Team U.S. Wins Dramatic 2015 Presidents Cup (Day 3-4 highlights)
2015 Presidents Cup results: Team USA wins dramatic cup on last hole of last match
What was supposed to be another sleepy American blowout in an event that was on life support turned into one of the great team match competitions ever.
The week at the Presidents Cup started with International captain Nick Price saying the future viability of the event hinged on his team finally making this competitive. It ended Sunday, in the middle of the night back in the United States, with an incredible see-saw singles session that came down to the final hole of the final match.
And the two players in that final match? Sangmoon Bae, the only Korean on the International team, playing in front of the home crowd in what will be his final event before two years of mandatory military service. And Bill Haas, the son of U.S. captain Jay Haas. The USA got the Cup yet again, posting a 15.5 to 14.5 victory.
This event, however got the kind of competitiveness and juice that Price said was so vital some 30 points and matches prior. In the final 90 minutes of singles, the outlook swung from a sure USA win to a probable tie to a likely International win before resting with a third straight halved session and the USA one-point win.
When setting the lineups in these team match play competitions, the top guns are rarely put in the final match because all the points ahead of it often render it meaningless. Bae and Haas aren't two of the biggest names in golf or in this competition, but given the backstory and the setting, it was the perfect finish to a Sunday singles session that would give any Ryder Cup a run.
It takes some courage to put your own son in the anchor match, but Haas came through for his dad. He got Bae dormie on the 18th tee, meaning the best the Internationals could do was tie. That would feel like a win for a team that's 1-8-1 in the 20-year history of this event. Bae, however, chunked a chip shot just off the 18th green that delivered an outright USA win.
Given that this was probably Bae's last competitive hole for two years, it was heartbreaking to watch. That kind of emotion, tenseness, and pressure are what make these team competitions the best in golf and the fact that we had them here at the final hole on Sunday means there's hope for the Presidents Cup yet.
On the opposite side of the emotional spectrum was Haas, who may be the least emotional player on the team. But even he teared up in a greenside interview with his father after clinching the winning point. That's how draining and intense this got on Sunday.
While the USA started the day with only a 1-point lead, failing to win the Cup would have been another major gag for this American team. They started the singles session quick, holding a lead in eight of the 12 matches at one point. This looked like another laugher and runaway U.S. win -- it was just coming later in the matches instead of during the two-man sessions.
The Internationals, however, were unrelenting, showing the kind of fight that brought them back from a disastrous 4-1 opening session back on Thursday that portended another blowout. They got a little help from the Americans, such as Bubba Watson, who blasted a little putt past the cup to blow his match on the 18th green.
That looked like a critical half point loss early in the session, as the Internationals turned match after match and kept pushing things to the 18th green. In the final hour, the matches seemed to be headed for a 15-15 split.
Then for a brief moment on the 18th green in the least appealing match, it appeared the Internationals were about to take it outright. That's where Chris Kirk, who was 0-2 before Sunday, hit an awful chip shot, giving Anirban Lahiri, who was inside five feet, a huge advantage to steal yet another point on the final green. The circumstances were dire for the USA and it got downright depressing after Kirk rocketed a chip past the cup. Then he hit the biggest putt of his life.
The U.S. team erupted as soon as it went down -- if that didn't go in, it looked like the Cup was going to the Internationals for just the second time ever. Pat Reed and Phil Mickelson's reactions, along with the typically deadpan Kirk's, are another reason these team events are so rewarding to watch.
What was supposed to be another sleepy American blowout in an event that was on life support turned into one of the great team match competitions ever.
The week at the Presidents Cup started with International captain Nick Price saying the future viability of the event hinged on his team finally making this competitive. It ended Sunday, in the middle of the night back in the United States, with an incredible see-saw singles session that came down to the final hole of the final match.
And the two players in that final match? Sangmoon Bae, the only Korean on the International team, playing in front of the home crowd in what will be his final event before two years of mandatory military service. And Bill Haas, the son of U.S. captain Jay Haas. The USA got the Cup yet again, posting a 15.5 to 14.5 victory.
This event, however got the kind of competitiveness and juice that Price said was so vital some 30 points and matches prior. In the final 90 minutes of singles, the outlook swung from a sure USA win to a probable tie to a likely International win before resting with a third straight halved session and the USA one-point win.
When setting the lineups in these team match play competitions, the top guns are rarely put in the final match because all the points ahead of it often render it meaningless. Bae and Haas aren't two of the biggest names in golf or in this competition, but given the backstory and the setting, it was the perfect finish to a Sunday singles session that would give any Ryder Cup a run.
It takes some courage to put your own son in the anchor match, but Haas came through for his dad. He got Bae dormie on the 18th tee, meaning the best the Internationals could do was tie. That would feel like a win for a team that's 1-8-1 in the 20-year history of this event. Bae, however, chunked a chip shot just off the 18th green that delivered an outright USA win.
Given that this was probably Bae's last competitive hole for two years, it was heartbreaking to watch. That kind of emotion, tenseness, and pressure are what make these team competitions the best in golf and the fact that we had them here at the final hole on Sunday means there's hope for the Presidents Cup yet.
On the opposite side of the emotional spectrum was Haas, who may be the least emotional player on the team. But even he teared up in a greenside interview with his father after clinching the winning point. That's how draining and intense this got on Sunday.
While the USA started the day with only a 1-point lead, failing to win the Cup would have been another major gag for this American team. They started the singles session quick, holding a lead in eight of the 12 matches at one point. This looked like another laugher and runaway U.S. win -- it was just coming later in the matches instead of during the two-man sessions.
The Internationals, however, were unrelenting, showing the kind of fight that brought them back from a disastrous 4-1 opening session back on Thursday that portended another blowout. They got a little help from the Americans, such as Bubba Watson, who blasted a little putt past the cup to blow his match on the 18th green.
That looked like a critical half point loss early in the session, as the Internationals turned match after match and kept pushing things to the 18th green. In the final hour, the matches seemed to be headed for a 15-15 split.
Then for a brief moment on the 18th green in the least appealing match, it appeared the Internationals were about to take it outright. That's where Chris Kirk, who was 0-2 before Sunday, hit an awful chip shot, giving Anirban Lahiri, who was inside five feet, a huge advantage to steal yet another point on the final green. The circumstances were dire for the USA and it got downright depressing after Kirk rocketed a chip past the cup. Then he hit the biggest putt of his life.
The U.S. team erupted as soon as it went down -- if that didn't go in, it looked like the Cup was going to the Internationals for just the second time ever. Pat Reed and Phil Mickelson's reactions, along with the typically deadpan Kirk's, are another reason these team events are so rewarding to watch.