The U.S. won the President’s Cup yesterday with 18.5 points versus 15.5 for the International team. I was expecting to see a lackluster, uninspired appearance by the U.S. Team and I was happily surprised I didn’t. I could be one of the ones who expected the International team to lose handily without the help of Ernie Els but I knew they’d come well prepared and give the U.S. all they could handle.
The Fire
The U.S. Team seemed to have a fire burning that I haven’t seen in several Ryder Cups and President’s Cups. Perhaps this fire finally came as a result of being slammed by the press and the fans for their previous appearances. Perhaps they just got tired of being beaten by relative no-name (certain players excluded) opponents. Maybe it is that captain Jack Nicklaus found a way of inspiring his team, or finally found teams that gelled.
Whatever the reason, I loved watching the intensity of the matches. Several players seemed to elevate their games to higher levels during this event like Mike Weir and Fred Couples. What is it with Freddy seeming to own Vijay in these events? That was fun to watch. Tiger seemed to have a bit more of the team mentality this time around as well, even though he lost his individual match to Goosen.
Mr. Clutch
Clearly the big story of this President’s Cup is the performance of my newly named “Mr. Clutch” Chris DiMarco. DiMarco performed so well that captain Nicklaus picked him has the anchor player in the final match, rather than the seemingly standard pick Tiger Woods. How much does that tell you that Nicklaus put his faith in DiMarco as the anchor? The results showed that not only is Jack (my pal) smart, but DiMarco has some of the biggest golf balls out there.
DiMarco’s final match against the slow-playing ball-bomber Stuart Appleby, was some of the funnest and most intense golf I’ve watched. It was like watching two heavyweight boxers trade punches. But DiMarco was fighting out of his weight class and was outweighed by 50 yards off the tee.
The Shot
Most the highlights have been showing the final clutch putt DiMarco made on the first sudden death hole to seal the victory. That’s great. But the shot DiMarco hit from a terrible stance in the bunker was the difference maker. That amazing shot from 180 yards is what gave him the chance to make that clutch putt. There was almost no way he should have been able to knock that shot close enough to make the winning putt but he did. Simply clutch.
For a guy who hasn’t actually won a tournament since the 2002 Phoenix Open, DiMarco has some major respect in the golf world. Deservedly so.
For the seventh time in nine years Tiger Woods has won the player of the year. This was no surprise.
The PGA Tour player of the year award is based on a points system which gives points for victories as follows:
30 points for major wins
20 points for The Players Championship
10 points for any other PGA Tour win
David Duval made his first 36 hole cut of the year at the Texas Open. He had missed 18 straight. I guess having 24 of the top pros in the world playing in the President’s Cup doesn’t hurt his cause. While the cat’s away…
“I’ve been number one and number 1,000, but I’ve hit bottom and I’m coming back up,” said Duval.
It will be an interesting comeback if he can pull it off. I’m skeptical. How many more years does he have until he’ll have to worry about cracking the 125 anyway? It’s getting closer and closer. I wonder if he’ll make the comeback or just pull a John Stockton and completely disappear of the face of the Earth.
I’m getting ready to close the current poll and post the next one. So if you haven’t already, place your vote on where you usually buy your golf gear.
President’s Cup Tied At 11-11
This President’s Cup has been much more entertaining than I had thought it would be. It seems like there is more intensity on the American players’ side this year, especially in Tiger. It has been enjoyable to watch the matches so far and see how well some ofthe teams work together (Like Phil and Furyk).
Here are Sunday’s pairings for the President’s Cup singles matches, along with my picks.
12:05 p.m. – Tim Clark (International) vs. Justin Leonard (U.S.) – Leonard
12:15 p.m. – Trevor Immelman (International) vs. David Toms (U.S.) – Immelman
12:25 p.m. – Retief Goosen (International) vs. Tiger Woods (U.S.) – Tiger (barely)
12:35 p.m. – Mark Hensby (International) vs. Kenny Perry (U.S.) – Perry
12:45 p.m. – Vijay Singh (International) vs. Fred Couples (U.S.) – Vijay
12:55 p.m. – Mike Weir (International) vs. Scott Verplank (U.S.) – Weir
1:05 p.m. – Adam Scott (International) vs. Jim Furyk (U.S.) – Furyk
1:15 p.m. – Peter Lonard (International) vs. Stewart Cink (U.S.) – Lonard
1:25 p.m. – Michael Campbell (International) vs. Fred Funk (U.S.) – Campbell
1:35 p.m. – Nick O’Hern (International) vs. Davis Love III (U.S.) – O’Hern
1:45 p.m. – Angel Cabrera (International) vs. Phil Mickelson (U.S.) – Phil
1:55 p.m. – Stuart Appleby (International) vs. Chris DiMarco (U.S.) – DiMarco
My predictions: The good matches will be Goosen/Tiger, Cabrera/Mickelson and Appleby DiMarco. I think Vijay should easily beat Freddy as well as Immelman beating Toms. You never know though. That’s why they play the game.
TV: Sunday, Sept. 25: 12 – 6 p.m. ET, NBC
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