Internationals turn tables to grab lead

AT one stage on the back nine it looked like Jack Nicklaus’s US team might end the day with a comfortable 5-1 lead after the opening foursomes yesterday in the fifth edition of the Presidents Cup.

But a remarkable turnaround saw Gary Player's International team stage a comeback over the closing holes on the long, brutal links at the Fancourt course to turn the tables for a 3½-2½ opening day lead.

Mike Weir and Nick Price of the Internationals were one down with two to play against Phil Mickelson and David Toms but holed clutch putts at the 17, where Price did the honours with a 12-footer, and 18, where Weir succeeded with a tricky downhill attempt of about six feet, for a couple of closing birdies. Mickelson and Toms could only manage a couple of pars and the Internationals were home and dry with a one-hole victory for a precious point.

Ernie Els and Adam Scott went one better. They were two holes in arrears after the 15th before reeling off three straight birdies to win three straight holes to also secure a one-hole win.

And if that wasn't enough, American veterans Fred Funk (47) and Jay Haas (49) blew up at 17 and 18 to throw away a two-hole lead and allow Australian pair Robert Allenby and Stephen Leaney to gain an unlikely half.

"We were in trouble but the guys pulled the rabbit out of the hat," said Player. "At one stage we would have been happy to end the day 4-2 in arrears. Now we're ahead. It was a magnificent fightback."

Nicklaus was disappointed.

"These things happen and all credit to Gary's team. The 16th was crucial. If Adam hadn't holed a 12-footer there for birdie and Jim Furyk hadn't missed his putt that match would have been ours.

"Similarly, Robert Allenby holed from the edge of the green at 16 for birdie to keep that game alive. All we can say at this stage is that there's still three days left and obviously we can turn it around."

What makes Els such a great golfer is his ability to pull off the great shots when they count most.

At 17 he rammed home a 15-footer for birdie and when his team needed him at 18 he chipped magnificently from a fluffy lie over the back of the green to "gimme" distance from the cup to secure a precious point.

The two Internationals were round in 68 superb scoring over the long, tough links.

In the other ties, Retief Goosen and Vijay Singh combined well to beat Chris Di Marco and Jerry Kelly (US) 3 and 2, while American's two victories came from Davis Love III and Kenny Perry who easily defeated Peter Lonard and Tim Clark 4 and 2, and Tiger Woods and Charles Howell III who upstaged Stuart Appleby and KJ Choi by a 4 and 3 margin.

Coming into Fancourt, Love already had the record for the most wins (12) in the nine-year history of the Presidents Cup. And when he pitched in for an eagle-three at the 16th yesterday he extended that record to 13 wins (with five halves and only two defeats).

Today, five fourball ties are scheduled for the morning and five foursomes ties for the afternoon. This means two players on each team sitting out each session.