MELBOURNE, Australia – The final round of the Presidents Cup began with words from the captains, not singles matches.

The International team took its first lead into Sunday singles since 2003, all because of two foursomes matches in which the players never led at any point until scratching out a half-point.

That gave the Internationals a 10-8 lead and needing six points from 12 singles matches to win the Presidents Cup for only the second time in the event’s 25-year history, and not since Royal Melbourne in 1998.

“For us to scratch and scramble for one point, the guys were very excited about that,” International captain Ernie Els said.

Marc Leishman and rookie Abraham Ancer were 5 down with eight holes to play. The rookie duo of Joaquin Niemann and Byeong Hun An were 2 down with five to play. Both rallied to halve their matches.

U.S. captain Tiger Woods – and that’s all he was on Saturday, a captain – saw it differently.

Woods looked back to Friday, when the International team won two matches for a 6-1 lead, and was ahead briefly in the other three foursomes matches. The Americans won two matches and halved another to limited the damage.

“At one point, it looked like we were going to be down 1-9,” Woods said. “And for the International team only to get one point from that point on, for us to fight back and get eight points was a huge, huge win for us today.”

Els couldn’t stifle a laugh when he heard that. His team was ahead on Friday, but it never had more than a five-point lead at the conclusion of any match.

“You’re the absolute optimist, aren’t you?” Els said to Woods without looking his way. “My God.”

That’s what both were filled with – optimism – after a long day filled with big wins, a stunning comeback that left Justin Thomas seething, and more drama involving Patrick Reed at Royal Melbourne.

Els has a record-tying seven rookies on his team from a record nine countries, and he has given them purpose with a new logo and a strong dose of analytics to find the right combinations. So far, it has worked.

Woods is the first playing captain in 25 years, and he was questioned for taking himself out of both sessions, even though he has performed as well as anyone at Royal Melbourne. He said he had faith in his players, and they delivered their first winning session Saturday afternoon in foursomes, nearly sweeping it until the great comebacks by Leishman and Ancer, An and Niemann.

Woods put himself in the leadoff position for singles. Els anticipated that’s where he would play so that Woods could quickly return to captain duties when his match was over. He sent out Ancer, the International star in these matches so far, unbeaten in all four matches.

Woods has lost only once to an International player in singles away from home – Mike Weir in Canada in 2007, when the Americans were well on their way to winning again.

Captains alternate turns filling out the lineup, and Woods offered up Reed in the third match to face C.T. Pan of Taiwan, who has wielded a hot putter this week. Along with getting Reed out early, placing him against Pan kept Reed from facing one of three Australians on the International team.

It’s already been a rough week for Reed because of his rules violation last week in the Bahamas, when he brushed back sand behind his ball – twice – playing from a waste area. He was penalized two shots.

The gallery has taunted him all week – Reed usually embraces that – by calling him “Patrick Cheat” or introducing him as “The Excavator.” But it was too much for his caddie, brother-in-law Kessler Karain. He confirmed in a statement to Barstool Sports podcast “Fore Play” that he shoved the spectator because he got too close as he cursed Reed.

Karain cannot caddie on Sunday, and Reed said he supports the PGA Tour’s decision.

“We all are focused on winning the Presidents Cup,” Reed said in a statement. He has declined interviews since Friday and is 0-3 in his matches this week with Webb Simpson.

Singles has long been considered a strength of the Americans, but they have not won the singles session since 2009. They haven’t really needed to because of their dominance in the Presidents Cup.

Now they do.

Leishman and Ancer showed plenty of grit. Ancer made a 20-foot birdie putt to halve the 15th hole and extend the match. Leishman made an 18-footer on the next hole, and Rickie Fowler missed a 6-footer that would have won the match. Thomas missed a 10-footer after Fowler’s long putt raced by the hole, and then Thomas hit a tee shot under a tree on the 18th that left Fowler having to squat just to punch out. Leishman stiffed his approach, and the birdie putt – and halve – eventually was conceded.

“It’s unacceptable for us to get a half a point,” Thomas said. “They made a couple long putts there on 15 and 16 to keep it going. We had our chances, and I mean, flat honest, just didn’t execute. … Our team is playing well today, and we’ve got to put it behind us and go get a point tomorrow.”

After three days of team matches, that’s all that matters now.

MELBOURNE, Australia – The fist pumps, the screaming and shouting, it all belonged to the Americans in the final hour of the Presidents Cup.

They just didn’t have the lead.

That’s the beauty of these team events in golf. Momentum can change with one putt that leads to one point. Patrick Cantlay and Justin Thomas provided those moments Friday in foursomes at Royal Melbourne, and the U.S. team walked off the course believing the Presidents Cup was about to turn in their favour.

Marc Leishman wasn’t buying it.

“What are we, 6 1/2-3 1/2 up? It’s very early,” Leishman said. “They made a couple good putts on 18, definitely give them that, but I don’t think you get momentum with two putts. We played pretty well the first two sessions. Yes, today probably didn’t finish off the way we wanted to, but we still halved the session.

“They made a couple putts at an important time, but if they feel that, that’s great,” he said. “We probably don’t feel that way, so, yeah.”

The Americans had a right to celebrate, for no other reason than it could have been worse.

A lot worse.

“We dug ourselves out of what could have been a big hole,” Thomas said.

Louis Oosthuizen and Adam Scott won big, rallying from 2 down to 3 up in a span of seven holes over Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar. Leishman and Abraham Ancer had control the entire way against Webb Simpson and Patrick Reed, who heard it from the gallery over his rules violation last week in the Bahamas. One fan called out to him, “Patrick Cheat.”

Just like that, it was 6-1.

The board was filled with black-and-gold, and captain Ernie Els had reason to think it could have been a clean sweep.

And then it changed.

Cantlay was so excited with his 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th to win the match that he pumped his fist. That’s a lot of emotion for Cantlay, and it was meaningful to flip the match with Xander Schauffele and beat Adam Hadwin and Joaquin Niemann.

Thomas is more excitable, and this started on the bus ride to Royal Melbourne. Thomas loves looking at video, and one of his favourites was Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens screaming about his greatness. If the moment presented him, Thomas was ready to go all T.O.

That moment came on the 18th, when he and playing captain Tiger Woods were caught in a battle with Hideki Matsuyama and Byeong Hun An, who won three straight holes in the middle of the match and were tied going to the final hole.

Woods hit a great approach to 18 feet beyond the hole. Thomas made the putt.

Both dropped their putters and Thomas screamed, “I love me some ME!” as Woods rushed toward him with arms outstretched for a fierce hug.

“I showed it to the guys this morning,” Thomas said of the video. “It’s a really funny video. I said, ‘If I make a big putt today, I’m yelling it.’ Today, that was a pretty big putt, so I thought it was the appropriate time to yell it.”

Gary Woodland and Rickie Fowler delivered a halve that felt like a win, going from 2 down with three holes to play with two straight birdies to end with the only draw of the week.

On paper, the International team has a three-point lead, its largest going into the weekend of the Presidents Cup since 1998 at Royal Melbourne, the only time they won. It also had a three-point lead going into Sunday singles in South Africa in 2003, the famous tie.

Emotionally, the Americans felt they had all the momentum.

“Making those putts on 18 were so big for the momentum shift,” Cantlay said. “I felt like all day out there, it was another beating and we were getting beat up. I looked up on the board and we were down in almost all the matches, all day. We’re going to go to bed tonight feeling great and we’re going to have the momentum going into tomorrow. We are still down, but there are a lot of points up on the board for tomorrow.

“I really thought this afternoon was huge, and I think it’s going to be a big paradigm shift going forward.”

Els and his International team were able to see a bigger picture. It had a three-point lead, and even with the late American rally, the foursomes sessions was a draw. The Americans had a 30-point advantage in the alternate-shot format in Presidents Cup history.

“It’s perspective, isn’t it?” Els said. “I’ve got to look at where we are. It’s easy to just look at where we could have been, because it was looking really unbelievable. We tie this afternoon. We’re in a very good position.”

Next up was a double session Saturday – four matches of each format in the morning and afternoon.

Woods sat himself out for Saturday morning for the first time this week, sending Thomas out with Fowler. Only after Saturday will anyone have a clear idea of who has the momentum and the advantage for the final day.

It can change at any minute.

MELBOURNE, Australia – Ernie Els wanted to inspire his International team at the Presidents Cup, and he found the one video that might do the trick.

Then again, there wasn’t a lot to choose from.

Els is the lone person on this team, including his four assistants, who was at Royal Melbourne in 1998 for the only International victory. They took the lead after the opening session and never were challenged the rest of the way. At the time, it was the biggest loss an American team had ever endured.

“I watched a couple times because I love it,” said C.T. Pan, one of seven rookies on the International team who certainly didn’t play like one Thursday. “It’s been 21 long years. I know it’s day one, we still have a lot of work to do. That video definitely pumped and excited everyone on the International team.”

It sure looked that way.

Tiger Woods did his part, at least as a player. The first playing captain in 25 years, he opened with two birdies for a 2-up lead and finished with two more birdies as he and Justin Thomas won the opening fourballs match at Royal Melbourne.

And then he resumed his role as captain and watched the International team post one victory after another, hitting all the right shots in the two matches that went to the 18th hole.

When it was over, the International team had a 4-1 lead, its first time in front since 2005.

“I didn’t envision 4-1, no,” Els said. “So it’s a nice start. We haven’t had a a start like this for many, many years.”

That was the extent of his optimism, as much as Els would allow himself. He already was looking ahead to the five matches of foursomes on Friday, an American strength while winning the last seven times. During that stretch, the Americans have outscored the International team 50.5 to 22.5 in foursomes.

At Royal Melbourne in 1998, the International had an 8-2 advantage in the alternate-shot format.

More memories. More hope.

On the first tee for the start Thursday was Craig Parry and Carlos Francos, two players from the 1998 team. All were invited to take part in these matches, a reminder of what can happen. Half of the team was able to make the long trip.

“It was great to see the guys in ’98 giving us a bit of advice and how it felt for them starting the week back then, and what it feels like winning a Cup,” Louis Oosthuizen said. “We have a few boys of ’98 in the team room, as well, and I think we are in a really good place. But we are set on what we want to do. We have a massive goal.”

And the International team still has a long way to go.

Els stuck to his plan, which is geared around analytics. Even a resounding start was not enough to tempt the International captain to keep partnerships that were so successful in the opening session. He broke them all up, just like he planned.

Abraham Ancer and Oosthuizen birdied the opening five holes for a 4-up lead that Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland could not overcome in a 4-and-3 victory. Adam Scott and Byeong Hun An _ the replacement for Jason Day _ never trailed in beating Tony Finau and Bryson DeChambeau. Hideki Matsuyama delivered the clutch putt from 25 feet on the 17th hole as he and C.T. Pan beat Patrick Reed and Webb Simpson, 1 up.

Scott will have Oosthuizen for foursomes. Ancer will play with Marc Leishman. Matsuyama plays with An.

“We’ve gone this route, and we keep going.” Els said. “The guys played well today in their respective pairings, and tomorrow we’ve got whatever pairings we have. We’ll feel comfortable with them.”

There is a quiet confidence, much like International captain Peter Thomson had in 1998.

Woods appeared to make one change. He is playing again with Thomas, and he might have been subject to criticism if he didn’t. He was the best American at Royal Melbourne. Woods was asked if his performance dictated his Friday lineup, if he would have stuck to being the captain if the team had fared better.

“We had a couple of different options rolling into this entire Cup,” Woods said. “The guys have known the game plan, different possible options. And this is one of the scenarios.”

Woods kept together two other teams, even in defeat _ Reed and Simpson, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.

Some of his players were not even in high school the last time the Americans trailed, and Woods was not about to worry about one day.

“Just because we lost the session doesn’t mean the Cup’s over,” Woods said. “There’s a long way to go. A lot of points available. The guys will regroup and we’ll come out tomorrow ready to go.”

Els gave his team the same message.

“Keep the jets down,” Els said. “There’s a long way to go. Don’t get too excited. This is a strong team, and they’re going to come back strong.”

MELBOURNE, Australia – Tiger Woods lightly pumped his fist with another birdie. He raised his hands over his head in applause to salute a brilliant play by Justin Thomas that led to another hole won. He thoroughly enjoyed his return to competition in the Presidents Cup.

His match won, Woods took the radio and inserted the ear piece as he resumed his role as U.S. captain.

And there was little else to cheer.

Ernie Els and his inspired International team won the day, and won it big.

Els got solid performances from Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen and remarkable play from his rookies that led to a 4-1 lead after the opening session of fourballs Thursday.

“I didn’t envision 4-1, no,” Els said.

It was the first time the International team won the opening session since 2005, which also was the last time it led after any session in an event the Americans have won 10 out of 12 times, including the last seven in a row.

Woods assembled the strongest U.S. team ever for the Presidents based on the world ranking. The first playing captain in 25 years, he inserted himself in the first match and made six birdies, the most of anyone at Royal Melbourne.

When it was over, the U.S. team found itself in foreign territory – trailing for the first time in 14 years.

“We have to earn this cup,” Woods said, perhaps a reminder that history means little inside the ropes. “Just because we lost the session doesn’t mean the Cup’s over. There’s a long way to go, a lot of points available. The guys will regroup, and we’ll come out tomorrow ready to go.”

That was a message Els preached to his team after a dynamic performance.

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Mood. #PresidentsCup

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Scott overcame a snap hook on the opening hole to make five birdies as he and Byeong Hun An – the replacement for Jason Day – won in 17 holes. Hideki Matsuyama holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole that carried the Japanese star and C.T. Pan to a 1-up victory over Patrick Reed and Webb Simpson.

Oosthuizen and Abraham Ancer, the Mexican rookie who has received praise all week for his fire and confidence, opened with five straight birdies in a crushing defeat over the American power duo of Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland.

But it was just a start.

“Keep the jets down,” Els said. “There’s a long way to go. Don’t get too excited. This is a strong team, and they’re going to come back strong.”

Woods was so strong that he decided to play again in Friday foursomes, again paired with Thomas. Woods kept two other teams together – Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, and Reed and Simpson – even though both lost.

Els is sending out five new partnerships, sticking to a plan that so far is working quite well.

“He had a system going in. We are his soldiers, so we follow his instruction, and that’s what we did today,” C.T. Pan said. “And it works great.”

Woods showed off an exquisite short game, building a 2-up lead after two holes with pitch-and-run shots that set up easy birdies. He chipped in for birdie on the par-5 fifth, and closed out the match with an 8-foot birdie on the par-3 14th and a 5-footer on the next hole, his sixth birdie in the 15 holes he and Thomas needed to beat Marc Leishman and Joaquin Niemann.

Asked what worked well in their first time playing together, Thomas replied, “Tiger was working well.”

Little else did for the Americans, but that was more a product of great play by the International team that Els assembled to try to win the Presidents Cup for the first time since 1998, its only victory.

The International team walked off the course with arms around shoulders, a most happy occasion after having lost seven in a row since the tie in South Africa in 2003.

The middle three matches is where the International team seized control in the opening session. Adam Hadwin and Sungjae Im won the 16th hole with a par, and Schauffele and Cantlay didn’t have good birdie looks over the final two holes to lose.

“We have a good team. We know we have a good team,” said Hadwin. “It’s about us going out and executing golf shots, and our goal was to get them down early, get the crowd into it and on our side and hopefully carry some momentum these next three days.”

The biggest of Scott’s five birdies was a 12-footer to halve the 14th and protect a 2-up lead that led to victory on the 17th hole over Tony Finau and Bryson DeChambeau, now winless in first four matches in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup.

The last chance for the Americans to at least get a half-point came in the last match on the course. Reed, who heard his share of needling from the crowd over his rules violation in the sand last week in the Bahamas, made a 12-foot birdie putt to square the match on the 16th, only for Matsuyama to deliver his big putt on the next hole.

Reed’s 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th to halve the match stayed above the hole.

Perhaps typical of the Americans’ day was when Johnson, playing for the first time since Aug. 25 because of knee surgery, smashed driver on the 330-yard 11th hole to just inside 4 feet. He missed the eagle putt, Ancer made a 12-foot birdie to keep the 3-up lead and the American team never got any closer.

It was only the fourth time the International team has led after the opening session, and it was their largest margin after one day.

“This is the start we needed,” Scott said. “We’ve got to try to keep this lead now as long as possible, and hopefully the week runs out.”

MELBOURNE, Australia – Tiger Woods deferred the first pick for pairings in the Presidents Cup, and then made sure he was in the opening match Thursday against the Australian who led qualifying for the International team at Royal Melbourne.

Woods is the first playing captain since Hale Irwin in the inaugural Presidents Cup in 1994, and first captain to be pick himself with a wild-card selection after winning in Japan for his 82nd career PGA Tour victory.

Woods said Steve Stricker, one of his three assistants, would serve as captain while he was playing. Stricker was the U.S. captain at the 2017 Presidents Cup.

The Americans are defending champions and had the first pick who they wanted for the first of five fourballs matches. Instead, Woods let International captain Ernie Els start, and Els sent out Marc Leishman with Joaquin Niemann of Chile, one of a record-tying seven rookies on his team.

Patrick Reed, the subject of so much conversation this week from his rules violation in the Bahamas last week, is in the fourth spot with Webb Simpson. They play Hideki Matsuyama and C.T. Pan.

All five of the U.S. partnerships are new for a Presidents Cup or a Ryder Cup.

Dustin Johnson, who competes for the first time since Aug. 25 at the Tour Championship, has played with Matt Kuchar in various team events. This time he will have Presidents Cup newcomer Gary Woodland, giving the U.S. a big-hitting team on the short, fast track of Royal Melbourne. They will face Abraham Ancer and Louis Oosthuizen.

In the other matches, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay give the Americans an all-rookie team against Adam Hadwin and Sungjae Im, while Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau face Adam Scott and Byeong Hun An.

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Woods opted to sit out Matt Kuchar and Rickie Fowler, the last addition to the U.S. team when Brooks Koepka had to withdraw with a knee injury. Els left out Li Haotong and Cameron Smith, one of three Aussies on the International team.

Friday’s second session features five foursomes matches, with four matches of each format on Saturday and 12 singles matches on Sunday.

Key for the International team is a strong start. The Americans have dominated this event, winning 10 out of 12 times and tying one event in South Africa. More telling of the one-sided nature of these matches is that the Americans have not trailed after any session since the second day in 2005.

“Whoever is out there, it’s the most important match of the week for them,” Scott said. “We have to get off to a good start – as long as we can hang with them. Tomorrow is not super important, but our team doesn’t need to be chasing its tail out here. We don’t need to be mounting a huge comeback.”

MELBOURNE, Australia – As if being the first playing captain in 25 years at the Presidents Cup weren’t enough, Tiger Woods filled yet another role Tuesday at Royal Melbourne.

This wasn’t necessarily by design.

Woods had Patrick Reed in his group for the first full practice round for a U.S. team still trying to shake off the jet lag from a 23-hour flight from the Bahamas.

“It’s always great playing with Tiger because he kind of frees you up,” Reed said. “Everyone’s focused on what Tiger’s doing.”

Woods got plenty of love from the fans, many fearing they might never get a chance to see him Down Under after his career was in jeopardy from four back surgeries. Woods won the Australian Masters at nearby Kingston Heath in 2009 and made the clinching putt in 2011 the last time the Presidents Cup was at Royal Melbourne.

Not that Reed was ignored.

He was the biggest topic on the first day of interviews because of his rules violation last week at the Hero World Challenge when he twice scooped away sand behind his ball while playing from a waste area. Reed was penalized two shots after seeing the video. He says it wasn’t intentional and he wasn’t helped; he didn’t feel or see his club scrape back the sand; and the camera angle didn’t show his club far enough behind the ball.

Fans didn’t wait until the start of the matches Thursday to needle him.

Reed played in a foursome with Woods, Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay. As he prepared to tee off, a fan in the bleachers said, “Now on the tee, The Excavator.”

Reed turned toward the fan and tipped his cap, then drilled his iron down the fairway.

Eleven of the 15 players and captains who were available for interviews Tuesday were asked about Reed. That included Reed, and one of the questions directed to him was, “You didn’t cheat?”

A closer look at Patrick Reed’s two-stroke penalty during Round 3 of the Hero World Challenge. pic.twitter.com/z2aqkajnYq

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 7, 2019

“No, of course not,” Reed replied.

He stood patiently before the largest group of media, answering every question about what happened, whether it bothers him to hear the word “cheat” bandied about or if he even cares what people think of him.

Reed just wants to get on with the Presidents Cup, and his teammates felt the same way.

“That’s something that’s great about Patrick is he’s been a great team player and he’s always wanted to win points for the team,” Justin Thomas said. “So I think the only way it could become a distraction is what the headlines are and how much we read into it. We’re not here to read articles and get into this or that. We are here to try to win points for the U.S. team in the Presidents Cup. … It’s in the past. And I understand it’s going to be something that continues to get brought up, but none of us worry about it.”

That didn’t stop Thomas.

He was in the bunker on one hole, stood up to the shot and purposely took two practice swings that swiped away sand, then stood there laughing before dropping the ball elsewhere.

“It’s all in good fun,” Thomas said. “We needle each other all the time but it’s never anything personal.”

Still to be determined is whether it becomes personal to anyone else, inside or outside the ropes.

Marc Leishman was outspoken last week after seeing the Reed violation on television from the Australian Open. Asked about it again Tuesday, he said, “I only saw what everyone else saw. I guess we’ve all made up our own minds about it.”

“I think we’re just going to let that one go and try and beat him on the course,” Leishman said. “I think we’ve said enough, or I’ve said enough about it. I don’t need to add any fuel to the fire. … We know we have to play well to beat the Americans, and that’s what we’re preparing for.”

This is a big year for the International team, led by Ernie Els. It has only one victory in the 25 years since the Presidents Cup was created to give players from outside Europe matches styled after the Ryder Cup. That was in 1998 at Royal Melbourne, the only other time the matches were held in December.

The underdog label, even for a home game, has never fit so well. The International team has seven rookies, with Adam Scott the highest-ranked player at No. 18. The average world ranking of the American team is 12.3.

“This week, this is probably the best chance we will have with this golf course, this crowd, and I think the way our guys are playing,” Louis Ooshtuizen said. “It’s no fun going out and everyone is saying, `They’re just going to run over them again.”’

Woods is required to play at least once before the 12 singles matches Sunday. He paired himself with Thomas for the opening round of the Bahamas, and it appears likely they will be partners, particularly with Cantlay and Reed having played together in the team event in New Orleans the last few years.

Or maybe he will play again with Reed, after having gone 0-2 at the Ryder Cup last year.

Either way, Woods is sure to draw a crowd.

“It doesn’t matter where you go in the world, I think people are going to root for him,” Thomas said.

MELBOURNE, Victoria, Australia – Ernie Els has selected British Columbia’s Adam Hadwin as one of his final four picks for the International Team at next month’s Presidents Cup, the captain announced today via teleconference. Hadwin joins Jason Day of Australia, Joaquin Niemann of Chile and Sungjae Im of South Korea as the final international representatives.

The Presidents Cup returns to Melbourne, Australia and The Royal Melbourne Golf Club for the third time, December 9-15, when the International Team will take on the U.S. Team led by Captain Tiger Woods.

Hadwin will make his second consecutive Presidents Cup appearance and first as a captain’s pick. The 31-year-old finished with five top-10 finishes during the 2018-19 PGA TOUR season but made his best case for a captain’s pick after finishing runner-up in his first start of the 2019-20 season at the Safeway Open. That was followed up with a T4 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

“With this Presidents Cup approaching and me starting to play some good golf again, I was just hungry for a second chance,” Hadwin said. “That’s not how I would like my contribution to The Presidents Cup to be remembered and I’m looking forward to having a second chance down at Royal Melbourne, a part of an incredible International Team, and hopefully we can right some of the wrongs that we’ve had in the past and do Captain Els proud.”

The Abbotsford, British Columbia, native is just one of three Canadians to compete in the Presidents Cup, joining 2019 captain’s assistant Mike Weir and Graham DeLaet.

 

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BIG congrats to Canada’s @ahadwingolf on earning a captain’s selection to the #PresidentsCup International Team. Play well, Adam! ??? #TeamRBC

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Hadwin finished with a 0-2-1 record in his Presidents Cup debut at Liberty National.

The International Team has 22 previous Presidents Cup appearances amongst its members with six players making their Presidents Cup debuts, which matches the second-most first-timers in team history (7, 2013).

Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen, Marc Leishman, Abraham Ancer, Haotong Li, Cameron Smith and C.T. Pan round out the rest of the international team. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., was strongly considered by Els to join the team but just missed the final cut.

“Between (Hadwin) and Corey Conners, it was a very, very tight race,” said Els. “One of the difficult calls I had to make was to Corey. He was very gracious and he wished us good luck heading into these matches.

“But Adam, I love his game. He’s just very solid all around. There’s not really any weakness there.”

Conners missed the cut at the Sanderson Farms Championship but then tied for 13th at the Safeway Open, tied for 12th at the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges, tied for sixth at the ZOZO Championship and tied for 20th at the World Golf Championship-HSBC Champions. He’s ranked 55th in the world _ one spot below Niemann _ and 24th on the FedExCup rankings.

Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, Matt Kuchar, Xander Schauffele, Webb Simpson, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Cantlay will represent the United States. Tiger Woods will announce his four captain’s picks _ potentially including himself _ on Thursday.

Captain Els will lead the youngest International Team in Presidents Cup history, with the average age of his 12 players totaling just over 29 years old. This is the fourth consecutive International Team that has been younger than the previous team.

Let’s get it! ??#PresidentsCup https://t.co/UeKUYkoBKe

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) November 7, 2019

Canadians in the Presidents Cup

MELBOURNE, Victoria, Australia – With the 13th Presidents Cup set to begin in just over a month at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club, the final four players for the U.S. Team were determined today as U.S. Team Captain Tiger Woods announced his four captain’s picks. Woods chose Tony Finau, Patrick Reed, Gary Woodland and himself, making him the second-ever playing captain in Presidents Cup history.

The Presidents Cup will return to Melbourne, Australia and The Royal Melbourne Golf Club for the third time, December 9-15, when the International Team, led by Captain Ernie Els, will take on the U.S. Team, led by Captain Woods.

For the first time in Presidents Cup history, each captain makes four captain’s picks instead of two. With these picks, the U.S. Team has 21 previous Presidents Cup appearances amongst its members with five players making their Presidents Cup debuts.

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods (finished No. 13 in the U.S. Team standings) will become the Presidents Cup’s second-ever playing captain (Hale Irwin, 1994) and make his ninth career Presidents Cup appearance. Woods has a Presidents Cup record of 24-15-1 since his first appearance on the 1998 U.S. Team, and he is one of five players to earn a perfect 5-0-0 record during a single event (2009).

His 24 matches won ranks second all-time to Phil Mickelson’s 26 and his six victories in Singles matches are the most in the event’s history. Woods also holed the winning putt for the U.S. Team in 2009, 2011 (at Royal Melbourne) and 2013 – the only player to clinch the Cup three times.

At the conclusion of his 2018-19 season in mid-August, Woods underwent arthroscopic knee surgery the following week to repair minor cartilage damage in his left knee. He made his first start of the 2019-20 season at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in late October. Woods opened with rounds of 64-64 and held at least a share of the lead after each round en route to a three-stroke victory in Japan for his 82nd PGA TOUR title that tied him with Sam Snead for most in TOUR history.

“As captain, I’m going to choose Tiger Woods as the last player on the team,” Woods said. “He’s made, what, nine Cups and he’s played in Australia twice in the Presidents Cup, so this will be his third appearance as a player. It’s going to be difficult, but also I have three amazing assistants with Fred, Strick and Zach, and that helps a lot, two guys that have won Presidents Cups and one will be a future captain along the line in the near future. Three great minds that will help me when I’m playing.

“It’s going to be a lot of work, but something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. I’ve been vice captain in two Cups, so understanding it and seeing it, what those roles are is a little bizarre, and seeing it from a different side is really going to help.”

Tony Finau

Tony Finau (No. 9) will make his Presidents Cup debut after narrowly missing out on one of the eight automatic qualifying spots. The 30-year-old recorded another consistent season on the PGA TOUR in 2018-19 that resulted in six top-10 finishes in 25 starts and his third consecutive TOUR Championship appearance.

Finau began his 2019-20 PGA TOUR Season at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open where his T9 finish was highlighted by a third-round 62 at TPC Summerlin. His lone PGA TOUR victory came at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open.

Finau competed for the United States at the 2018 Ryder Cup, where he finished with a 2-1-0 record.

“Extremely pumped and excited to add my talent to the mix of guys and to play for Tiger,” Finau said. “It was a goal of mine to start this season and I know I wanted to just have the opportunity to play and play for Tiger. So I was very pleased to get that phone call. It’s one that I’ll remember forever and I’m excited, again, to join the team and honored, honored to get that call from Tiger.”

“This will be his first Presidents Cup; he played in the Ryder Cup last year. So he’s been around it, he’s understood it, and what a great team guy and a pleasure and just an overall genuinely nice guy,” Woods said. “Everyone on this team wants to play with Tony. He can play either format, which is great, so we look forward to having him part of this team.”

Patrick Reed

Back for his third consecutive Presidents Cup, Patrick Reed (No. 12) will join the U.S. Team as a captain’s pick for the first time.

Following a 1-2-1 performance in his debut in 2015, Reed rebounded in 2017 and teamed with Jordan Spieth to earn 3.5 points before falling to Louis Oosthuizen, 1-up, in Singles. His overall Presidents Cup record sits at 4-3-2.

Reed earned his seventh career PGA TOUR victory at THE NORTHERN TRUST to go along with four other top-10 finishes during the 2018-19 PGA TOUR Season.

Through two starts in the 2019-20 season, Reed has showed signs of rounding back into form with a T17 at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP that was followed by a T8 at the WGC-HSBC Champions.

Known for his match-play prowess, Reed has competed in every team event for the United States since the 2014 Ryder Cup.

“For me personally, I live for events like the President’s Cup and Ryder Cup,” Reed said. “I enjoy every minute of the competition, the fans and playing for our country. It means so much to me to be a part of this team, and I’m going to do everything I can to help the USA bring home the Presidents Cup.”

“This is a person that is as fiery as they come and he’s bleeding red, white, and blue and he will do anything to get points for you, and that’s what we want,” Woods said. “We want points, and he’s a great team guy in there because he knows that when he goes out on that golf course, he’s going to give you absolutely everything he has, and that’s admirable, and the guys are looking forward to embracing him and having him be a part of this team.”

Gary Woodland

Gary Woodland (No. 10) will make his Presidents Cup debut following his most successful season on the PGA TOUR that yielded two runner-up finishes to go along with his fourth career victory at the U.S. Open.

In five starts following the U.S. Open, Woodland finished no better than T31 and fell out of the top-8 in the U.S. Team standings. Through three starts during the 2019-2020 season, however, Woodland collected two top-5 finishes at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES (T3) and the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP (5th), where he was paired with Captain Woods for the final two rounds.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am. I’ve been close to making a lot of teams and I have never made one,” Woodland said. “It’s been a goal at the start of every year to make that team…I miss the team atmosphere. I want to get in that locker room and see the guys. That’s what I’m looking forward to, and on top of that, representing your country and you’re playing for Tiger Woods, that’s pretty special.”

“What he displayed this year at Pebble Beach in winning the U.S. Open, that was awfully special, and we’ve all known the talent that he has had, and he’s just now figuring it out and putting it together, and we couldn’t have a better, more competitive guy,” Woods said. “We all know he’s a jock that played basketball, and went with this golf thing, and it turned out all right. Again, another good dude that all the players wanted on the team.”

United States Team
Patrick Cantlay
Bryson DeChambeau
Tony Finau
Dustin Johnson
Brooks Koepka
Matt Kuchar
Patrick Reed
Xander Schauffele
Webb Simpson
Justin Thomas
Gary Woodland
Tiger Woods

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda – Brendon Todd ran away with the Bermuda Championship on Sunday for his second PGA Tour title, shooting a 9-under 62 after flirting with a sub-60 round at mostly calm Port Royal Golf Club.

“I’m thrilled, over the moon,” said Todd, his career once nearly ended by full-swing yips. “A year ago, I was talking to my manager about potentially opening up another business and not sure if I was going to keep playing. So, to turn it around in one year and regain status and then have a big win this like this is just a dream come true and hopefully a springboard to a really long, successful career out here.”

Two months after regaining his tour card in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, Todd earned a two-year exemption, $540,000 and spots at Kapalua, The Players Championship and the PGA Championship. He won the 2014 Byron Nelson for first PGA Tour title, then went 100 starts before breaking through again.

Needing to birdie the final two holes to shoot 59, Todd missed a 20-foot birdie try on the par-5 17th and closed with a bogey after taking three shots to reach the green on the par-4 18th. He finished at 24-under 260 for a four-stroke victory over Harry Higgs in the first-year event.

Two strokes behind Higgs entering the round, Todd opened with a par, then birdied the next seven. The 34-year-old former University of Georgia player also birdied Nos. 10, 11 and 15.

“I had probably one of the best range warm-ups I’ve had in a little while,” Todd said. “I think I told my caddie that’s the best my swing’s felt in 10 years, but in reality it’s probably the best it’s felt ever because I’m a much better ball-striker than I was 10 years ago and in college and even during the times where I was winning tournaments. My goal was just to go out there and play my game, play aggressively, and just fire away, try and birdie every hole.”

He will jump from 525th in the world ranking to inside the top 190.

“You turn into a fan,” Higgs said. “Like, I turned to Mike (caddie Carrick) after he birdied 11, ‘This guy might shoot 56 today.’ Every shot he hit was just perfect, every putt he hit was perfect. It was fun to watch. It was hard to focus because I was almost cheering him on the whole time, like I want to see how good this is going to be for him.”

Higgs closed with a 68, making a double bogey on the short par-5 seventh.

“Brendon took the pressure off of making a double on a reachable par 5,” Higgs joked. “It was pretty easy after that, just kind of get back to what I was doing, hitting it where you’re supposed to.”

The former SMU player also had an eagle on the par-5 17th. He has made six starts as a rookie after winning on the Korn Ferry Tour and finishing fifth on the developmental tour’s regular-season points list to earn a PGA Tour card.

Brian Gay (67), Hank Lebioda (63), Scottie Scheffler (66) and Aaron Wise (65) tied for third at 18 under.

Canadian David Hearn posted a final-round 66 to finish at 15 under par in a tie for eighth.

SHANGHAI – Given another shot at winning the HSBC Champions, Rory McIlroy delivered his best of the day.

Even though he never trailed over the last 14 holes Sunday, and he didn’t make a bogey all weekend, McIlroy felt fortunate to be standing on the tee at the par-5 18th in a playoff with defending champion Xander Schauffele.

On the final hole in regulation, McIlroy thought his drive was in the water, relieved to find it was a foot from the red hazard line.

After five hours of an exquisite battle among McIlroy, Schauffele and Louis Oosthuizen, the pivotal moment was when Schauffele reached into a hat on the 18th tee for a white slip of paper with “2” written on it. That meant McIlroy would go first in the playoff.

And there was no doubt about his next two shots.

He followed a soaring drive down the middle of the fairway with a 4-iron from 223 yards into the wind to 25 feet that set up a two-putt birdie for the victory.

“If anything over the last few years … for the most part, I’ve been able to get the best out of myself when I’ve needed it, and that’s been a learning curve for me,” McIlroy said. “But I’ve had enough experiences, and I’ve got a lot of great memories to draw back on. There’s so many shots that I’ve hit under pressure that I can draw on.”

He added another one at Sheshan International.

And he needed every one of them to hold off a bold performance by Schauffele, who spent four days trying to recover from the flu and nearly left Shanghai as the only player to win back-to-back in the HSBC Champions.

“I tried my best. Played great,” Schauffele said. “I beat him on the day just to get in a playoff, and unfortunately I couldn’t pull it off. I would have much rather played a par 3 for a playoff. He’s the best driver in our game. Couldn’t be happier for him. Like I said, I played great all week, fought. It was nice to have a chance.”

McIlroy did everything right, closing with a 4-under 68 and going bogey-free over the last 39 holes he played.

Schauffele made him do a little more with birdies on two of the last four holes for a 66 to force a playoff at 19-under 269. That was as close as it got. Schauffele tugged his tee shot into thick rough near a bunker, laid up and narrowly missed a 12-foot birdie putt.

McIlroy won for the fourth time this year. It was his third World Golf Championships title, and his first since the Match Play at Harding Park in 2015.

“Xander pushed me the whole way, or all 73 holes we played together this week,” McIlroy said. “We played every round. He played great. He was battling a flu all week, wasn’t feeling his best, and so the calibre of golf he played this week, it takes some doing. He birdied the last to get into the playoff, and then I produced two of the best shots of the day when I needed it, which was really cool.”

McIlroy moves a little closer to Brooks Koepka at No. 1 in the world with one tournament left, the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai the week before Thanksgiving to close out what already has been a special year. This is the fourth time McIlroy has won at least four times in a season.

He cannot catch Koepka this year even if McIlroy were to win in Dubai.

“I’m getting there,” McIlroy said. “This win definitely helps and if I can get another win by the end of the year, I’ll be feeling pretty good going into 2020.”

Louis Oosthuizen birdied his opening two holes to set the early target, and he was tied with McIlroy until a tee shot into the trees on the ninth, and a chip that didn’t reach the fairway, leading to bogey. Oosthuizen made another bogey on the 11th that effectively dropped him out of the race.

“You just can’t give away holes,” Oosthuizen said.

McIlroy took a two-shot lead with a bit of fortune on the par-5 14th. His second shot landed near the back pin but bounced hard into thick rough. His chip looked to be running some 10 feet by the hole, except that it hit the pin and left him a short birdie putt.

More fortune awaited on the 18th hole. One shot ahead of Schauffele, who was in the fairway, McIlroy went right and watched the ball bound off the hill and settle in thick rough a foot from the red hazard line. He punched out to the fairway, but his approach was 25 feet short and he missed a birdie putt for the win.

Phil Mickelson closed with a 68 and tied for 28th. With Shugo Imahira finishing second on the Japan Golf Tour, Mickelson will drop out of the top 50 in the world for the first time since Nov. 28, 1993, the longest consecutive streak in the top 50 since the Official World Golf Ranking began in 1986.

“It was a good run,” Mickelson said. “But I’ll be back.”

Patrick Reed made one last audition as a captain’s pick for the Presidents Cup with a 66 to tie for eighth. He has finished among the top 20 in 10 of his last 13 starts, including a victory in the FedEx Cup playoffs. U.S. captain Tiger Woods announces his selections on Thursday.

Sungjae Im, bidding for one of four picks for the International team by Ernie Els, had a 72 and tied for 11th.

McIlroy now gets a two-week break before wrapping up his year in Dubai.

“I want to finish the year on a high note,” he said.

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., finished tied for 20th. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., tied for 46th.