Presidents Cup: Tiger Woods plays a valiant captain’s hand but Team USA falters on day one
Tiger Woods gave Team USA a perfect start on the opening day of the Presidents Cup with a sterling display that was the only bright spot on a miserable day for the Americans.
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A vintage six-birdie Tiger Woods clinic was the only bright light on a grim opening day for the American team.
US captain Woods, who had to pick himself to get a run this week, carried playing partner and world No.4 Justin Thomas to a 4&3 win over Aussie Marc Leishman and Chilean young gun Joaquin Niemann.
It was his team’s only point for the day.
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Captain’s assistant Fred Couples said pre-tournament he only expected Woods, 43, to play three of a possible four matches, but Thursday’s shocker forced the US team’s brains trust to rewrite the game plan.
“We had a couple different options rolling into this entire Cup,” Woods said of his decision to play foursomes on Friday.
“The guys have known the game plan, different possible options, and this is one of the scenarios.”
The world No. 6 will again tee it up with Thomas in the second-last match.
Woods, who went out first in Thursday’s four-ball, started birdie-birdie before chipping in for another at the par 3 fifth.
Asked post-round what was working in his pairing with Woods, Thomas quipped: “Tiger was working so well between the two of us today.
“He played great. I mean, I just didn't really take advantage of the opportunities, but that's what you have a partner for.
“It was awesome. It's nice knowing when I step up on a par 3 or a par 4 that I feel free just because I know he's playing well, and he did.
“He played great … and that’s why we got it done.”
Woods said his assistant Steve Stricker was the team’s acting captain while he was out on the course.
“My obligation today was to go out there and earn a point with J.T,” Woods said.
“I was focused on that. Obviously we're looking at boards and seeing how guys are doing. “There are TV boards everywhere, and so yeah, we're taking a look … and you know, there were some tight matches out there that flipped.
“This is a long four days. I mean, we have to go earn this Cup. Just because we lost the session doesn't mean the Cup's over.
“There's a long way to go. A lot of points available. The guys will regroup and we'll come out ready to go.”
Niemann held his own against Woods, winning back-to-back holes at 7 and 8, but Leishman battled for most of his round.
A busted 2-iron on the driving range didn’t help his cause.
Leishman sunk a lengthy birdie at 12 to cut the deficit to two, but ploughed his drive at 15 deep into the trees to snuff out hope of a fightback.
“They got off to a really hot start,” Leishman said.
“I don't think either of us played our best golf. Like I said at the start of the week, we have to play good golf to beat these guys. Unfortunately we didn't.”
REED COPS EARFUL ALL DAY LONG
Russell Gould
Patrick Reed said he got what he “exactly what I expected” when the real business began at Royal Melbourne.
His playing partner Webb Simpson said it was “undeserved”.
They were talking about the crowd, which didn’t miss Reed, the resident villain over last week’s bunker cheating scandal, who was heckled from the first tee.
The American obliged the masses by sending his opening shot in to the greenside trap.
“I hope there’s cameras down there,” came from the crowd loud and clear.
Before he teed off there were others: “Are you really going to make your caddie carry 14 clubs and a shovel”, and “can you improve your lie off the tee”.
There were boos when he was introduced too, a reception as cool as the southerly wind.
In Tuesday practice Reed doffed his cap when one wag shouted “on the tee, the excavator”. But on day one, Reed wasn’t biting.
The nickname stuck though, and rang out as Reed found the sand again on the second hole, where more advice was forthcoming.
There was a long list of items fans were prohibited from bringing in to Royal Melbourne, but plastic shovels must not have been on the list and local lad Anthony Roberts offered one to Reed as he waded in to the greenside trap.
“Need this Pat?” he said waving the blue and red plastic spade in the air, to hearty laughter.
Reed is never one to back down though — his driver cover is a cartoon of him with his finger over his lips, as if to silence the crowd. He knew he was in for a long day.
When he hit his tee shot on the par three third in to the sand, again, to howls of hearty chuckles, that long day go even longer.
Reed made his first birdie on the fifth, his laser-like approach drawing scant applause, but couldn’t win the hole.
There were suggestions Reed was so pumped after his best hole that he dished out a “shoulder bump” to International player Cameron Smith, an outspoken Reed critic who wasn’t used on day one, on his way to the sixth tee.
That allegation was dismissed by those close to the Aussie.
But Reed was fired up, and his drive on the short par four sixth landed on the green. He didn’t make his eagle putt.
Reed started to miss fairways from there and made bogeys on seven and again on nine.
On the 10th, there were 100m of hecklers courtesy of the corporate tents lining the fairway.
In response Reed stuck his second within 2m. But again he missed the birdie.
A man for the big moments, he birdied 12 and 16, to keep his team in the contest. But missed birdie putts on 17 and 18, which denied him the point that could have silenced the crowd.
Deserved or not, Reed can expect more noise.
And he’ll need a lot of birdies to dig himself out of this mess.