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BRADENTON, Florida ― After Friday’s second spherical of the World Champions Cup, which noticed Group Worldwide clinging to a half-point lead over Group USA, Worldwide captain Ernie Els opined that any lead didn’t actually imply something till perhaps the final putt.
The inaugural occasion at The Concession Golf Membership didn’t come all the way down to the final putt. However it did the final gap.
Trailing Group Worldwide on Sunday by 2.5 factors with three holes to play, Group USA received clutch play down the stretch from David Toms and Billy Andrade and overcame the margin to win the inaugural occasion at The Concession Golf Membership.
Group USA completed with 221 factors, Group Worldwide was second with 219, and Group Europe third with 208. Over the ultimate three holes, the 56-year-old Toms, who gained 13 PGA titles from 1992 to 2017, earned 4.5 out of a doable 6 factors. One match earlier, Andrade, filling in for injured Group USA captain Jim Furyk, registered 11 factors, besting Worldwide’s Vijay Singh and Europe’s Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Group USA’s vice captain Invoice Andrade, left, watches David Toms drink out of the World Champions Cup trophy to rejoice at The Concession Golf Membership. Necessary Credit score: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports activities
However trailing by half a degree after main for a lot of Sunday, Group Worldwide had an opportunity to choose up two factors and the event championship on the par-4 No. 9 closing gap when Toms and Group Europe’s Bernhard Langer bogeyed.
All Worldwide’s Retief Goosen needed to do was make par to gather the 2 factors and provides his group the victory. However Goosen, a winner of two U.S. Opens, hit his method shot into the penalty space. His double-bogey earned him zero factors, whereas the USA and Europe every earned a half-point.
The format known as for 3 factors to be obtainable for every gap. The bottom rating earned 2 factors, the second lowest 1 level, and the third lowest earned zero. If groups tied with a rating, the factors have been cut up. If two groups tied with a low rating, they every earned 1.5 factors, with third place incomes nothing.
After the post-match ceremony, every member of Group USA walked into the media interview room draped in an American flag. Later, they poured champagne into the championship trophy and drank from it.
Group Worldwide’s Stephen Ames reacts after his birdie putt on the ninth at The Concession Golf Membership. Necessary Credit score: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports activities
Toms’ play over the ultimate three holes keyed the USA’s victory. Earlier than taking the half-point lead heading into the ultimate gap, USA had trailed by as many as six factors.
“I feel, actually, what I actually favored about this group,” Furyk stated, “and I at all times discuss in regards to the personalities and the way straightforward these guys are to get together with, however this can be a feisty group. I feel we’ve received a bunch of men who’ve good brief video games, good putters, guys that don’t surrender, guys that may grind it out and end a gap for you.”
One other large contributor to Group USA was Jerry Kelly, who performed a bogey-free 9 holes to earn 12.5 factors, essentially the most of any participant in the course of the morning singles. Group Worldwide captain Els, who earned 12 factors in the course of the bogey-free nine-hole morning singles, felt for Goosin, his teammate.
Group InternationalÕs Retief Goosen chips as much as the eighth gap throughout their morning spherical at The Concession Golf Membership. Necessary Credit score: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports activities
“I actually really feel for Retief,” he stated. “He had such a tricky lie there. To be this shut on the finish of the day . . . yeah, we misplaced mainly the final couple of matches.”
Even Toms didn’t suppose his group had an opportunity, significantly when USA trailed by 6 factors.
“On No. 8, I had a putt to win the outlet,” he stated, “and one of many guys within the crowd stated one thing to the impact that it was a giant putt. I used to be like, at that time, I didn’t even know it could imply something, truthfully, as a result of I didn’t know the place we stood. I made the putt, in order that was good. Then I received to the 18th tee and I heard “USA! USA!” after Billy (Andrade) made his putt and I used to be like, man, now we have to be in good condition.”
Stated Group USA Brett Quigley in regards to the format, “It’s crushed each expectation I had. It was simply unimaginable. It was far more enjoyable than I assumed it could be and simply a lot love. The group side of it, as a result of each week we’re doing our personal factor and we go dwelling and we go to the subsequent week. This week, to have our households right here, our caddies so concerned and all of the gamers genuinely pulling for one another made it so particular.”
“The U.S. guys stored grinding out the 18th,” Els stated. “We simply couldn’t make that one putt up the hill. I missed it, Ok.J. missed it, Vijay (Singh) missed it. Sadly, Retief had such a tricky lie.
“What per week, what a format. This factor works.”
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