Americans Win Presidents Cup
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GAINESVILLE, Va. – Fred Couples delivered another magical moment. Chris DiMarco provided the clinching point with a dramatic birdie. Best of all, the Americans sent captain Jack Nicklaus into retirement as a winner.
Right when it looked like the Presidents Cup might end in another tie, Di-Marco holed a 15-foot putt on the 18th hole to outlast Stuart Appleby for a 1-up victory Sunday, giving the Americans an 18 1/2-15 1/2 victory at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club and keeping their record perfect on home soil.
Nicklaus, who already said farewell to the majors and might not play another PGA Tour event, was captain for the third time. His team got hammered in Australia in 1998, and the matches ended in a tie two years ago in South Africa. This time, he went out a winner.
“As far as being something special, I may never captain another team, I may never play another round of golf, and if I end my career this way, it’s a pretty good way to end it,” Nicklaus said.
Under new rules this year, every match had to go extra holes until one team had enough points to claim the cup. Someone apparently forgot to tell Phil Mickelson.
With the Americans already at 17 points, Mickelson thought he clinched the Presidents Cup when he stuffed a wedge into 4 feet and made the birdie on no. 18 to square his match with Angel Cabrera. Lefty pounded his fist, removed his cap to shake hands, and was about to celebrate when European tour rules official Andy McFee broke the news.
The look on his face was utter shock, and he headed to the first tee. Mickelson never had to finish the extra hole. A massive roar behind him told him all he needed to know.
And he shouldn’t have been surprised that DiMarco delivered the decisive blow. Despite only three victories in his 10 years on the PGA Tour, DiMarco was the star of this U.S. team by going 4-0-1. He spent the back nine matching Appleby putt-for-putt, none of them easy, until they reached the 18th green all square.
The only other match that reached the 18th hole produced the loudest cheer, from a usual source.
Tied coming to the 18th, Couples, 45, summoned one more piece of magic by rolling in a 20-foot putt to beat Vijay Singh. He turned as it fell, dropping his putter and raising his arms and screaming toward the gray skies in utter elation.
