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/ 24 September 2005
More great play from Retief Goosen and Adam Scott helped the International team keep their slim lead over the United States at 6-5 after better-ball matches in the Presidents Cup on Friday. Goosen and Scott remained perfect at 2-0, along with Justin Leonard and Scott Verplank who prevented the International team from an even larger lead by rallying to win their match 2 and 1.
Phil Mickelson soared and then stumbled but was still leading by a stroke on Sunday when thunderstorms halted play and forced officials to push back the finish of the United States PGA Championship by 24 hours. Mickelson went from three shots ahead to two shots behind Steve Elkington in a span of seven holes.
Thomas Bjorn shot a seven-under 63 on Saturday to match the record for the lowest round in one of golf’s majors, getting within a stroke of the lead at the United States PGA Championship on a day when temperatures reached 38 degrees Celsius. Phil Mickelson came back to the field with a two-over 72.
Tiger Woods already has a green jacket and a claret jug. All he lacks going into the United States PGA Championship is that aura of invincibility that two majors no longer buy. Woods can’t make history at Baltusrol, only match it. ”He was unbeatable because he probably believed he was unbeatable,” Padraig Harrington said.
There were signs from the start that this might be a year Ernie Els would like to forget. He stood on the 18th tee at Kapalua in Hawaii with a great chance to win the first tournament of the year. But his tee shot caromed off a cart path next to a fairway 70 yards wide and sailed out of bounds. Now his season has ended in far more peculiar fashion.
Vijay Singh returned to number one in the world on Sunday, but blew a chance to win a tournament for the second straight week. Kenny Perry lost a three-shot lead in three holes, but emerged the winner at the Bay Hill Invitational when Singh hit his approach off the rocks and into the water on the 18th hole to make double bogey.
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/ 8 December 2004
Winning the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan last month for his first stroke-play title of the year wasn’t the only thing that made Tiger Woods excited about the 2005 season. He finally had an epiphany with his new swing. Woods has spent nearly nine months retooling his golf swing under the direction of Hank Haney, and it all came together on the practice range in California before leaving for Japan.
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/ 19 September 2004
Backed by the clutch performance from their English rookies and reliable play from Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood, Europe put the United States in another huge hole on Saturday by taking an 11-5 lead in the Ryder Cup and making victory on Sunday seem like a mere formality.
Tiger Woods might have been looking over his shoulder at the wrong guy. When Woods returned from his post-Masters break to find his lead in the world ranking the slimmest in five years, the attention was squarely on Vijay Singh, who was number two in the world ranking and number one in the eyes of most players.