An exciting outcome in Presidents Cup, nothing more

Our scribes weigh in on those topics and more in this week’s edition of Monday Four-Ball. I just feel happy for the guys.

The Canadian had one of his best weeks of golf at the Presidents Cup two years ago at Muirfield Village.

That will determine where his game goes from here more than anything he did in a team uniform.

Grace already showed he has the goods, even if not everyone was paying attention.

The US team erupted as soon as it went down – if that didn’t go in, it looked like the Cup was going to the Internationals for just the second time ever. See you in 2017. But his shot lipped out, giving the U.S. an unexpected win at a pivotal moment. Hideki Matsuyama won the 18th hole with a birdie to beat J.B. Holmes. Patrick Reed halved his match with Louis Oosthuizen and so did Bubba Watson against Thongchai Jaidee.

Team U.S. had gone into the singles matches leading the global Team by one point and as honours were shared on the final day, Haas’ win secured a 15½-14½ victory. I can’t wait for Phil to get over there. That would be Marc Leishman’s mindset towards a potential Presidents Cup grudge match with Jordan Spieth, according to his coach Denis McDade. “But yeah, I thought, that’s 20 years ago”.

U.S. team captain Jay Haas, front centre, poses with his team after they defeated the global team 15.5 to 14.5 to retain the Presidents Cup at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea. Mickelson was an impressive 3-0-1, and that lone tie might have been a victory were it not for the “one-ball” gaffe – which won’t be a problem at Hazeltine. But as the day progressed, and the twists and turns of match play rewarded and rescinded points, the final match proved the decider. With the Ryder Cup coming to Chaska, Minn., we can actually enjoy golf during waking hours!

Coachman: It has to be Sang-Moon Bae, and not because of his overall performance. “I was able to do it”. It looked as though they would halve the match until Lahiri’s birdie putt hit the right side of the cup and spun out, and he let his putter fall over his back in disbelief.

The shortest match belonged to Adam Scott, who won six straight holes against Rickie Fowler and ended it on the 13th green.

Haas was not among the Round 4 pairings, having played in Round 3. And the lone tie in an 0-4-1 record was the result of the Mickelson penalty on Friday.

It was a shock victory that nearly delivered the worldwide team a rare victory. So much in golf is about timing. “But it just so happened that that’s how it played out, and I certainly did not…”

Even so, there’s something about a Presidents Cup or a Ryder Cup that allows for the appearance of a breakout moment. Forcing players to sit out matches makes the captain’s job much more hard and can change the tone in the team room. It started with US President’s Cup captain Jay Haas breaking down to tell Bill that he was on the bench for the first round of events. The day was set up for a few dramatics. Charl Schwartzel also played badly going just 1-3.

The final session was not without its share of heartbreak. “I think that’s been the big turnaround for me so far this season”.