Melbourne, Australia (AP) — Capsules from Friday’s foursomes matches at the President’s Cup at Royal Melbourne:
Louis Oosthuizen and Adam Scott, International, def. Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar, United States, 3 and 2.
Scott and Oosthuizen were 2-down after seven holes but won five holes from the eighth through 14th. The Americans didn’t win a hole after the seventh. Scott’s ninth appearance is the most of any player on the International side in Presidents Cup history. Scott moves into a tie with Vijay Singh for second-most career wins with 16, trailing only current captain Ernie Els’ 20th. Oosthuizen, Scott’s 15th different playing partner at the Presidents Cup, has nine wins in four Cup appearances.
Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, United States, def. Adam Hadwin and Joaquin Niemann, International, 1-up.
Cantlay’s 14-foot birdie putt on the 18th gave the Americans the win. Neither team held more than a 1-up lead in the match. The Americans were 1-down but their late birdies on 15th and the last clinched the win at a time when the Americans were 6-1 on the tournament scoreboard. Hadwin gave the Internationals an early lead with an eight-foot birdie putt on the first.
Marc Leishman and Abraham Ancer, International, def. Webb Simpson and Patrick Reed, United States, 3 and 2.
Presidents Cup rookie Ancer improved to 2-0, a day after winning his fourballs match on Thursday with Louis Oosterhuizen. The teams went back and forth through the first four holes with the U.S. winning the first and fourth holes and the Internationals the second and third. The Internationals broke the tie with a birdie on the par-3 fifth hole and never gave up the lead. Reed, penalized last week for trying to improve his lie in sand in the Bahamas, continued to take heat from the Australians fans. After they booed his birdie on the 11th, he encouraged them to boo louder and then pretended his putter was a shovel and mockingly dug it into the green twice.
Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods, United States, def. Byeong Hun An and Hideki Matsuyama, International, 1-up.
As drama goes, it didn’t get any better than Thomas’ 17-foot birdie putt on 18 to win the match for the Americans. With about a foot to go, Woods realized it was going in and dropped his putter to give a major league chest thump to a gesticulating Thomas. It was Woods’ 26th win at the Presidents Cup, tying him with Phil Mickelson for overall wins. Thomas and Woods also won their opening fourballs on Thursday. They led Friday 2-up after five holes before An and Matsuyama won the seventh. The Internationals took the lead on the eighth and again on the 11th before the Americans birdied the 13th to level. It stayed that way until Thomas’ clinching birdie on the last.
Sungjae Im and Cameron Smith, International, halved with Gary Woodland and Rickie Fowler, United States
Fowler, who had the day off Thursday and celebrated his 31st birthday Friday, and Woodland quickly found themselves behind when Australian Smith, who also didn’t play on the opening day, chipped in from about four feet off the green on the first hole and then used his putter to do the same from just off the green on the second. They held either a 2-up or 1-up lead through to the 15th hole, but birdies on 16 and 17 tied the match before Fowler made a 5 1/2 foot putt on 18 to halve the match for the Americans.
 |
 |
 |
