INCAgolf All you ever wanted to know about golf (well almost)

HAINAN, China — Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland ended the United States’ 11-year drought in golf’s World Cup by shooting a 5-under 67 on Sunday to win by two strokes.

The American pair fired six birdies in the alternate-shot final round at Mission Hills Blackstone course to finish at 24-under, 264 overall, notching the 24th U.S. win in the history of the tournament.

Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar helped the United States end its 11-year victory drought in golf’s World Cup by shooting a 5-under 67 on Sunday.
English pair Ian Poulter and Justin Rose had the final day’s best round with a 63 to tie for second at 22-under with Germany’s Martin Kaymer and Alex Cejka (69).

Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell led by two strokes going into the final round but could only manage an even-par 72 to finish tied for fourth with Australia, the Netherlands and Scotland.

The American victory was the first since Tiger Woods and David Duval claimed the title 11 years ago. The event was annual up until 2009, and this year’s tournament was the first in the new biennial format.

“We really clicked. It’s fantastic to win for the U.S.,” Woodland said.

The U.S. duo built a two-point lead over Germany midway through the round and after a rare slip with a bogey at the par-3 11th, the Americans responded with birdies on the next two holes and then pars the rest of the way to claim victory.

“Undoubtedly the shots on the 12 and 13th were key. It was a great moment and to shoot a par when you expected a bogey,” Kuchar said.

England seemed well out of contention heading into the final day eight shots off the lead, but soared into contention. However they needed more than one of the leading teams to falter. Instead it was only Ireland that came back to the field.

World No. 2 McIlroy was well below his best, hitting some loose shots, including a putt on the 18th which would have given Ireland a share of the runner-up check. The tournament favorites had a run of misfortune, including a penalty stroke on the 6th and four bogeys on the card.

They shared fourth with Australia’s Richard Green and Brendan Jones (69), plus Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher and Martin Laird (66) and the Dutch pairing of Robert-Jan Derksen and Joost Luiten (68).

Like Ireland, South Africa also had a pair of major winners who faltered on the final day, with Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen only able to record a 74 to quickly drop out of contention.

Defending champions Italy, represented by Edoardo Molinari and Francesco Molinari, also had a final-round 74 to finish 17th, 10 shots back.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

Nov 21 10:48a
by Kevin McCauley
Coming into team tournaments like the Presidents Cup, much like major tournaments, all eyes are on the highest ranked players in the world. The exception for the 2011 Presidents Cup was captain’s pick Tiger Woods of the USA, who didn’t exactly have a golf season that suggested he was one of the best 12 American golfers on the PGA Tour. Fred Couples picked Tiger for his experience and ability and that pick paid off, but he was far from the team’s biggest star in the Americans’ 19-15 win over the International team.

Instead of Woods or any of the top-ranked golfers on the United States team, Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan were the best performers for their squad. Furyk was perfect, going 5-0 as he played all five rounds of action. He partnered Phil Mickelson in their wins in the first three rounds of competition, then partnered Nick Watney in a huge one-up win over Ernie Els and Adam Scott in Saturday four-ball. On the final day, he defeated Els easily, 4&3, after the USA had lost six of the first eight singles matches.

Mahan was nearly as good. Though him and David Toms lost in Friday four-ball, he competed in and won in all four other rounds, capping off his performance with a 5&3 victory over Jason Day in singles that broke up a string of four-straight International wins on the final day.

This is now the sixth consecutive time the USA has won the Presidents Cup and the fourth straight time that they have won it outright, with the lone tie in the competition’s history coming in 2003. Since the Presidents Cup started in 1994, the International team has won just once.

Incagolf Photo by Pat Eastman

PALM HARBOR, FL, Nov. 13, 2011 – Michele Redman answers to the title of “Coach” these days, but today, she added the title of “champion” to her 2011 list of accolades.

The LPGA Tour veteran, who became the new head women’s golf coach at the University of Minnesota in August, emerged as the winner of the ISPS Legends Tour Open Championship presented by Publix and Kraft Foods.

Redman posted rounds of 72-70 to win the Legends Tour’s season-ending tournament at 2-under 142 on the Island Course at Innisbrook – A Salamander Golf & Spa Resort.

She edged out last year’s champion Rosie Jones, who finished second at even-par 144 with a final-round score of 3-under 69. Redman was runner-up to Jones at the 2010 tournament.

“I really didn’t expect much,” said Redman, 46, a second-year member of the Legends Tour and a two-time LPGA Tour winner. “I just came down to Florida to have some fun and to go on vacation next week.”

But Redman had a few extra cheerleaders heading into today’s final round. After Saturday’s opening round, she received text messages and emails from her Minnesota Golden Gopher players, telling the coach to go low.

And today, Coach Redman played like the LPGA Tour veteran who won the 1997 JAL Big Apple Classic, the 2000 First Union Betsy King Classic and who was a scrappy former U.S. Solheim Cup team member who used to drive her opponents crazy because she’s the classic “Steady Betty” under fire.

Redman bogeyed the first hole when she three-putted from 45 feet, but she answered with a birdie from 18 feet on No. 3 and a 45-foot birdie on the eighth hole. She chipped in from 15 feet on the 10th hole and played the remaining holes at even-par, intentionally not looking at leaderboards on the course.

“I think I’m getting smarter,” said Redman, who pocketed the $40,000 winner’s prize. “Honestly, I’ve been so busy with my new job, I haven’t thought about winning, but I putted well today. This was a lot of fun.”

Celebrating her 52nd birthday in today’s final round, Jones knew she needed to post a low score to have a chance to break away from the pack to defend her title.

“I knew I was still in the game if I could go out there and make some birdies today,” said runner-up Jones, who recently served as captain of the 2011 U.S. Solheim Cup team. “But this is a tight golf course and you really have to be in touch with your putter. You can’t make any mistakes.”

Finishing third at one-over 145 was Cindy Figg-Currier (70). Tied for fourth at 3-over 147 was Christa Johnson (72) and Legends Tour rookie Liselotte Neumann (73).

Canadian Lorie Kane, who started today’s final round tied for the lead with Redman, struggled today with a 4-over 76 to finish sixth at 4-over 148. A second-year Legends Tour member, Kane carded a double-bogey on the second hole and could never catch Redman, with whom she was paired in the last group.

“She played steady, just as she always does,” said Kane of Redman’s performance.

And steady wins golf tournaments.

- Lisa D. Mickey