Two years after Tiger Woods and Ernie Els staged an unresolved, tension-packed twilight play-off duel in South Africa, someone might finally take sole possession of the Presidents Cup.
The sixth edition of the biennial golf showdown between United States and International 12-man squads begins in Gainesville, Virginia, on Thursday at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, where the US team have won all three prior outings against their non-European foes.
”We have something extra to play for this time,” Australian Adam Scott said. ”It’s unfinished business.”
Internationals captain Gary Player of South Africa and US captain Jack Nicklaus decided the teams would share the trophy in 2003 with the score level 17-17 and sunset halting the Woods-Els play-off after three holes.
Woods sank a testy 12-foot putt and halved the last play-off hole in what he considers the most pressure-packed moment of his epic career.
”Probably, yeah, more so than any major championship because if I blow a major, who cares, it’s just me,” Woods said. ”If I miss that putt, I let down 11 other guys. It’s a much bigger deal [if] you let down teammates than [just] yourself.”
The first team to 17-and-a-half points captures the Cup. The play-off plan has been scrapped. The Internationals hope to snap the US home win streak and chip into their overall 3-1-1 lead. The only US loss came at Melbourne in 1998.
”It will be a very difficult time beating an American team on home soil, but I think it’s going to be a very good series,” Player said.
There have been some changes since the Cup was last played here.
The former par-four 470-yard first hole will be played as the 16th and the par-four 420-yard second hole, which comes to the clubhouse, will play as the 18th hole.
”You should be able to get birdies to win or maybe even halve those two holes,” US veteran Justin Leonard said. ”The hole changes will be fine, not that many matches make it to 18, but it makes it much easier logistically.”
Six foursomes matches will be played on Thursday with five four-ball matches on Friday, five foursomes and six four-ball matches on Saturday and 12 concluding singles matches on Sunday.
World number-one Woods, the British Open and Masters winner, and third-rated Phil Mickelson, the PGA Championship winner, lead the Americans against a team powered by second-ranked Vijay Singh of Fiji and fifth-rated Retief Goosen.
Els, ranked fourth, is sidelined by a knee injury. His absence is a blow.
”We’re very disappointed. He’s a big loss to the team,” Singh said. ”He’s very intimidating. Even if he’s not playing well, you put him up against another player, you know who he is and what he’s capable of doing.
”That part of it we’re going to miss. I’m sure we’re going to deal with it.”
Other International players include US Open winner Michael Campbell of New Zealand; Aussies Scott, Mark Hensby, Nick O’Hern, Stuart Appleby and Peter Lonard; Canada’s Mike Weir; Argentina’s Angel Cabrera; and South Africans Tim Clark and Trevor Immelman.
David Toms, who collapsed last week at a PGA event, wants to play in the event so badly that the 38-year-old American is delaying surgery for a problem in the upper chamber of his heart just so he can participate.
”Count on me for some points,” Toms said.
Other US players include Kenny Perry, Chris DiMarco, Jim Furyk, Davis Love, Stewart Cink, Fred Funk, Scott Verplank and Fred Couples.
In all, eight members of the team were on the 2004 Ryder Cup side that were routed by Europe.
Singh, Mickelson and Love are the only men to play in all five prior Cups. Singh has played the maximum possible 25 matches, going 12-11 with two halved. Love has the best record at 14-6 with three halved.
Woods, 5-1 in foursomes but 0-6 in four-ball in Presidents Cup play, has said he wants to be paired with Jim Furyk and Fred Couples.
”I get along great with Freddie. That would be fun,” Woods said. ”I really would like to play with Jim Furyk. I’ve never played with Jim. He and I have been on every team together since 1997 and have never played together.”
In any case, do not expect a repeat of the Ryder Cup disaster pairings with Mickelson when the two barely interacted and struggled to compete.
Woods’s usual caddie, New Zealand’s Steve Williams, is off awaiting the birth of his first child, so Woods will have Billy Foster, the former caddie for Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke, carrying his bags this week.
”I’ve always gotten along well with him,” Woods said. ”It’ll be a fun week.” — Sapa-AFP