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American players dominate first day of Presidents Cup

The Americans got off to a near-perfect start on Thursday in the Presidents Cup, getting superb play from veterans and rookies alike in winning five-and-a-half points out of the six alternate-shot matches at Royal Montreal.

And it might have been worse.

Despite a leaderboard covered with American red numbers, perhaps the most poignant moment of a gray afternoon was US captain Jack Nicklaus instructing Phil Mickelson and Woody Austin to concede a three and a half foot par putt on the 18th hole that assured Mike Weir of Canada and his International team their only point of the opening session.

In a tense battle with only six holes halved, the match was all square going to the 18th when both sides missed the green. Mickelson blasted out to 12 feet, while Weir chipped to three and a half feet above the hole. Austin made the par putt, and before Vijay Singh spot his ball, the match was conceded.

"Captain Nicklaus was right. It was the right thing to do," Mickelson said.

Matches began 30 minutes late because of a downpour on the Ile Bizard, and once they began, the Americans wasted no time taking control. Steve Stricker, returning to the Presidents Cup after an 11-year absence, joined with rookie Hunter Mahan for a 3-and-2 victory over the Australian pair of Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy.

Tiger Woods and Charles Howell III were in the final match and picked up a 3-and-1 victory over K.J. Choi and Nick O'Hern, with Woods doing most of the heavy lifting and Howell coming up with big putts on the back nine.

It was the biggest blowout in the opening session since the Americans won 5-0 in 2000.

Rory Sabbatini and Trevor Immelman, who lost an early two-up lead, were all square playing the 18th when Sabbatini hooked his tee shot into the water, leading to a bogey. Zach Johnson played his tee shot well to the right, Stewart Cink found a greenside bunker, and Johnson secured the match with a bunker shot so close it was conceded to par.

Ernie Els and Angel Cabrera were run over by Jim Furyk and David Toms, who raced out to a three-up lead with five holes remaining. But the International team won two straight holes, and Els kept them in the match with a 15-foot par putt on the 16th. And it looked as though they would at least earn a halve when Furyk pulled his tee shot on the 18th into the water.

Els played a fadeaway from the lip of a fairway bunker to the front of the green, and Cabrera's putt stopped four feet short of the hole. This putt was not conceded, and Els missed it to halve the hole and lose the match.
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