The International team battered the US on Saturday with a stunning sweep of the six better-ball matches, gaining a three-point lead with one session remaining in the Presidents Cup.
It was a command performance, highlighted by Vijay Singh and Retief Goosen making birdies on their final five holes to win, 2 and 1, over Tiger Woods and Charles Howell III.
Mike Weir and Robert Allenby finished off the 6-0 run when both nearly holed eagle putts from about 70 feet away on the 18th. They held off a late charge from Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco, the last US hope to avoid the shutout.
It was only the third sweep in Presidents Cup history. The United States won all five matches in better ball in 1994, the first year of the event, and all five alternate-shot matches three years ago in Virginia.
This is the first year the Presidents Cup has played six matches in one session.
The dominance was so thorough that US teams only led in two of the six matches at any point Saturday, and not for long.
The result was a 12-9 lead for the International team, meaning it needs to win only five of the 12 singles matches Sunday.
"The best thing about today is that today doesn't matter," said Jerry Kelly after he and Kenny Perry lost, 5 and 4, to K.J. Choi and Adam Scott.
It was the first loss for Perry in this Presidents Cup.
Meantime, Phil Mickelson lost for the fourth straight time. He and Fred Funk were 2-up after three holes and trailed for the first time when Stephen Leaney holed a 10-foot eagle putt from the fringe on No. 13.
Leaney and Peter Lonard won, 2 and 1.
Ernie Els and Tim Clark were 3-up after four holes and coasted the rest of the way, winning 3 and 2 over Jim Furyk and Jay Haas.
Els hosted the International team at his beach house for a barbecue Friday night, and rumor has it he fed them a full plate of spinach.
"Steaks, baby," Els said, all smiles as he stood behind the 17th green after Singh closed out the marquee match of the round.
"We really didn't talk about golf last night," Els said. "But I think everybody had today on their minds."
Davis Love III also suffered his first defeat on the Links Course at Fancourt, as he and David Toms lost, 2 and 1, to Nick Price and Stuart Appleby.
Els will play Woods in the second-to-last match Sunday, the one everyone in South Africa has wanted all along.
Woods now is 2-10 in better-ball matches in the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup.
He and Howell fell 2-down after three holes, but Woods answered with a 3-foot birdie on No. 4 and a brilliant pitch to 6 feet for birdie on the ninth that squared the match.
It was a slugfest, and the 10,000 people following them along the Links Course knew it.
Woods holed a 15-foot par putt to halve the 12th. Howell hit a tremendous bunker shot over a ridge in the green to within inches for birdie to halve the par-5 13th.
The decisive moment came on the 14th, when Goosen drove into a greenside bunker and blasted out to 4 feet.
Woods and Howell were both just short of the green, but Woods skulled his chip through the green, and Howell came up 12 feet short.
Both missed their birdie putts, and the Americans never caught up.
Woods thought he had chipped in for birdie, but the ball stopped a foot from going in.
He fell to his knees when he saw it was short.
RSS