US Cruises to Presidents Cup Victory

The only surprisin

g outcome would have been an International team victory. Armed with the top three ranked pl ayers in the world, the US squad waltzed to a 19 1/2 - 141/2 win over the International team and continued their stranglehold on the Presidents Cup. Those aforementioned top three, Tiger, Phil, and Steve Stricker, were a combined 13-1-1 over the four days. Woods captured the Cup retaining point with a 6 and 5 smashing of YE Yang, the cat that defeated him in the final round of this year's PGA Championship. Drama was lacking with the US only needing 5 points from today's 12 singles matches. It would have taken an epic collapse for any other result.

For golf fans it was a pleasant enough weekend. Ten hours of NBC coverage and Johnny Miller was a perfect foil for the domination of the NFL and the MLB playoffs. At least one had an alternative. I'm sure it was a little tough in the booth trying to maintain viewer interest for so long in an event that wasn't all that competitive. Four days of Presidents Cup vs three days of Ryder Cup is either a boon or bust for broadcasters. Four days however, is certainly enough rounds to determine the better squad.

Perhaps it's time to consider combining both events into a US vs The World competition. That would eradicate any discussion about the US playing a diluted field. The tough sell for that idea would be old Sam Ryder turning over in his grave with the break in tradition. Discussion worthy though in this Average Golfer's opinion.

All in all a nice event to watch. Tim Clark's birdie barrage was a thing of beauty. It just proved that you don't have to be long to score. It also proved that being deadly from 150
yards in is killer and having a hot putter doesn't hurt the cause. The only hint of controversy was Camilo Villegas forcing Hunter Mahan to make a 2 footer in the middle of Hunter's 2 and 1 win. The best display of sportsmanship was Vijay's concession of a 7 foot birdie putt to Lucas Glover to halve the match. It prevented Glover from being shut out on points for the week. Classy.

I reckon this signals the end of the professional golf season with all due respects to the pros struggling for their jobs in last 3 Fall Season tournaments. It's been a rather unusual 2009 with unexpected major champs and a financial upheaval in the pro game that still hasn't shaken out. 2010 should be interesting at the very least. In the meantime, stayed tuned here for for your golf fix. Between seasons Average Golfer will just have to dig deeper.





Til' next,