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MONTREAL: Stewart Cink won the clinching match and the United States
retained the Presidents Cup on Sunday by taking an insurmountable 17
1/2 - 11 1/2 lead over the Internationals.
The Americans improved to 5-1-1 in Cup play with
their first triumph away from US soil. Five singles matches remained
on the course at Royal Montreal Golf Club but the non-European golf
squad has no chance to overtake the US men.
With most of the attention focused on Canadian
Mike Weir’s 1-up victory over world number one Tiger Woods, there
was little fanfare at the 14th hole when Cink closed out the team
triumph by defeating Australian Nick O’Hern 6 and 4.
“I’m happy to be the one to clinch the
Cup,” Cink said. “When you’re by yourself it means you won
your match early. You don’t want to keep playing golf when
you’re ahead.”
Cink also said the US triumph was a statement by
a group that has lost five of the past six Ryder Cups to European
rivals. The last US away win at the Ryder Cup was in 1993.
“We came into this week with a little score to
settle in the international golf arena and I think we showed
everybody that we can play again.”
The Internationals dug themselves a steep hole
by losing all five foursomes matches Saturday, falling seven points
behind and entering the last session in need of 10 wins, an
unprecedented last-day run in a Ryder or Presidents Cup.
Internationals players have never outscored US
rivals in any Presidents Cup singles session.
Phil Mickelson lost the first hole to Vijay
Singh on a bogey but won four of the next six to go 4-up after 10
while Cink began with five birdies to go 4-up on O’Hern, quickly
leaving the Internationals no margin for error.
Mickelson closed out the Fijian 5 and 4 for the
first US victory.
--AFP
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