United States golfers reclaimed sole possession of the Presidents Cup, but South Africa’s Retief Goosen brought world number one Tiger Woods to his knees with a singles victory on Sunday.
Fifth-ranked Goosen’s two and one triumph over the 10-time major champion gave the global squad its first singles victory, but it was not enough to rally the Internationals as the US squad won the biennial showdown 18-and-a-half to 15-and-a-half.
”I’ve been putting well all week,” Goosen said. ”It was a great match. I just putted better than he did.”
Woods went the final 13 holes without a birdie. He fell to 5-2 with one halved in Presidents and Ryder Cup singles matches, his only prior loss coming to Italy’s Constantino Rocca in the 1997 Ryder Cup.
”I had opportunities to top him or put pressure on him, and I didn’t do it,” Woods said.
Fifth-ranked Goosen birdied the 16th to go one up and Woods sent his tee shot at the 17th way right into the trees.
Woods, on one knee, punched the ball from the underbrush into the rough on 16 and put his third shot onto the green, then missed a 16-foot par putt and gave Goosen a two-foot par putt to conclude the match.
”I had my opportunities to take control of the match. I didn’t do it. ‘Goose’ made a lot of putts on me and he won the match,” Woods said.
Woods, sporting blond splotches in his hair this week, was nagged by back pain.
”The last nine holes it was giving me a little problem,” Woods said.
Woods, the reigning Masters and British Open champion, grabbed the early edge over Goosen when he rolled his tee shot inches from the cup at the par-3 second.
Goosen answered by rolling in a 45-foot eagle putt to win the third hole.
”The key is trying to get up early in the round, put pressure on the guy,” Goosen said.
”The key is to be in the hole the whole time, trying not to give a hole away easy.”
Shrugging off the challenge, Woods sank a remarkable 25-foot chip-in for birdie at the fourth to reclaim the lead after Goosen lipped out a birdie bid.
Goosen squared the match by sinking an astonishing 50-foot birdie putt at the par-3 ninth.
”Those big putts, when I was standing over them, I felt like I had a chance,” Goosen said. ”I had been making big putts all week.”
Woods was in the trees off the tee at the par-five 10th and spun his approach back off the green, yelling an obscenity. Woods lipped out a 20-foot birdie putt and Goosen took his first lead with a tap-in birdie at the 10th.
Goosen was in the trees off the 11th tee and Woods won the hole with a par.
Goosen reclaimed a one-up edge at the 12th, winning it by curling a chip inches from the cup, but a concession to Woods at the 14th squared the match again. – Sapa-AFP