Presidents Cup to be decided in Sunday singles

Presidents Cup results and Singles pairings http://www.presidentscup.com/livescoring.html

The bottom line after a marathon session of Saturday foursomes and four-ball matches is that the teams split the eight points that were available and the USA leads Internationals by a single point 9.5 to 8.5.

They have just concluded the election process for Sunday singles and the captains have decided not to match up Jordan Spieth vs Jason Day instead Korean star Bae Sang-Moon will play in the anchor match vs Bill Haas. The full list of matches are in the link above.

Here is a recap of the foursomes and four-ball matches that have happened overnight.

Morning Foursomes

The points were split right down the middle as the USA won a match as did the Internationals and two matches were halved. So the US led 7.5-6.5 going into the afternoon.

Louis Oosthuizen/Branden Grace def. Patrick Reed/Rickie Fowler 3 and 2:  This International pairing are undefeated (3-0) this week after they took over this match at the 11th, making birdie in three of the next five holes. They are leading the way for Nick Price's men with some superb wedge play from Oosthuizen and clutch chipping and putting from Grace.

Bubba Watson/J.B. Holmes halved with Adam Scott/Marc Leishman: Bubba and JB were leading his match until they 3 putted the 16th to lose to a par to cut their lead to 1up then they let Scott and Leishman off the hook by 3 putting the par 5 18th for par as Bubba missed a 5 footer for the match. Leishamn summed it up best..“You never know what can happen, and we got out of that one,”

Sangmoon Bae-Hideki Matsuyama halved with Bill Haas-Matt Kuchar: This was a very tight match which was decided to the crowds delight on the 18th with Bae and Matsuyama combining to win the par-5 18th with a birdie to halve the match.

Bae who will join the army next week, has been great to watch and he provided one of the day's highlights when he holed his chip shot for birdie at the 15th after Kuchar had rolled in a birdie putt from 45 feet.

Dustin Johnson-Jordan Spieth def. Jason Day-Charl Schwartzel 1 up: Day and Schwartzel will rue this loss as they were 3 up after nine holes and lost the match on the 18th to par after Day drove into the fairway bunker with a steep lip and Schwartzel failed to clear it resulting in a bogey and the loss as Spieth rolled in his par putt. The US won 3 of the last 5 holes, Speith calling it a match like no other he'd been part of

Afternoon four-balls

Sangmoon Bae-Hideki Matsuyama def. Jimmy Walker-Chris Kirk 6 & 5: This turned out to be the most lopsided win of the event so far and it really got started after the Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama’s iron  shot into the first landed close and he made the birdie to win the hole and backed by the crowd favourite Bae they never looked back as the Korean star made birdies at the eighth and ninth to go 4 up as the crowd around the ninth green chanted his name. You couldn't write a better script.

Phil Mickelson-Zach Johnson def. Adam Scott-Anirban Lahiri 3 & 2: Captain Haas decided to rest his pair in the morning letting them sleep in and Johnson said afterwards he really appreciated that and it showed in their play as they made an early birdie to take the lead and never trailed. Scott and Lahiri failed to birdie the par-5's, and Adam Scott's putting woes are painful to watch.

Louis Oosthuizen-Branden Grace def. Bubba Watson-J.B. Holmes 1 up: The South Africans are the other top story for the Internationals along with Sangmoon Bae as they became just the second Presidents Cup duo to go 4-0 after winning a match that saw them get off to a great start with 3 quick birdies, a fight back by Bubba and JB to square the match, then the coup de grace with Grace chipping in for birdie at the par-4 16th to win the hole and then a brilliant finish as both he and Bubba halved the hole in birdie after hitting their approach shots inside of 3 feet !

Jordan Spieth-Patrick Reed def. Jason Day-Charl Schwartzel 3 & 2: Captain Haas re-united Ryder Cup partners Spieth and Reed and it was Spieth who was dazzling with five birdies on the front nine to put them up by 2 at the turn. They were 4 up after 12 and finished in darkness as 3&2 winners to finish the day splitting the matches and the points with the US leading 9.5 to 8.5 with it all to play for in the Sunday singles.

Bryan Angus