PGA Tour Frys.com Open leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/frys-com-open/leaderboard.html
Brendan Steele followed his opening 63 with -2 70 and at -11 he is 2 shots clear of Graham DeLaet (68) , Will Wilcox (67), Jhonattan Vegas (71) and Harold Varner III (70) all at -9. There is a large group at -8 that include Justin Rose (69), Russell Henley (69 and Martin Laird (71) and Justin Thomas (70)
DeLaet is driving it long averaging over 316 yards but is also hitting 83% of his greens in regulation as a result had 5 birdies and just the one bogey.
Other Canadians; Adam Hadwin is at -5 62 67, the rest of the guys MC, David Hearn E 71 73, Corey Renfrew +1 73 72, Nick Taylor +2 71 75..
The Silverado course playing firmer, with tougher pins was playing a shot harder than Thursday and the cut is at -2 142, and because 81 players made it there will be a 54-hole cut at the end of play today.
All eyes are on Rory McIlroy who is hitting the ball well from tee to green but isn't making many putts. He shot 71 and is at -5.
Bryan Angus
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Friday, October 16, 2015
DeLaet leads Canadian contingent at Frys.com in California
PGA Tour Fry's.com Open leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/frys-com-open/leaderboard.html
There has just been a two week break since the 2015 season ended, along with all the excitement of the Solheim and President Cups, but here we go again already with the 2016 season officially underway in the beautiful Napa valley and I must say there is a pretty strong field
Graham DeLaet seems to be fully recovered from the thumb injury that forced him to withdraw from the RBC Canadian Open ending his season as he leads the 5 Canadians here this week after a -5 67, T7. Nick Taylor and David Hearn both had -1 71 while Adam Hadwin is in at 72. Cory Renfrew won the Monday qualifier shot +1 73.
Rory McIlroy is on his way from Florida to Asia for the finale to the Race to Dubai and he has stopped off here on route for some much needed competitive play. He opened with -4 68 and trails the leader Brendan Steele who posted a 29 on the back nine before making the turn and finishing with -9 63 for a one-shot lead over Jhonattan Vegas in ideal scoring conditions at Silverado. Vegas really needs to save himself as he has lost his card, didn't make the Web.com Tour Finals and is playing here as part his limited status as a past champion (2011 Humana Challenge)
Rookie Harold Varner III, had a nice debut with a 65 a shot ahead of a group at 66 then Justin Thomas and Justin Rose are in another pack at 67.
Sang-Moon Bae is the defending champion, and he is in the army now in South Korea, so is unable to defend.
There has just been a two week break since the 2015 season ended, along with all the excitement of the Solheim and President Cups, but here we go again already with the 2016 season officially underway in the beautiful Napa valley and I must say there is a pretty strong field
Graham DeLaet seems to be fully recovered from the thumb injury that forced him to withdraw from the RBC Canadian Open ending his season as he leads the 5 Canadians here this week after a -5 67, T7. Nick Taylor and David Hearn both had -1 71 while Adam Hadwin is in at 72. Cory Renfrew won the Monday qualifier shot +1 73.
Rory McIlroy is on his way from Florida to Asia for the finale to the Race to Dubai and he has stopped off here on route for some much needed competitive play. He opened with -4 68 and trails the leader Brendan Steele who posted a 29 on the back nine before making the turn and finishing with -9 63 for a one-shot lead over Jhonattan Vegas in ideal scoring conditions at Silverado. Vegas really needs to save himself as he has lost his card, didn't make the Web.com Tour Finals and is playing here as part his limited status as a past champion (2011 Humana Challenge)
Rookie Harold Varner III, had a nice debut with a 65 a shot ahead of a group at 66 then Justin Thomas and Justin Rose are in another pack at 67.
Sang-Moon Bae is the defending champion, and he is in the army now in South Korea, so is unable to defend.
Sullivan leads by 4 shots halfway through the Portugal Masters
European Tour Portugal Masters scoreboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2015/tournamentid=2015080/leaderboard/index.html#x7sgeOoWo0CHOPLw.97
The Atlantic coast of Portugal has long been a golfing holiday local for many northern Europeans including Britain but his week at the Oceanico Victorio GC in the Algarve, it's all business for the guys on the European tour looking for a late season win or to improve their Race to Dubai standings.
The Atlantic coast of Portugal has long been a golfing holiday local for many northern Europeans including Britain but his week at the Oceanico Victorio GC in the Algarve, it's all business for the guys on the European tour looking for a late season win or to improve their Race to Dubai standings.
Andy Sullivan at 28 has had a career year and is looking for a third title after winning the The South African Open Championship and the Joburg Open earlier and he has opened up a 4 shot lead with a second straight -7 64, -14 total as the morning wave wrap up their rounds.
The Englishman had held a share of the lead overnight alongside Nicolas Colsaerts and he enjoyed the beautiful sunny morning along with Bernd Wiesberger 68 64 -10, Eduardo De La Riva 65 67 -10 and Tommy Fleetwood 69 64 -9.
The two Belgians, Colsaerts 64, and Thomas Pieters 65 are just starting their rounds and I must add there is bad weather in the forecast for the weekend, so we will see what mother nature has to say about the eventual outcome but for now little Andy Sullivan is home and dry with the lead.
The Englishman had held a share of the lead overnight alongside Nicolas Colsaerts and he enjoyed the beautiful sunny morning along with Bernd Wiesberger 68 64 -10, Eduardo De La Riva 65 67 -10 and Tommy Fleetwood 69 64 -9.
The two Belgians, Colsaerts 64, and Thomas Pieters 65 are just starting their rounds and I must add there is bad weather in the forecast for the weekend, so we will see what mother nature has to say about the eventual outcome but for now little Andy Sullivan is home and dry with the lead.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Dramatic finish makes Presidents Cup a winner
Presidents Cup singles results http://www.presidentscup.com/livescoring.html
Finally the Presidents Cup got what it needed, well almost..
As many on this side of the pond slept, as dramatic and exciting finish as you could script capped off a tremendous week of golf in South Korea and in the end the Presidents Cup came out the winner.
For the record the US are the winners of this 11th edition 15.5- 14.5, but it all came down to the final pairing, on the final green, with captain Jay Haas son Bill playing South Korea's Sang-Moon Bae, or simply "Moon" to his friends.
Guys who were supposed to win didn't, guys who weren't supposed to win did. There were great shots, there were terrible shots, there were chip ins, there were duffed chips, there were long snaking putts, and critically there were missed gimme's. There was passion, there were tears, there was sportsmanship, there was camaraderie....there was a Presidents Cup to remember.
I said from the start the International team had to win this year for the event to start to matter and I was wrong. What it needed was the International team, the media underdogs, to be in contention right to the end, and that's what happened, and the way it happened provided all the drama you could ask for.
With the matches and points all square, Bill Haas was in the greenside bunker in two at the 18th. Sang-Moon Bae was just short of the elevated green in two, needing to win the hole to halve the match. He chose a wedge to chip it up over the steep slope, took a long time practising his stroke, then with his entire nation holding their breath, with his team mates unable to look, he stuck his wedge into the ground, chunked it, the ball rolled up the slope, stopped then rolled right back towards him.
Bae sank down on his haunches, buried his face in his hands, his chance and his team's lost in a flash, as Haas splashed out of the bunker to 6 feet, Bae had to chip again and understandably chipped well past and ended up conceding.
To blame Bae is totally unfair, he was brilliant all week, in fact had made clutch shots on 16 and 17 to stay just 1 down, there were many other dramatic moments in the other matches, this was a team loss and a team victory, but as I said off the top, it was a victory for the Presidents Cup and for golf.
Here are the match recaps..
Patrick Reed halved Louis Oosthuizen This match was why they have halves ! Patrick Reed didn't have a great week but his was back at his firey best in fact was 2 up until Oosthuizen squared the match with birdies at 12 and 14 but made a bogey on 16 to trail by 1. Then dramatically on the 18th which would be such a pivotal hole all day he hit his shot of the day from 220 yards right onto the green to just 12 feet and then holed the putt for eagle 3 and the halve. Great match.
Adam Scott def. Rickie Fowler 6 and 5: Scott’s return to the regular length putter was painful to watch all week as he struggled to find his touch. Playing Rickie he found it on the 7th green with an 8 footer, then made 2 more to win 8 and 9 and suddenly was 3up. He kept it going with more putts and more wins on the back nine and ran out a 6&5 winner over a subdued Fowler. and afterwards explained “It’s the first week I’ve putted with the short putter in a while and just getting a feel for it.
Dustin Johnson def. Danny Lee 2 and 1: To say Danny Lee wears his heart on his sleeve is an understatement and it showed again all day today after he bogeyed the first three holes to fall 3down but he suddenly started to make some putts including a 20 footer to tie the match at the 11th and his emotional rollercoaster continued when he won the 14th to go 1up then just as promptly lost the next three holes with bogeys to give DJ the 2&1 win.
Hideki Matsuyama def. J.B. Holmes 1 up: Here was another great match and just the kind of win the International team is going to need to beat their higher ranked American opponents. Matsuyama and Holmes were close all day until the Japanese star won the 16th to go 1up, then Holmes squared it on 17 with a birdie. They were both short of the 18th green in two shots. Matsuyama chipped his closer than JB, who came up short and missed the putt as Hideki made his for the win. Johnny Miller called JB's miss a choke which in my opinion was very harsh.
Bubba Watson halved Thongchai Jaidee Nobody but the International team gave the diminutive Thai a chance against his good pal Bubba, who incidently had donated his entire first prize cheque to Thongchai's charity when he won in Malaysia. Watson led by a hole all day but Jaidee squared the match with a par at 17. Then in true Bubba fashion he hit a brilliant chip and runner 3rd on the 18th to within 5 feet, then as he had done on Saturday missed the putt for the win and afterward promptly threw his caddie under the team bus !“I hit a great shot, and then Ted had the putt read right and I said, ‘I just can’t see it going that way,’”
Steven Bowditch def. Jimmy Walker 2 up: This was another good win for the Internationals, and remember Bowditch and his Aussie mates did not have a great week but he played well and Walker is not in good form, but was grinding out a 1up lead at the turn before Bowditch won three in a row to get 2up. Walker won 17 but Bowditch finished in style with a birdie at the 18th.
Phil Mickelson def. Charl Schwartzel 5 and 4: In the post match greenside interviews Jordan Spieth paid tribute to the leadership of veterans Zach Johnson and Phil Mickelson who was playing an out of sorts Charl Schwartzel who won just two holes. Mickelson won 2 holes with pars and when he had his 3rd chip-in of the week, this time on the 11th it was his first birdie of the match. Poor showing by the South African when his team needed him the most, but Phil was one of the stars of the show this week.
Chris Kirk def. Anirban Lahiri 1up : This one was painful and crucial from the International perspective. It was very close all day and they came to the 18th A/S. Lahiri hit a brilliant spinning chip which stopped a mere 3.5 feet away. Kirk's chip was long but dramatically he made the double breaking downhill 15 footer putting the pressure on the 0-2 Indian star. As fate would have it, Lahiri’s birdie putt lipped out, he dropped his putter in disbelief as Kirk and his team celebrated his vital 1up win.
Marc Leishman def. Jordan Spieth, 1 up: I said earlier that some guys who weren't supposed to win did, and you can put this match firmly in that category as the Aussie Marc Leishman struck the ball beautifully all day and putted well. Spieth was 2 up after 2 and it looked like he was settling in but Leishman squared the match with a birdie at 14 and then won 15 and was suddenly 1up. He finished a solid day's work with another birdie at 18 to hang on for a famous win over the Player of the Year.
Zach Johnson def. Jason Day, 3 and 2: Lets be blunt. Jason Day was 0-4-1 this week and it was remarkable his team kept the score so close without him. Zach Johnson on the other hand 3-0-1 for the week and that right there, along with a 4-1 thumping in the Thursday foursomes, are the major reasons why it's the US and not the Internationals are drinking champagne tonight. Johnson won the 2nd with a par, he never trailed and led the rest of the way. Day is so out of gas that Johnson only made 2 birdies and still won handily.
Branden Grace def. Matt Kuchar, 2 and 1: The undoubted star of the week was Branden Grace who didn't lose a match finishing a perfect 5-0. After he won the first two holes he never looked back and had luck on his side with an across the green 60 footer on the 9th to go 5up. Kuchar regained some form won four times on the back nine to make a match of it, but just ran out of holes.
I've been watching Grace win for years on the European Tour and if he decides to make the move from South Africa to the US, he will become a force on the PGA Tour.
Bill Haas def. Sangmoon Bae 2 up: Do you think somewhere in a back room like wrestling, the promoter gets together with the two captains and says " OK first Haas will get Bae in a camel clutch then gouge his eyes," I mean you couldn't have a finish like this unless it was scripted.
As I said earlier, it all came down to the final match and the final hole and after Bae's brilliant up-and-downs at 16 and 17 he gave himself a chance but as it turned out Haas won the hole anti-climatically, though, after Bae's chunked chip. The South Korean is heading to the army for 2 years and that's a long time to remember that chip, but I really think his time there will put into perspective what life and living is all about and he will realize that in the big picture of this world and all it's problems, playing golf is just a game...
But thanks to him and his 23 other pals, it was a hell of a game this week, and the best news is the Presidents Cup is back and we can all look forward to Liberty National in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty in 2017.
Bryan Angus
Finally the Presidents Cup got what it needed, well almost..
As many on this side of the pond slept, as dramatic and exciting finish as you could script capped off a tremendous week of golf in South Korea and in the end the Presidents Cup came out the winner.
For the record the US are the winners of this 11th edition 15.5- 14.5, but it all came down to the final pairing, on the final green, with captain Jay Haas son Bill playing South Korea's Sang-Moon Bae, or simply "Moon" to his friends.
Guys who were supposed to win didn't, guys who weren't supposed to win did. There were great shots, there were terrible shots, there were chip ins, there were duffed chips, there were long snaking putts, and critically there were missed gimme's. There was passion, there were tears, there was sportsmanship, there was camaraderie....there was a Presidents Cup to remember.
I said from the start the International team had to win this year for the event to start to matter and I was wrong. What it needed was the International team, the media underdogs, to be in contention right to the end, and that's what happened, and the way it happened provided all the drama you could ask for.
With the matches and points all square, Bill Haas was in the greenside bunker in two at the 18th. Sang-Moon Bae was just short of the elevated green in two, needing to win the hole to halve the match. He chose a wedge to chip it up over the steep slope, took a long time practising his stroke, then with his entire nation holding their breath, with his team mates unable to look, he stuck his wedge into the ground, chunked it, the ball rolled up the slope, stopped then rolled right back towards him.
Bae sank down on his haunches, buried his face in his hands, his chance and his team's lost in a flash, as Haas splashed out of the bunker to 6 feet, Bae had to chip again and understandably chipped well past and ended up conceding.
To blame Bae is totally unfair, he was brilliant all week, in fact had made clutch shots on 16 and 17 to stay just 1 down, there were many other dramatic moments in the other matches, this was a team loss and a team victory, but as I said off the top, it was a victory for the Presidents Cup and for golf.
Here are the match recaps..
Patrick Reed halved Louis Oosthuizen This match was why they have halves ! Patrick Reed didn't have a great week but his was back at his firey best in fact was 2 up until Oosthuizen squared the match with birdies at 12 and 14 but made a bogey on 16 to trail by 1. Then dramatically on the 18th which would be such a pivotal hole all day he hit his shot of the day from 220 yards right onto the green to just 12 feet and then holed the putt for eagle 3 and the halve. Great match.
Adam Scott def. Rickie Fowler 6 and 5: Scott’s return to the regular length putter was painful to watch all week as he struggled to find his touch. Playing Rickie he found it on the 7th green with an 8 footer, then made 2 more to win 8 and 9 and suddenly was 3up. He kept it going with more putts and more wins on the back nine and ran out a 6&5 winner over a subdued Fowler. and afterwards explained “It’s the first week I’ve putted with the short putter in a while and just getting a feel for it.
Dustin Johnson def. Danny Lee 2 and 1: To say Danny Lee wears his heart on his sleeve is an understatement and it showed again all day today after he bogeyed the first three holes to fall 3down but he suddenly started to make some putts including a 20 footer to tie the match at the 11th and his emotional rollercoaster continued when he won the 14th to go 1up then just as promptly lost the next three holes with bogeys to give DJ the 2&1 win.
Hideki Matsuyama def. J.B. Holmes 1 up: Here was another great match and just the kind of win the International team is going to need to beat their higher ranked American opponents. Matsuyama and Holmes were close all day until the Japanese star won the 16th to go 1up, then Holmes squared it on 17 with a birdie. They were both short of the 18th green in two shots. Matsuyama chipped his closer than JB, who came up short and missed the putt as Hideki made his for the win. Johnny Miller called JB's miss a choke which in my opinion was very harsh.
Bubba Watson halved Thongchai Jaidee Nobody but the International team gave the diminutive Thai a chance against his good pal Bubba, who incidently had donated his entire first prize cheque to Thongchai's charity when he won in Malaysia. Watson led by a hole all day but Jaidee squared the match with a par at 17. Then in true Bubba fashion he hit a brilliant chip and runner 3rd on the 18th to within 5 feet, then as he had done on Saturday missed the putt for the win and afterward promptly threw his caddie under the team bus !“I hit a great shot, and then Ted had the putt read right and I said, ‘I just can’t see it going that way,’”
Steven Bowditch def. Jimmy Walker 2 up: This was another good win for the Internationals, and remember Bowditch and his Aussie mates did not have a great week but he played well and Walker is not in good form, but was grinding out a 1up lead at the turn before Bowditch won three in a row to get 2up. Walker won 17 but Bowditch finished in style with a birdie at the 18th.
Phil Mickelson def. Charl Schwartzel 5 and 4: In the post match greenside interviews Jordan Spieth paid tribute to the leadership of veterans Zach Johnson and Phil Mickelson who was playing an out of sorts Charl Schwartzel who won just two holes. Mickelson won 2 holes with pars and when he had his 3rd chip-in of the week, this time on the 11th it was his first birdie of the match. Poor showing by the South African when his team needed him the most, but Phil was one of the stars of the show this week.
Chris Kirk def. Anirban Lahiri 1up : This one was painful and crucial from the International perspective. It was very close all day and they came to the 18th A/S. Lahiri hit a brilliant spinning chip which stopped a mere 3.5 feet away. Kirk's chip was long but dramatically he made the double breaking downhill 15 footer putting the pressure on the 0-2 Indian star. As fate would have it, Lahiri’s birdie putt lipped out, he dropped his putter in disbelief as Kirk and his team celebrated his vital 1up win.
Marc Leishman def. Jordan Spieth, 1 up: I said earlier that some guys who weren't supposed to win did, and you can put this match firmly in that category as the Aussie Marc Leishman struck the ball beautifully all day and putted well. Spieth was 2 up after 2 and it looked like he was settling in but Leishman squared the match with a birdie at 14 and then won 15 and was suddenly 1up. He finished a solid day's work with another birdie at 18 to hang on for a famous win over the Player of the Year.
Zach Johnson def. Jason Day, 3 and 2: Lets be blunt. Jason Day was 0-4-1 this week and it was remarkable his team kept the score so close without him. Zach Johnson on the other hand 3-0-1 for the week and that right there, along with a 4-1 thumping in the Thursday foursomes, are the major reasons why it's the US and not the Internationals are drinking champagne tonight. Johnson won the 2nd with a par, he never trailed and led the rest of the way. Day is so out of gas that Johnson only made 2 birdies and still won handily.
Branden Grace def. Matt Kuchar, 2 and 1: The undoubted star of the week was Branden Grace who didn't lose a match finishing a perfect 5-0. After he won the first two holes he never looked back and had luck on his side with an across the green 60 footer on the 9th to go 5up. Kuchar regained some form won four times on the back nine to make a match of it, but just ran out of holes.
I've been watching Grace win for years on the European Tour and if he decides to make the move from South Africa to the US, he will become a force on the PGA Tour.
Bill Haas def. Sangmoon Bae 2 up: Do you think somewhere in a back room like wrestling, the promoter gets together with the two captains and says " OK first Haas will get Bae in a camel clutch then gouge his eyes," I mean you couldn't have a finish like this unless it was scripted.
As I said earlier, it all came down to the final match and the final hole and after Bae's brilliant up-and-downs at 16 and 17 he gave himself a chance but as it turned out Haas won the hole anti-climatically, though, after Bae's chunked chip. The South Korean is heading to the army for 2 years and that's a long time to remember that chip, but I really think his time there will put into perspective what life and living is all about and he will realize that in the big picture of this world and all it's problems, playing golf is just a game...
But thanks to him and his 23 other pals, it was a hell of a game this week, and the best news is the Presidents Cup is back and we can all look forward to Liberty National in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty in 2017.
Bryan Angus
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Presidents Cup Sunday singles match details
Match Schedule -- Saturday-Sunday -- Golf Channel -- 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET | ||
| Session 5 -- 12 Singles matches | U.S. | International |
| 8:15 p.m. ET Saturday / 9:15 a.m. local Sunday | Patrick Reed | Louis Oosthuizen |
| 8:27 p.m. ET Saturday / 9:27 a.m. local Sunday | Rickie Fowler | Adam Scott |
| 8:39 p.m. ET Saturday / 9:39 a.m. local Sunday | Dustin Johnson | Danny Lee |
| 8:51 p.m. ET Saturday / 9:51 a.m. local Sunday | J.B. Holmes | Hideki Matsuyama |
| 9:03 p.m. ET Saturday / 10:03 a.m. local Sunday | Bubba Watson | Thongchai Jaidee |
| 9:15 p.m. ET Saturday / 10:15 a.m. local Sunday | Jimmy Walker | Steven Bowditch |
| 9:27 p.m. ET Saturday / 10:27 a.m. local Sunday | Phil Mickelson | Charl Schwartzel |
| 9:39 p.m. ET Saturday / 10:39 a.m. local Sunday | Chris Kirk | Anirban Lahiri |
| 9:51 p.m. ET Saturday / 10:51 a.m. local Sunday | Jordan Spieth | Marc Leishman |
| 10:03 p.m. ET Saturday / 11:03 a.m. local Sunday | Zach Johnson | Jason Day |
| 10:15 p.m. ET Saturday / 11:15 a.m. local Sunday | Matt Kuchar | Branden Grace |
| 10:27 p.m. ET Saturday / 11:27 a.m. local Sunday | Bill Haas | Sangmoon Bae |
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
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
Friday, October 9, 2015
Saturday's foursome preview at Presidents Cup
Presidents Cup results and foursome match pairings http://www.presidentscup.com/livescoring.html
After their brilliant rally in the Friday four-balls it is imperative that the Internationals don't throw it all away with another poor showing in the Saturday morning foursomes. They have to play inspired golf again. A split of the matches would be a good result for captain Price's men in my opinion and it starts at 7am local time or 6pm EST tonight.
Eight points are on the line, as the four-balls will follow the mornings play and will be announced during the foursome matches.
Now to the captains picks, where Jay Haas has brought back two of his four teams from Friday, Bubba Watson & J.B. Holmes, and also Jordan Spieth & Dustin Johnson and remember they all won their foursomes matches on Thursday.
Meanwhile Nick Price would be daft if he broke up Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace who are 2-0 and as a result are paired for the third straight session, but he has put together 3 new teams in an effort to improve those foursome results. Remember there is a lot of strategy in foursomes as the guys play alternate shots. Often something as simple a pairing guys who play the same type of ball can be a big factor.
Louis Oosthuizen & Branden Grace vs. Patrick Reed & Rickie Fowler (6:05 p.m. ET Friday)
Oosthuizen and Grace are a solid 2-0 and are coming off a huge win over Spieth and Johnson in four-balls after they beat Reed and Matt Kuchar in foursomes on Thursday. Reed can be a real sparkplug for the US team when he gets rolling, even so I pick the South Africans until somebody beats them.
Adam Scott & Marc Leishman vs. Bubba Watson & J.B. Holmes (6:16 p.m. ET Friday)
Scott and Hideki Matsuyama lost in Thursday's foursomes to Watson and Holmes, 3 & 2, The American pairing are 2-0 and despite some wildly inaccurate play off the tee, they pull off some amazing recovery shots and Holmes in particular has been putting well, something I can't say for Adam Scott who'd be smart if he returned to the long putter while he still can in 2015. Again I pick the Americans until somebody beats them.
Sangmoon Bae & Hideki Matsuyama vs. Bill Haas & Matt Kuchar (6:27 p.m. ET Friday)
Danny Lee will sit the foursomes out, a smart move since he is struggling with nerves in this format but Sangmoon Bae is full of confidence and will now partner Matsuyama and I sense a win here against the steady if unspectacular Bill Haas and Matt Kuchar who will make the Asian youngsters earn a point. A halve will not be a surprise.
Jason Day & Charl Schwartzel vs. Jordan Spieth & Dustin Johnson (6:38 p.m. ET Friday)
Spieth and Johnson lost to Oosthuizen and Grace on Friday but that was four-balls, this is foursomes where they played very well on Thursday, also I don't expect Spieth to play as badly as he did today again, however Day had very little help from Scott in this mornings halve with Mickelson and Johnson and his pairing with in form Schwartzel should be a good move. I see a halve here in a tight match.
Bryan Angus
After their brilliant rally in the Friday four-balls it is imperative that the Internationals don't throw it all away with another poor showing in the Saturday morning foursomes. They have to play inspired golf again. A split of the matches would be a good result for captain Price's men in my opinion and it starts at 7am local time or 6pm EST tonight.
Eight points are on the line, as the four-balls will follow the mornings play and will be announced during the foursome matches.
Now to the captains picks, where Jay Haas has brought back two of his four teams from Friday, Bubba Watson & J.B. Holmes, and also Jordan Spieth & Dustin Johnson and remember they all won their foursomes matches on Thursday.
Meanwhile Nick Price would be daft if he broke up Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace who are 2-0 and as a result are paired for the third straight session, but he has put together 3 new teams in an effort to improve those foursome results. Remember there is a lot of strategy in foursomes as the guys play alternate shots. Often something as simple a pairing guys who play the same type of ball can be a big factor.
Louis Oosthuizen & Branden Grace vs. Patrick Reed & Rickie Fowler (6:05 p.m. ET Friday)
Oosthuizen and Grace are a solid 2-0 and are coming off a huge win over Spieth and Johnson in four-balls after they beat Reed and Matt Kuchar in foursomes on Thursday. Reed can be a real sparkplug for the US team when he gets rolling, even so I pick the South Africans until somebody beats them.
Adam Scott & Marc Leishman vs. Bubba Watson & J.B. Holmes (6:16 p.m. ET Friday)
Scott and Hideki Matsuyama lost in Thursday's foursomes to Watson and Holmes, 3 & 2, The American pairing are 2-0 and despite some wildly inaccurate play off the tee, they pull off some amazing recovery shots and Holmes in particular has been putting well, something I can't say for Adam Scott who'd be smart if he returned to the long putter while he still can in 2015. Again I pick the Americans until somebody beats them.
Sangmoon Bae & Hideki Matsuyama vs. Bill Haas & Matt Kuchar (6:27 p.m. ET Friday)
Danny Lee will sit the foursomes out, a smart move since he is struggling with nerves in this format but Sangmoon Bae is full of confidence and will now partner Matsuyama and I sense a win here against the steady if unspectacular Bill Haas and Matt Kuchar who will make the Asian youngsters earn a point. A halve will not be a surprise.
Jason Day & Charl Schwartzel vs. Jordan Spieth & Dustin Johnson (6:38 p.m. ET Friday)
Spieth and Johnson lost to Oosthuizen and Grace on Friday but that was four-balls, this is foursomes where they played very well on Thursday, also I don't expect Spieth to play as badly as he did today again, however Day had very little help from Scott in this mornings halve with Mickelson and Johnson and his pairing with in form Schwartzel should be a good move. I see a halve here in a tight match.
Bryan Angus
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