Things haven’t gone all that well for Tiger Woods and his United States team at these hotly-contested Presidents Cup matches Down Under.
The United States team has trailed since day one and trails heading into the Sunday singles at Royal Melbourne but the International lead is slim.
The Saturday morning best-ball (four-ball) session finished 2-2 and the International led 9-5 at that point. In the afternoon alternate shot (foursomes), the U.S. won two matches and tied two but it was the collapse of Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas that got all the attention.
Fowler and Thomas led Marc Leishman and Abraham Ancer, 5-up with just seven holes to play. Leishman and Ancer then birdied the 11th and 12th holes to cut into that lead then Fowler and Thomas totally fell apart coming home and finished with three straight bogeys and the International pair was able to salvage a tie and a crucial half-point.
Here’s how the Saturday matches shook out:
Morning Session, Four-Ball (Best-Ball):
MATCH 11: Justin Thomas/Rickie Fowler (USA) def. Marc Leishman/Haotong Li (INT) 3 & 2
MATCH 12: Sungjae Im/Abraham Ancer (INT) def. Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay (USA) 3 & 2
MATCH 13: Hideki Matsuyama/C.T. Pan (INT) def. Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed (USA) 5 & 3
MATCH 14: Matt Kuchar/Tony Finau (USA) tie Adam Scott/Byeong Hun An (INT)
Internationals lead, 9-5.
Afternoon Session, Foursomes (Alternate Shot):
MATCH 15: Dustin Johnson/Gary Woodland (USA) def. Louis Oosthuizen/Adam Scott (INT) 2 & 1
MATCH 16: Justin Thomas/Rickie Fowler (USA) tie Marc Leishman/Abraham Ancer (INT)
MATCH 17: Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay (USA) def. Cameron Smith/Sungjae Im (INT) 2 & 1
MATCH 18: Matt Kuchar/Tony Finau (USA) tie Byeong Hun An/Joaquin Niemann (INT)
Internationals lead, 10-8.
The most noticeable event on Saturday was Tiger Woods sitting himself out for both sessions. It was pretty evident that Woods’ body and the weather had a lot to do with it. It was chilly, damp and windy. Woods does not do well in cold, wet, weather. He chose to captain the team and wanted to be sure he was fully rested for the singles matches. It was a tough decision as Woods has been the best performer on the United States team through the first two days.
Woods will lead off the singles competition. He’ll go out against Abraham Ancer, who has been one of the strongest performers on the International side through the first three days.
Here’s how the Singles lineup shakes out:
Match 19: 6:02 p.m. Tiger Woods (USA) vs. Abraham Ancer (INT)
Match 20: 6:13 p.m. Tony Finau (USA) vs. Hideki Matsuyama (INT)
Match 21: 6:24 p.m. Patrick Reed (USA) vs. C.T. Pan (INT)
Match 22: 6:35 p.m. Dustin Johnson (USA) vs. Haotong Li (INT)
Match 23: 6:46 p.m. Bryson DeChambeau (USA) vs. Adam Hadwin (INT)
Match 24: 6:57 p.m.Gary Woodland (USA) vs. Sungjae Im (INT)
Match 25: 7:08 p.m. Patrick Cantlay (USA) vs. Joaquin Nieman (INT)
Match 26: 7:19 p.m. Xander Schauffele (USA) vs. Adam Scott (INT)
Match 27: 7:30 p.m. Byeong Hun An (INT) vs. Webb Simpson (USA)
Match 28: 7:41 p.m. Justin Thomas (USA) vs. Cameron Smith (INT)
Match 29: 7:52 p.m. Matt Kuchar (USA) vs. Louis Oosthuizen (INT)
Match 30: 8:03 p.m. Rickie Fowler (USA) vs. Marc Leishman (INT)
Ancer said before the matches began that he’d love to play against Woods. He’s getting his wish and perhaps that could fall under the old saying:
“Be careful what you wish for.”
Woods was confident before the matches that his team had superior depth and that would show well in singles competition.
We’ll find out Saturday evening when it all comes to a head.
