Whoa: Sharp Internationals Open Up Stunning 4-1 Presidents Cup Lead Over USA
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Royal Melbourne looked stunning.
Quality golf from Tiger and most of the Internationals offset some rust, sloppiness and course management mistakes from the USA. And in what has been mostly lopsided, the International team opened up a stunning 4-1 lead as Team USA looked a bit overmatched at times (jet lag, speedy Royal Melbourne the likely culprits).
Friday’s foursomes, where USA teams have dominated (unlike the Ryder Cup), just got more interesting. This is the International team’s first lead after any session since 2005.
Tactically, the Patrick Reed placement with Webb Simpson will be questioned given Simpson’s recent strong play in matches with Matt Kuchar. Reed, predictably, was heckled loudly on the first tee and received lukewarm reactions throughout the day.
As for highlights, Sungjae Im’s first hole eagle was the only better shot than Tiger’s brilliant wedge and gimme:
Woods chip in at 5 as he carried Justin Thomas to the lone USA win:
Dustin Johnson driving the 11th may have been the most incredible shot of the day. He missed the eagle putt and his team halved the hole.
Friday’s foursomes deprived us of a Reed-Cam Smith showdown, and it sounds like that’s a shame given the tension as reported on by Mark Hayes:
