Internationals struggle in Presidents Cup

 

By Robert Grant, 20 Nov 2011

Tagged:

 Golf, Greg Norman, Presidents Cup, Tiger Woods

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The Internationals face a mammoth task to haul themselves back into contention in the Presidents Cup golf event after another day of US domination.

The US team won four of the five foursomes matches in the Saturday morning session at Royal Melbourne to take a commanding 11-6 lead into the afternoon four-balls.

It is a savage blow for the home side which had fought back to within striking distance on Friday after the Americans opened with a 4-2 first-day lead.

The only international success in the morning was the team of Japanese Ryo Ishikawa and South African Ernie Els, who scraped to a 1-up win over Bill Haas and Matt Kuchar.

But in the other contests, the US were untroubled as Tiger Woods finally fired and locals Robert Allenby and Geoff Ogilvy flopped.

Allenby and Ogilvy, the two players who know the course the most intimately, were sunk 3 and 2 by Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson.

Woods had been criticised for not winning a point through the first two days but, on Saturday morning, teamed with Dustin Johnson to defeat Adam Scott and KJ Choi 3 and 2.

South Africans Charl Schwartzel and Retief Goosen suffered the most humiliating loss, going down 5 and 4 to Hunter Mahan and David Toms.

Scott said later he and Choi had not been aggressive enough.

“I think we were just a little too soft on them,” Scott said.

“We gave them a couple of easy holes and that proved to be the difference in the match.

“It’s so disappointing. We are both playing well but a few putts were costly.”

Allenby agreed, saying Simpson and Watson “never let up really the whole way.

“Match play is such a fiddly game. You can play well and lose and you can play well and win,” Allenby said.

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