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October 2007 - Posts

• Phil Mickelson Forced Out By Fire

  The wildfires that have razed scores of homes across Southern California haven't discriminated -- the rich and famous have been as affected as anybody. PGA Tour star Phil Mickelson and his family were part of a posh San Diego community that was evacuated by law enforcement officials Monday because of the devastating fires, which had destroyed an estimated 1,200 homes statewide as of midday Tuesday. Mickelson, who lives in an upscale development in Rancho Sante Fe, was evacuated along with his neighbors and is staying in another location in San Diego, where his parents still reside. "We don't know the status of the Mickelson home," Mickelson's spokesman, T.R. Reinman, said Tuesday afternoon. "We do know that homes located within a mile of his house have been destroyed." Nobody has been allowed back into the area and the unpredictable Santa Ana winds, gusting at 70 mph according to some estimates, have made it unclear when residents will be able to check on the state of their seven-figure homes, Reinman said. "The winds have made it a hopscotching fire and that much harder to contain," Reinman said. The home of reigning NCAA Division I golf champion Jamie Lovemark, a sophomore at USC, is located in the same development and also has been threatened. Gary Lovemark, Jamie's father, said a home located 200 yards away from his burned Tuesday. The Lovemarks, who were in Orlando for a Division I college event, were getting periodic updates from a neighbor who defied the evacuation order and was calling friends to keep them appraised of the damage. "It's been pretty awful," Gary Lovemark said. Posted Oct 26 2007, 08:46 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Phil Mickelson

• Paul Azinger Not Seeking Schedule Changes

  U.S. Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger said he will not lobby for a change to the PGA Tour schedule that could give his team a week off before taking on the Europeans at Valhalla Golf Club next year. Just under a year out from the 37th Ryder Cup, Azinger and his European opposite number Nick Faldo were in Louisville, Kentucky on Monday to inspect the Valhalla layout that will host the biennial competition. While the U.S. captain liked the course he conceded the timing of the event could be a problem. Players have already voiced their concerns over a gruelling FedEx Cup schedule that asks them to play four consecutive events culminating with the season-ending Tour Championship. The PGA Tour schedule would become even more demanding next season with the Ryder Cup set for Sept 19-21, the week immediately following the Championship. U.S. Ryder Cup stalwarts Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson chose not to play all the FedEx Cup events this season citing fatigue. Azinger said he has heard talk that the PGA was considering altering the schedule, moving the Tour Championship to the week after the Ryder Cup giving his men more time to prepare as the U.S. bids to end Europe's hold on the Cup. The Europeans have won five of the last six Ryder Cups, including the last two by record margins. "I just found out the Tour championships only had three or four Europeans who were Ryder Cup players," Azinger told reporters. "So there will be more Americans that will be Ryder Cup players, so the schedule is going to affect us more; there is more chance of burn out. "I don't know what the PGA Tour intends to do, there's some rumours they may decide to play the Tour championship after the Ryder Cup." "We do have more players that would be asked to play more events in a row so it would affect us differently." Azinger conceded that his men could be at a disadvantage if the schedule was not altered but noted that it did not have any impact on the U.S. performance at last month's Presidents Cup where the Americans crushed an international team 19-1/2 to 14-1/2 . "I'm not going to lobby for a date change for the Tour Championship," said Azinger. "I liked the idea of the team playing right into the Presidents Cup. "I'll just accept whatever it is and just deal with it however it unfolds." Faldo also said he would keep an eye on players' schedules in the buildup to next year's competition. "I'd be conscious of that, the guys coming off a long season," said Faldo. "We will adapt to that." Posted Oct 26 2007, 08:46 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Paul Azinger

• Padraig Harrington Still A Work In Progress

  To say that Padraig Harrington's victory in the British Open was a work in progress might be an understatement. Vijay Singh has long held the reputation as the hardest working man in golf, but Harrington could match him bucket for bucket, hour for hour. The difference was that Singh was refining, while Harrington seemed to be constantly rebuilding. The turning point came 18 months ago. "I started to believe more and more in myself," Harrington said last week in Bermuda, where he stayed on a chipping green for an hour after his six-hour pro-am round. "This season and last season, I was more comfortable. I would say in the last 18 months, for the first time, I turned up for a tournament and played those tournaments as if there were no tournaments the following week." He said that was true even at majors, which seems odd for someone to be thinking about anything but the next shot. But he pointed to two majors that showed the difference in his game. One was the U.S. Open in 1998 at The Olympic Club, where he tied for 32nd. The other was the 2006 Masters, where he tied for 27th. "At Olympic Club, I walked away from that thinking I've got to change," Harrington said. "I did everything I could. I got up-and-down, holed every putt. I felt I could do no better. I felt totally inadequate." He was never in contention and broke par only one round at Augusta National in 2006, but he knew he was on the right track. "There wasn't a shot that was presented where I thought somebody else had a big advantage," he said. "I said to Bob Rotella afterward, 'I'm good enough to win one of these.' And since then, I've been a lot more comfortable with my game. I feel like I can hit the shot. I'm not saying I could do it at will, but I could do it." And he did. Posted Oct 26 2007, 08:45 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh

• Nick Faldo Begins To Define Ryder Cup Captaincy

  Nick Faldo pretended to have trouble understanding the question through a telephone line piped into a sound system at Valhalla Golf Club. Perhaps that was because the subject was his recent criticism of Colin Montgomerie. On another occasion, however, he came through loud and clear, even though he didn't mention Monty by name. "Match play, putting is unbelievably important," Faldo said. "It covers up a multitude of sins. You've got to be a good putter to play match play, and I think you get that from the psychology of match play. You're not worried about, or not thinking about, the next stroke. There's no lagging, or very rarely." It was another dose of insight from Faldo, whose credentials surpass any previous Ryder Cup captain for Europe. Along with his six majors, he has participated in 11 Ryder Cups and won more points than anyone in its 80-year history. He also has spent time on just about every television channel as an analyst, which has enabled some of his contemporaries to finally get an idea what was going through his mind during all those years of winning. Still, there might have been more to his comments Monday than how to putt. Considering his history with Montgomerie, the most recent example coming two weeks ago when Faldo criticized him for skipping meetings at the Seve Trophy, there seemed to be an indirect message to the surly Scot. Don't expect any favors. Europe only last month began its Ryder Cup qualifying. Now is not the time for Montgomerie to panic, but he began the year at No. 17 in the world ranking and already has fallen to No. 53. His putting has been the weakest par of his game, as always, and for someone who will turn 45 next year, age certainly isn't going to help that. Montgomerie has played in every Ryder Cup since 1991. His 23 1/2 points are second only to Faldo and Bernhard Langer. He has never lost a singles match, and one more singles victory would break the Ryder Cup record he shares with the likes of Faldo, Billy Casper, Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead. Yet, that won't assure him a spot on the team, especially not with Faldo as the captain. They were contemporaries, but rarely rivals. Montgomerie narrowly beat him to capture his first Order of Merit in 1993, but Faldo spent the rest of his decade focusing on the PGA Tour, the toughest tour in golf, where Monty never won. Their social relationship began to slide in 1999, two weeks before the Ryder Cup. Faldo was at the Canadian Open when he was asked why Montgomerie, who was on his way to a seventh consecutive Order of Merit, had never tried to spend a full season on the PGA Tour. "I'm surprised he hasn't thought of doing something different as a challenge," Faldo said. "But hell, I think he likes to earn his fat checks each week, which is no harm in that, I guess. If you're motivated by that. A few are. Most of us go for 10 claret jugs." Montgomerie was hurt. European captain Mark James was so outraged that when Faldo wrote the team a note wishing them well, James tore it up and tossed it in the trash. Now that Faldo is captain, he will do things his way, take who he thinks are the best players and apologize for nothing. As captain of the Seve Trophy -- matches between Britain and Ireland against continental Europe -- he left Paul McGinley off the team, meaning there would be no Irishman at a tournament in Ireland. It took an uglier turn when McGinley then resigned as Faldo's vice captain for the Ryder Cup, saying he wanted to concentrate on making the team. That was merely a scene in the Ryder Cup soap opera, and many more are likely to play out over the next 11 months. What really caused a stink was when Faldo criticized one of his players in the press, taboo for a captain. "Monty's a tough one," he told the Times of London. "He was the only one whose emotions I had to deal with. He only came to two of the five team meetings, so that was disappointing. Then he had to be teased out onto the 18th green to support his team. The bottom line was that he hadn't won a point. That's why I sent him out first in singles. That's the place to get a point. And he did." Two past captains, Bernard Gallacher and Sam Torrance, quickly rose to Monty's defense. They said he was the consummate team player, Faldo was anything but that and Faldo would learn from his mistake. "No fallout," Faldo said tersely when the question about his critcism of Monty finally came through clearly. Maybe he was being smart not to stir the pot again. Then again, it's hard to believe he made his comments to the Times without realizing the ramifications. All that can be certain is that Faldo will do things his way, just as he did when he became the world's No. 1 player. "I'm me and I will do what I feel is best," he said. "I know what I can bring to the team." One of the most amazing transformations in golf was from Faldo, the prickly superstar with few words and even fewer friends, to Faldo, the golf analyst with a dry wit who can't stop talking. He probably would host infomercials if The Golf Channel would let him. Being a captain makes him competitive again. "My days of winning majors have gone, and now this is the biggest project in my golf career right now," he said. "So yes, it's very important to me." There is an aura about Faldo that appeals to a younger generation -- Paul Casey, Nick Dougherty, Luke Donald -- who grew up with Faldo as the face of European golf. His contemporaries, such as Torrance and James, have experienced the selfish side of Nasty Nick. But they won't be playing for him. And if Montgomerie doesn't make the team on his own, he might not be, either. Posted Oct 26 2007, 08:44 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Nick Faldo, Ryder Cup, Colin Montgomerie

• Tiger Woods To License Gatorade Drink

  Tiger Woods will have his own brand of sports drink next year under an endorsement deal announced Tuesday with Gatorade that marks a couple of firsts for the world's No. 1 golfer -- his first U.S. deal with a beverage company and his first licensing agreement. Gatorade said it would introduce "Gatorade Tiger" in March, with more products to follow. Woods even picked out the flavors himself, with the drink available in a cherry blend, citrus blend and grape. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although Golfweek magazine reported last month it was for five years and could pay Woods as much as $100 million, moving him closer to the $1 billion mark in career endorsements. "There have been some licensing elements to things we've done," said Mark Steinberg, his agent at IMG, who cited video games produced by EA Sports as an example. "But everything he does with Gatorade is going to be creating new products. It's something Tiger and I and our licensing business has been looking at for some time." The deal has been in the works since the summer, and Golfweek reported earlier that it came down to Gatorade and Vitamin Water. It became obvious who won out when Woods began drinking from Gatorade bottles during the final month of the PGA Tour season, even when the Gatorade product wasn't available at certain tournaments. "Gatorade has been part of my game plan for years, whether I'm training or competing, so this is an ideal match," Woods said in a statement. "I'm eager to launch my first signature product in a few months and look forward to developing additional sports performance beverages with Gatorade in the coming years." Woods, with 61 victories on the PGA Tour and 13 major championships, joins a stable of star athletes at Gatorade -- Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning and Mia Hamm. None of those athletes has licensing deals, which also is a first for Gatorade, a division of PepsiCo. "His iconic nature resonates everywhere he goes," said Jeff Urban, senior vice president of Gatorade. "Bridging that iconic nature with his will to win, those things make this a big deal for us." Urban said it was too early to say how Gatorade would market Woods and his new product line, especially since the drink will not be available until the spring. The company released video of Woods going through sweat analysis testing with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, which tested such things as his sweat rate and energy needs during exercise. Woods has endorsed everything from sports equipment and apparel (Nike) to financial services (Accenture) to automobiles (Buick) to shaving products (Gillette). His first beverage deal comes after 11 years as a professional. "We wanted to get away from a straight endorsement deal in the beverage category," Steinberg said. "We thought this would be the best fit for his first licensing deal. It's authentic to what Tiger does every day, as hard as he works out every day." Woods previously had an endorsement deal with Asahi Coffee in Japan. The Gillette endorsement features a television commercial with Roger Federer and French soccer star Thierry Henry. Steinberg said it was not likely that Woods and Jordan, who are close friends, would do a Gatorade commercial together. They have never appeared in television ads for Nike. Posted Oct 19 2007, 08:43 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Tiger Woods, Gatorade

• Michelle Wie Is Playing Her Final LPGA Tour Event Of The Year

  She wishes it were her first. After a disastrous season filled with wrist injuries, a feud with Annika Sorenstam and only one round under par, Wie said Tuesday her biggest mistake was not taking the year off to get healthy. "The only thing that I would do differently (is) I wouldn't have played this year. It's as simple as that," she said at the Samsung World Championship. "The only thing that I did wrong this year is that I did not take my injuries as seriously as I should have." One thing she is taking seriously is her role as a student, though not necessarily by choice. Wie started her freshman year at Stanford last month, taking courses such as humanities, Japanese and calculus. "The lectures... are amazing," she said. "I write pages and pages of notes. I never really experienced that before. It's a lot of fun. When you're in high school, you are usually the outstanding student. But when you go into Stanford, you're like, 'Am I the mistake exception?' Everyone is so smart. Everyone is so outstanding in whatever they do." She has access to Stanford's golf course, although she can't practice or play with the team as a professional. But she said she has learned to balance the books with practice, and she said this is the best her wrists have felt all year. "I just feel like a cleaner, healthier person," she said. Wie received a sponsor's exemption in March to play the Samsung World Championship, a 20-player field that carries a mixed bag of memories for Wie, who turns 18 on Thursday. It was at Bighorn where she made her professional debut in 2005. Wie played well enough to finish fourth until she was disqualified for what was deemed an improper drop in the third round, an infraction that a magazine writer did not bring up until the next day. A year ago, Wie hit the ball all over the desert, and played one shot off the cement cart path on her way to a quadruple-bogey 8 on the shortest hole at Bighorn. That knocked her off the leaderboard, and she hasn't been back since. Wie showed up at the Sony Open on the PGA Tour in January with a tender wrist, which was attributed to that shot off the cart path. She broke the other wrist a few weeks later when she fell while jogging in a park. And that was the start of her free fall. Wie has played seven times on the LPGA Tour, completing only two tournaments. She made the cut on the number at the LPGA Championship and made the cut at the Evian Masters. Both tournaments, she failed to break 80 in the third round. But the scores were only part of the problem. She returned at the Ginn Tribute, hosted by Sorenstam, and was 14 over par through 16 holes when she suddenly withdrew. Two bogeys would have disqualified her from the LPGA Tour for a year, and some thought she was evading the tour's "Rule 88." Worse yet, she was seen at the LPGA Championship hitting balls two days later, drawing an angry response from Sorenstam. "I just feel that there's a little bit of lack of respect and class just to leave a tournament like that and then come out and practice," Sorenstam said. Wie didn't apologize that week, and she made a weak attempt at one Tuesday when asked if she would have apologized to Sorenstam if she could start the year over. "I never really said that," Wie said. "I still don't feel like I did something wrong. But if I felt if Annika or anyone felt like I disrespected them, of if I'd done anything wrong to them, I do apologize for that. But I don't really feel like I've done anything wrong as with myself." Because she is not a member, Wie is allowed six sponsor exemptions on the LPGA Tour, not including the U.S. Women's Open and the Women's British Open. The Samsung World Championship, which starts Thursday, is her final exemption. In the meantime, she appears to love life as a college student. Wie said she thought about going to LPGA Tour qualifying school now that she is old enough to become a member, but it was the same time as orientation at Stanford. "I really didn't want to miss that," she said. All freshmen must live in the dorm at Stanford, and Wie said she gets along well with her roommate. She even celebrated Stanford's stunning upset over Southern California last week. "Do you really want to get me started on that?" she said. "I was so happy that we won. No. 48, he lives in my dorm." That would be Owen Marecic, a freshman fullback. Wie did not say if she would play again the rest of the year. Wie has played only once against the men, missing the cut badly at the Sony Open. The last two years, she has played the Casio World Open in Japan. For now, her focus is on her final LPGA event of the year. "I think that it's time for a new beginning," she said. "I'm really looking forward to it." Posted Oct 12 2007, 08:42 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Michelle Wie, Annika Sorenstam, LPGA

• Justin Leonard Beats Jesper Parnevik In Playoff

  Justin Leonard can stop tinkering with his swing. Putting a series of big changes to the ultimate test Sunday, Leonard won the Texas Open for the third time, beating Jesper Parnevik with a 10-foot birdie putt on the third hole of a playoff. "There's no better way to validate (the changes) than to come out and win a golf tournament like this," Leonard said. Leonard, also the 2000 and '01 winner at LaCantera Golf Club Resort Course,closed with a 5-under 65 to match Parnevik at 19-under 261. Parnevik, who opened with a 61 and led after each of the first three rounds, finished with a 69. Earlier this year, he switched instructors from Butch Harmon to his old coach Randy Smith. He also changed caddies and is trying to move to a home closer to Royal Oaks Country Club, his old club in Dallas. Leonard is the first three-time Texas Open winner since Arnold Palmer in 1960-62. "That's pretty special," Leonard said. "It's great company to be in. I played pretty solid." Leonard had plenty of opportunities to win before finally finishing off Parnevik for his 11th PGA Tour title and first since 2005. On the final hole of regulation, the Texan's 14-foot birdie putt to win just slid by the hole. On the first extra hole, Parnevik took an unplayable lie after driving into the trees left of the fairway. But he hit a 153-yard approach to 3 feet to set up a par. Leonard chipped from the greenside rough to set up his par. "That's kind of the way Jesper plays," Leonard said. "He's not going to hit every fairway. He's not going to hit every green. But he's very creative. He hit some gutsy shots." Leonard, 1-4 in playoffs after the victory, missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the second hole. Parnevik had a 28-footer for birdie to keep the playoff going on the third extra hole, but left it a foot short. The 42-year-old Swede was trying to win for the first time in 6 1/2 years. "It's tough to get into position to win, but I'm happy I got to feel it again," Parnevik said. "It had been a while." Parnevik entered the round with a three-stroke lead over fellow Swede Mathias Gronberg and a four-shot margin over Leonard. The finish brought back memories of the 1997 British Open when Parnevik began the final round at Troon five shots ahead of Leonard. But Parnevik shot a 71, and Leonard had a 65 to win. Daniel Chopra, another Swede, shot a 66 to tie for third with Gronberg (69) at 16 under. Heath Slocum closed with a 62 to finish fifth at 14 under. Parnevik struggled off the tee throughout the back nine. At the 15th, he pulled his drive well left. He immediately looked away, then walked through the gallery ropes to find it in the trees with a clear path to the hole about 165 yards away. He punched it to 16 feet from the cup and made birdie. But on the next tee, after a lengthy wait while Chopra got a ruling on a wayward drive in the group ahead, he pushed one far from the fairway. Then, with a provisional ball, he pulled one that hit a spectator in the head. He found his first ball in the brush and punched it into the rough on the way to a bogey and a one-stroke deficit. But he hit a hard 7-iron to 3 feet on the 174-yard 17th and made birdie to tie it going into the final hole. "Give the credit to Justin," Parnevik said. "He didn't do too much wrong today." Posted Oct 09 2007, 08:40 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Justin Leonard, LaCantera Golf Club Resort Course

• Woody Austin Becomes A Celebrity

  Even as Woody Austin walked up the 14th fairway at Royal Montreal wearing a scuba mask, his family and friends back home in rural Kansas were making "Aquaman" hats for a homecoming like no other. He will never live this down. And he has never lived it up quite like this. Austin was either the toast of the Presidents Cup or the team mascot, but it was all good stuff. The indelible image of his amazing week was Austin trying to hit a shot from the large pond left of the 14th fairway, failing miserably, then flailing his arms when he lost his balance and eventually plunging face-first into the drink. Playing on his first national team, it was quite a baptism. "I have a feeling that he will be hearing about that for the rest of his life," U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus said. Maybe the story will be told about what followed, how he birdied the last three holes -- three of the toughest on the back nine at Royal Montreal, no less -- to earn a halve that was as improbable as the 43-year-old Austin even making this team. Also forgotten was Thursday afternoon, when Austin twice made clutch par putts on the closing holes for another halve against Mike Weir and Vijay Singh that set the tone for American success. It is not unusual for someone obscure to make such a splash (sorry, Woody) in these events, whether it was Peter Baker for Europe in the 1993 Ryder Cup or Kirk Triplett for the United States in the 2000 Presidents Cup. But this was different. It wasn't just one week at Royal Montreal, rather two months that changed his life. "Woody Austin will have a gallery wherever he goes now," Nicklaus said. Until two months ago, Austin was the quintessential journeyman. He was 30 when he finally earned his PGA Tour card as the medalist at Q-school. Before that, he toiled on the mini-tours and in Japan, worked as a bank teller in his native Tampa, Fla., and took one job stocking shelves at a drug store. His victory at the Buick Open in 1995 was enough for him to beat out David Duval as PGA Tour rookie of the year. He went another nine years before winning again, this time in Hartford. Otherwise, not many knew who he was except for the occasional display of his temper, which Austin might call a product of high expectations. Sure, there was that incident at Hilton Head in 1997 when he got so mad that he smashed his putter against his head in rapid-fire succession until it broke (the putter, not his head). Any number of weeks, Austin would carry on loud and spirited conversations with himself about how the cards always seemed to be stacked against him. Just look at him now. Two months after he shot 62 to win the Stanford St. Judge Championship, Austin made a serious run at the PGA Championship, where he made as much news in front of microphone as he did on the golf course. He was lampooned for saying that he outplayed Tiger Woods the day Woods shot a record-tying 63 (Austin shot 70). But he finished second at Southern Hills, and that was enough for Austin to earn the 10th and final spot on the Presidents Cup team. Then came the clutch putts, the comical plunge, the relentless ribbing and the instant celebrity. "He worked so hard to get here. He's worked hard all his life," his wife, Shannon, said as she watched him play his final match. "You dream about moments like this, but when it happens, it just takes your breath away." Austin says he won't let it get to his head, and he figured the verbal abuse he took from his own teammates at Royal Montreal surely will keep him grounded. "I'm the screwball no matter what," he said. But he also reflected on the relationships that were built at the Presidents Cup, and that seemed to mean more to him than anything. One week he was another face on the PGA Tour, the next week he was in a circle of friends that included Nicklaus, Woods and Mickelson. "If it all comes to a close for me at this juncture, I couldn't have asked for a better week," Austin said. "If it continues, I'm going to busy my butt to get into another one, because it's been a blast-and-a-half." He didn't lose until Sunday singles, but by then, he had earned more respect than he ever imagined. Nicklaus put him in the fifth match, privately hopeful that Austin would deliver the point that clinched the Presidents Cup. The PGA Tour is about to air a commercial that congratulates the U.S. team winning the cup, and it details a recipe for success that includes sportsmanship, competition, great shots and a splash of Woody. Two months changed his life, but odds are it won't change Austin. He leads a simple life in his adopted home of Derby, Kan., where he met his wife. She was a hairstylist whose client was trying to qualify for the Nike Tour event in town, so she went out to watch and was introduced to Austin. They have been together ever since. "He always knew he could play the game at this level," she said. "It was just surreal sitting there with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. He's never had more fun than he's had this week." Austin isn't treated like a celebrity at home, not even in their bowling league. Shannon Austin isn't sure how much that will change, although with the "Aquaman" hats, she didn't expect the ribbing to stop when he got home. "I'm sure they'll have some fun with him," she said. Do they have a pool? "No," she said with a smile. "But we have a pond." Posted Oct 05 2007, 08:39 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Presidents Cup, Woody Austin

• Americans win Presidents Cup 19.5-14.5

  The Presidents Cup didn't end in another tie, but it sure felt that way Sunday. The Americans celebrated another victory, taking more than enough singles matches at Royal Montreal to make a winner out of captain Jack Nicklaus again and capture their first cup on international soil in 14 years. Even more rowdier were those Canadians crammed into the bleachers and pressed against the ropes, waving the Maple Leaf flag, cheering and chanting at every turn as their beloved Mike Weir won the last two holes to take down Tiger Woods. "When he won on 18, you could hear it all the way to Kansas City," International captain Gary Player said. The final cheer was for the consolation prize. The Presidents Cup went to a United States team that was overwhelming in the team matches and good enough in singles for its second straight victory over the International team, 19 1/2 -14 1/2 . David Toms earned the most points. Scott Verplank won all four of his matches. Woody Austin drew the most laughter, falling into a lake on the 14th hole Friday and making fun of himself by wearing a swimming mask as he walked down the same fairway Sunday. As usual, the inspiration and laughs came from Nicklaus, a seven-time runner-up at the Canadian Open who finally left the Great White North with a shiny gold trophy. "I've always loved playing for Jack, and hopefully, he'll come back," Woods said. "He's the greatest player of all time, and to have him as your captain to lead us, it doesn't get any better than that." The Canadians found something equally special. The cheers were relentless on a spectacular autumn day, and they carried the former Masters champion from a sudden collapse to an unlikely victory. Woods was 1 up with two holes to play when Weir made a 10-foot birdie putt to win the 17th, then watched as Woods pulled a tee shot that splashed into a pond -- right in front of a Canadian flag that fans were holding behind the ropes. "It's mixed emotions for sure," Weir said. "Our team didn't win. I won a point. It's only one point." But what a point it was. Woods beat Greg Norman when the Presidents Cup was in Australia, and he beat Ernie Els in South Africa four years ago. Weir only made the team as a captain's pick, but he was the International team's best player -- especially Sunday. "Obviously, winning the Masters was such a thrill," Weir said. "But to play Tiger ... he's the best player there is, and I had to play my absolute best today to beat him." Woods and Weir shared a hug on the 18th green as the gallery roar again, filling the air with chants of "Mike! Mike! Mike!" "I told him I was proud of how he handled himself," Woods said. "He had to carry an entire country on his shoulders. Not too many people can play as well as he did. He handled it magnificently." The Americans were superb, too. Verplank completed a 4-0 week with birdies on the 16th and 17th to beat Rory Sabbatini, 2 and 1. Phil Mickelson hammered Vijay Singh, closing him out on the 14th hole while wearing soft spikes. Stewart Cink delivered the cup-clinching point after birdies on the first five holes led to a 6-and-4 victory over Nick O'Hern. "We came into this week with a little score to settle up in the international golf arena," Cink said. "I think we showed everybody that we can play again." That was a reference to the Ryder Cup, which the Americans have won only once since 1993. They seem to have no trouble against an equally strong International team, winning this week on the strength of capturing 10 1/2 points from 11 foursomes matches. "It was going to be a miracle for us to win this thing," Ernie Els said. The United States has a 5-1-1 lead in the Presidents Cup, and Player could only point to moral victories. It was the first time the International team had won the singles session. "Our guys can hold their heads up high," said Player, 0-2-1 as a captain. "And to Mike Weir, I can only say, 'Well done, my friend. That's a big thing in your life."' A predictable outcome was saved by a match between the two biggest golf stars on the Ile Bizard -- Weir, the most popular golfer in Canada, and Woods, the most popular figure in golf. With former President Bush on the first tee to greet every match, the crowd made golf sound like a heavyweight fight. And Weir certainly looked the part when he birdied the second hole, won the fourth hole when Woods made bogey from a bunker, and went 3 up on the par-5 sixth hole after Woods hit his tee shot out of bounds. "It was similar to a Ryder Cup, especially early on when he was 2 up and 3 up," Woods said. With a chance to go 4 up, Weir missed an 8-foot birdie on the 10th hole, and Woods took a slight opening and kicked it open. His approach to the 11th stopped 9 inches from the cup for birdie. He won the par-5 12th with an up-and-down birdie short of the green, and the match was square when Weir missed a 5-foot putt at No. 14 for his first bogey on his own ball the entire week. Woods took his first lead when Weir's approach to the 15th trickled into the water hazard. He removed his shoes to hit out of the water, but splashed the ball over the green. Weir didn't quit, and the crowd sure didn't get more quiet. As he stood over a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th, the bleachers across the pond behind the 16th green stood in silence, then roared when the ball disappeared for birdie. Nicklaus had said earlier in the week he put his players out to win every match. This time, however, he was hopeful of a tie after watching Weir and Woods play in such an electric atmosphere. "I've always had great respect for Mike," Nicklaus said. "He was put in an awfully difficult position this week, carrying the whole International team basically on his shoulders. I thought it would be the best of both worlds." Turns out it was. Match Score: United States 14.5 International Team 7.5 Foursomes Steve Stricker & Hunter Mahan bt Trevor Immelman (Rsa) & Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 2 up Phil Mickelson & Woody Austin bt Stuart Appleby (Aus) & Retief Goosen (Rsa) 5 and 4 Tiger Woods & Jim Furyk bt Adam Scott (Aus) & Ernie Els (Rsa) 4 and 3 Lucas Glover & Scott Verplank bt Vijay Singh (Fij) & Mike Weir (Can) 2 and 1 David Toms & Zach Johnson bt Nick O'Hern (Aus) & Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 2 and 1 Four-ball: Stewart Cink & Jim Furyk bt Angel Cabrera (Arg) & K J Choi (Kor) 1 up Phil Mickelson & Woody Austin and Adam Scott (Aus) & Woody Austin halved Ernie Els (Rsa) & Mike Weir (Can) bt Charles Howell III & Lucas Glover 4 and 2 Vijay Singh (Fij) & Stuart Appleby (Aus) bt Steve Stricker & Hunter Mahan 1 up Tiger Woods & David Toms bt Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) & Nick O'Hern (Aus) 5 and 3 United States 7 International Team 5 Retief Goosen (Rsa) & Angel Cabrera (Arg) bt Phil Mickelson & Hunter Mahan 1 up Vijay Singh (Fij) & Stuart Appleby (Aus) bt Tiger Woods & Jim Furyk 5 and 4 Mike Weir (Can) & Ernie Els (Rsa) bt Zach Johnson & Charles Howell III 3 and 1 Steve Stricker & Scott Verplank bt Adam Scott (Aus) & K.J. Choi (Kor) 2 and 1 Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) & Nick O'Hern (Aus) bt Stewart Cink & Lucas Glover 1 up David Toms & Woody Austin halved with Trevor Immelman (Rsa) & Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) United States 5 1/2 International 1/2 Hunter Mahan & Steve Stricker bt Adam Scott & Geoff Ogilvy (International) 3 and 2 Phil Mickelson & Woody Austin halved With Vijay Singh & Mike Weir (International) Stewart Cink & Zach Johnson bt Rory Sabbatini & Trevor Immelman (International) 1-up David Toms & Jim Furyk bt Ernie Els & Angel Cabrera (International) 1-up Lucas Glover & Scott Verplank bt Stuart Appleby & Retief Goosen (International) 2-up Tiger Woods & Charles Howell III bt K.J. Choi & Nick O'Hern (International) 3 and 1 Posted Oct 02 2007, 08:38 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Presidents Cup