Nicklaus’ trump-card fails as Woods and Couples crash
US captain Jack Nicklaus put his top player out first in the hope that Woods and Couples could post an early victory and inspire confidence in the rest of the team.
Woods, who asked U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus to pair him with Couples, spent much of the outward nine at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club bailing out his partner who was having trouble finding the fairway.
Clutch putts from the world number one allowed the U.S. to halve the opening two holes but a bogey at the fourth meant the Internationals went one up.
Back-to-back birdies from Australian Scott and South African Goosen on the sixth and seventh put the International pair three up before they gave a hole back to Woods and Couples with a bogey on the ninth.
Ten and eleven were halved and the International duo won the twelfth to go to three up with six to play.
The thirteenth and fourteenth were halved before Scott and Goosen finished the match on the fifteenth.
Justin Leonard and Scott Verplank got a first point for the US when they saw off the challenge of Stuart Appleby and Peter Lonard 4&2.
Mike Weir and Trevor Immelman defeated Stewart Cink and David Toms 6&5.
& Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco won by 1 hole against Tim Clark and Nick O’Hern.
Fiji’s Vijay Singh and Mark Hensby drew with Fred Funk and Jim Furyk.
Earlier in the day, former Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush took part in the opening ceremony to launch the sixth staging of the event, which began in 1994 to give players from outside the US and Europe a chance to compete in a Ryder Cup style competition.
* Spaniard Paula Marti and France’s Gwladys Nocera opened rounds of 68, five under par, to share the first round lead of the Catalonia Masters at Golf Platja de Pals, on the Costa Brava.
England’s Georgina Simpson and Trish Johnson are four shots off the pace after first round 72s.
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