UNITED STATES LEAD 4-2 IN PRESIDENTS CUP BUT TIGER TANNED

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
MELBOURNE, Australia – The Americans dominated in three of Thursday’s six matches on the first day of The Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.
But it was the two half-points earned with late-match comebacks that left them feeling very good after the first day of foursomes.
The Americans will enter Friday’s four-ball matches with a 4-2 lead over the International team.

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The rallies by Bill Haas-Nick Watney and Matt Kuchar-Dustin Johnson to earn half-points felt like victories, considering that neither American pair led at any time in their respective matches.
And it offset the shocking 7 and 6 loss suffered by Tiger Woods-Steve Stricker to K J Choi-Adam Scott, the only International win on the day.
Winning on the American side were Bubba Watson-Webb Simpson, Jim Furyk-Phil Mickelson and Hunter Mahan-David Toms. None of those three matches reached the 17th hole.
The American duo of Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar rallied by winning the last two holes with pars to forge a half-point against the International pair of Jason Day and Aaron Baddeley.
Match 3 was the last completed match of the day, as the Americans took a 4-2 lead after the first day of matches.
It was a tough half-point for the Aussie duo, who never trailed in the match and were three up as late as the 11th hole. But they stumbled down the stretch, losing three holes with bogeys as the Americans shot even-par golf on the last six holes.
The Internationals still were two up going into the 17th, but they bogeyed the last two holes. Baddleley missed a 10-foot putt for par at the 17th that would’ve won the match, then followed with a poor tee shot at the 18th.
“We just hung in there all day, kept fighting and came up with a half-point,” said Johnson, who made a clutch four-footer for par to win the 18th hole.

FRIDAY'S FOUR-BALL PAIRINGS
Here are the pairings for the six matches for Friday’s four-ball session at The Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.
The pairings are listed in their announced order, as each captain alternates in making the first pick for each match:

MATCH 1 – Bubba Watson-Webb Simpson, U.S. vs. Ernie Els-Ryo Ishikawa, International
MATCH 2 – Jason Day-Aaron Baddeley, International vs. Tiger Woods-Dustin Johnson, U.S.
MATCH 3 – Phil Mickelson-Jim Furyk, U.S. vs. Adam Scott-K.T. Kim, International
MATCH 4 – Geoff Ogilvy-K.J. Choi, International vs. Bill Haas-Nick Watney, U.S.
MATCH 5 – Steve Stricker-Matt Kuchar, U.S. vs. Y.E. Yang-Robert Allenby, International
MATCH 6 – Charl Schwartzel-Retief Goosen, International vs. Hunter Mahan-David Toms

U S team captain Fred Couples said the plan all along was to split up Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker in four-ball, even before the duo were thumped 7 and 6 by Adam Scott and K.J. Choi in Thursday’s foursomes.
“We were going to do that on Tuesday and Wednesday,” Couples said of putting Woods with Dustin Johnson.
 International team captain Greg Norman said he split up the Scott-Choi combo because he wanted Scott to help K T Kim with his lines off the tee in Friday’s winds, which are expected to blow from the north-northwest.
“K T has never played in a north-northwest win,” Norman said. “It’s going to be crucial for him getting direction.”
That reason is the same one that Norman used to keep Ernie Els and Ryo Ishikawa together, even though they lost 4 and 2 to Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson on Thursday.
Couples said he expects Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson to “play a lot together.”
Friday's opening match features the same four players who played in Thursday’s opening match.