Whew. What a first day to start off with at this 2011 President's Cup. There was so much drama and so much going on, it was truly must see television. You had a ton of stuff going on all at once. It's too bad Golf Channel couldn't host all 6 matches on different channels; it was really crazy to try to keep up with all of what went down. You had your shocking blowouts, your surprise victories, and your clutch comebacks. It was like the first few days of March Madness out there.
In the end, after Day 1, the USA team leads the International team, 4-2. Now, here's a recap of each match that went on yesterday and a few notes about each. (FYI: A match win earns 1 point for the team, a "half" is a tie which results in 1/2 points for each team)
DAY 1, THURSDAY FOURSOMES RESULTS:
Match 1: Bubba Watson/Webb Simpson def. Ernie Els/Ryo Ishikawa, 4&2
- This match's result was pretty surprising. You have Webb, a rookie, going up against two experienced President's Cup players. Not only that, but they were 2 down thru 4 holes, and simply started playing great golf. By the end it was reported that they were 7 under par thru the 16th hole. They really lit it up.
Match 2: Bill Haas/Nick Watney halved Geoff Ogilvy/Charl Schwartzel
- This match also started off with the American's down early. They were 2 down thru 8 before turning it around on the back 9 and earning a crucial tie and 1/2 point. In fact, they had to win their last 2 holes just to get the tie, so they came up big.
Match 3: Matt Kuchar/Dustin Johnson halved Jason Day/Aaron Baddeley
- This match got crazy at the end. The Aussie duo were in complete control of this match, and were 3 up with 7 to play. It looked virtually over for the Americans. But then, they took the 12th hole, and the chase was on. It seemed like nerves and errant shots got to the young Aussie team, as they let the last 2 holes slip away and eventually tied the Americans for a 1/2 point.
Match 4: Phil Mickelson/Jim Furyk def. Robert Allenby/Retief Goosen, 4&3
- To be honest, I didn't really pay attention to this match much. After an early lead by the International team here, the Americans gained control of this match and never really looked back.
Match 5: Hunter Mahan/David Toms def. K.T. Kim/Y.E. Yang, 6&5
- This was a complete rout. The International partnership only won one hole in the round, and the American duo were just on fire. Watch out for this partnership for the Americans; it seems to be a great success so far.
Match 6: Adam Scott/ K.J. Choi def Tiger Woods/Steve Stricker, 7&6
- This was the match EVERYONE was talking about and wanted to see. And oh boy, was it BAD for the Americans. This loss was so bad that it tied the worst loss margin in history of the President's Cup. And while it's true that Woods and Stricker weren't on their game yesterday, Scott and Choi were just as good. Scott and Choi looked like world beaters that day, and wouldn't let up by finishing off this damaged American side with a birdie. Too add insult to injury, Woods and Stricker couldn't even make a birdie in the match. This was just that forgettable. It was so bad it ended before some of the other matches, and they started last! Luckily for them, it was the only loss the American's suffered all day.
DAY 2 PREVIEW, FRIDAY FOUR-BALL:
Day 2 will be played earlier than expected, as they prepare for inclement weather. Therefore, Golf Channel coverage will begin at 5:30 ET today. Here is the list of projected matches for the Friday Four-Ball(aka, Best Ball format):
Match 1: Bubba Watson/Webb Simspon vs. Ernie Else/Ryo Ishikawa
Match 2: Tiger Woods/Dustin Johnson vs. Jason Day/Aaron Baddeley
Match 3: Phil Mickelson/Jim Furyk vs. Adam Scott/K.T. Kim
Match 4: Bill Haas/Nick Watney vs. Geoff Ogilvy/K.J. Choi
Match 5: Steve Stricker/Matt Kuchar vs. Y.E. Yang/Robert Allenby
Match 6: Hunter Mahan/David Toms vs Charl Schwartzel/Retief Goosen
Make sure to follow us on twitter (@jjsanchez92) or check back on this blog for updates.
Photo via ymig
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