 1.

The victory was the second for the International and closed the gap to 14-12. Greg Norman's team, which leads in four more matches, needs eight points to tie and nine to win the Presidents Cup.

Schwartzel took control of his match with Johnson early, making birdies on the second and third holes. Johnson cut into the lead with a par at the fourth hole  but had to concede No. 7, and the South African was 3 up at the ninth after winning with a par.

A 6-foot birdie putt at the 11th hole gave Schwartzel a  4-up advantage. Johnson did manage to get two back with birdies but Schwartzel hung tough and delivered the win.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Ryo Ishikawa made short work of Bubba Watson on Sunday to earn the first point for the International Team.,

When the 20-year-old from Japan finished off his 3 and 2 victory, Greg Norman's squad led in five other matches, including the first four. The International Team needs eight Singles wins for a tie and nine to win.

Watson actually won the first hole with a birdie but Ishikawa answered with a birdie of his own at the next to square the match. The Japanese pro then won three of the next four holes with a bogey, a par and a birdie to go 3 up.

Ishikawa double bogeyed the eighth hole to give one back but immediately got that back at the ninth when Watson made a bogey. He rolled in a 12-footer at No. 13 for another win and coasted home.

Watson did win the 15th hole when he two-putted for birdie from 43 feet on the par 5. But it was a case of too little, too late and a pair of bogeys at No. 16 sealed the International win.

Ishikawa, who was a late arrival at Royal Melbourne, has now played in two Presidents Cups and won both his Singles matches. He went 1-2 in the team matches, partnering with Ernie Els.