Ernie Els and Aussie Adam Scott were the only resistance against a solid American onslaught for the Presidents Cup at Fancourt on Friday.
The Americans staged a fightback after trailing three-and-a-half, two-and-a-half in the opening foursomes on Thursday to draw square at five-and-a-half points after the Friday morning’s four-ball.
An intense attack by the Americans in the afternoon saw them go four up to lead the internationals nine-and-half to six-and-a-half going into Saturday’s four-ball fourth round.
A calm mist in the morning followed by balmy heat and then a stiff afternoon wind underlined the dramatic weather patterns over Fancourt’s roller-coaster links where Els and Scott fought to the bitter end against Chris DiMarco/Phil Mickelson.
Els, who played in an extraordinary comeback with Scott in Thursday’s foursomes, put the gauntlet down on Chris DiMarco/Phil Mickelson with a superb birdie on the par-three second and going through three they were 2-up when the Americans bogeyed.
Els missed going 3-up when his crucial 1m-putt for birdie on the par-four sixth caressed the cup, but they gained again at the eighth where the Americans slipped up with a bogey.
That, however, was cancelled dramatically with a triple bogey at 12 by Els/Scott, followed by a grim double-bogey that saw them through 13 1-up, but they bounced back to 2-up with a birdie at 16. That was short-lived when DiMarco/Mickelson birdied at 17.
Els kept the best for last when he chipped 8m from the ankle-deep grass skirting the 18th straight into the cup to seal the only win of the afternoon for the internationals one-up.
”America played extremely well,” said international team captain Gary Player. ”But it’s still a long way to go. We’ll still see some great golf over the weekend. If we have a good game tomorrow we can even it. Then it’s 12 games of singles on Sunday, so we’re set for an exciting run to the finish.”
Kenny Perry and Jerry Kelly roll off the tongue like a nursery rhyme, but there was nothing infantile about their foursomes game on the windy links as they put the hammer down on KJ Choi/Peter Lonard from the gun.
The internationals found themselves three-down after bogeying at two, three and four, but they followed up superbly with three consecutive birdies to be one-up going through seven.
Choi/Lonard conceded the eighth, then the Americans put the pressure on with three straight birdies to go through 11 5-up.
But they did not reckon on the fighting spirit of these two international players. The Americans stuttered with a bogey at the par-four 12th, then Choi/Leonard got one back to stay in the game with two fighting birdies to go though 16 two-down.
Their fight-back came too late, however, and they went down two and one in the end.
Robert Allenby/Stephen Leaney kept the international flag high with two up through three, but they back-stepped when they bogeyed the fourth and conceded the fifth then went through nine one-down when Funk/Toms birdied sweetly. The Internationals bogeyed the 12th, then the Americans birdied at 13 and 14 to go four-up that gained them the win 4 and 3.
Vijay Singh/Mike Weir scored solid pars from their start and found themselves one-up going through two after Jim Furyk/Justin Leonard bogeyed the first, but the Americans took a firm grip with birdies at four, six and nine with bogey woes for Singh/Weir at five nine and 10 to head for the 11th four-down.
Furyk chipped in from the edge of the green for a brilliant birdie at the 14th to finish 5 and 4.
”The wind made it a lot tougher than in the morning. If you miss a couple of fairways left or right the course will come up and bite you,” said Furyk.
Tiger Woods/Charles Howell III bogeyed the second then fought back to all square when Tim Clark/Retief Goosen bogeyed at the par-four three, but a superb putt by Howell at the sixth got the Americans one-up. The International players struggled in the wind. Bogeys at the third, fifth, ninth and 12th helped Woods/Howell to three-up heading for the 13th where they birdied again to go four-up.
But Clark/Goosen went into fighting mode for a birdie at 14 and the Americans bogeyed the 15th and suddenly there was light in the gloom for Clark/Goosen. Especially so, after Woods missed a sure-fire 1m putt to bogey and go through 15 one-up, which the American side retained to the end after Clark missed a 2m putt from just off the green.
In the morning Clark was the revelation of the international team when he all but carried Els over the front nine against Americans Tiger Woods/Charles Howell III in four-ball competition.
Clark may be a Presidents Cup rookie, but he was a beacon of light for the internationals in the morning mist that blanketed the uncompromising Links. He never missed a fairway on his way with four birdies for 32 on the front nine to go three-up.
Clark, who got off to a subdued start with Peter Leonard on Thursday fired birdies at one, five, seven and nine for his blistering 32.
Then Els scored a crucial birdie at the par-four 10th to keep the Internationals in the race 4-up. Els began to carry his load and another brilliant birdie at the par-three 11th set them five-up.
The Americans got one back at the 13th, but conceded the match five and three going through 15.
”Tim was great out there,” said Els. ”I think I helped him with only three holes all morning. He was really on fire right from the gun. He’s got a great future ahead of him.”
”With Ernie as my partner it helped to keep my nerves in check,” said Clark. ”After cracking that birdie at the first hole, it gave me confidence and I felt comfortable from then on.” — Sapa