Now that's an adorable bromance!

On Thursday Tiger Woods posted his first thank-you note blog entry on his website since winning the Chevron World Challenge a few weeks ago (and more importantly, breaking his two-year victory drought). He recaps his success in Australia and says he’s hitting “quality golf shots,” etc., along with more snooze-worthy news — until he gets to talking the Presidents Cup and U.S. captain Fred Couples. (continue reading…)

Allenby (d-)bags an award, after all...

Presidents Cup teammates Robert Allenby and Geoff Ogilvy nearly came to blows, exchanging heated words at the after-party for the Australian PGA on Sunday, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Several accounts from witnesses claimed Allenby approached Ogilvy and offered to settle the dispute physically and at least one glass broke before Allenby walked away. (continue reading…)

This guy looks mildly familiar, but something's missing...oh, the Nike logo on his hat...

Maybe I’m drinking the kool-aid, but perhaps Tiger Woods enjoys these team competitions more than we think. When was the last time we saw him look so genuinely happy and human while celebrating with his team and the Fanatics, the Aussie group that attends big sporting events? Heck, he even sported an Australian rally cap that he probably got from some random dude in the crowd! (continue reading…)

Tiger: Thanks for believing in me, Freddie (This is seriously adorable).

USA, USA! Well, the Internationals certainly made an admirable effort, rallying early in the singles to create a much more intriguing final day. But they needed nothing short of a miracle to come back and win nine of the 12 matches to clinch the Presidents Cup for only the second time in history — the only time the Americans have lost was when the event was last held at Royal Melbourne in ’98.

I was wrong about Sunday singles being a snooze fest, so thanks to the International players for forcing the Americans to dig deep to retain the Cup. I was indeed on the edge of my seat the entire flight from Orlando to Newark. It’s late, but a few quick notes/observations (which may or may not make sense at this hour): (continue reading…)

USA: Team Spirit!

Raise your hand if you stayed awake to watch the conclusion of the Presidents Cup? Well, I did from my sickbed and caught just about all 13 hours of coverage! — I mean, if it were the Ryder Cup, that’s a different story, but I suppose there are more compelling story lines than there have been in recent history (at least in my short-lived memory) — and the Americans take command with a 13-9 lead over the Internationals. (continue reading…)

My favorite moment(s): Ernie hugging Ryo after Ryo made clutch putts

Entering the third session, the USA led the Internationals 7-5, which might have surprised quite a few people (including myself because of the emphasis on the Australian-loaded team being familiar with Royal Melbourne). Well, it might not have been pretty, but the Americans have shown their grit, dominating in the Saturday morning foursomes and increasing their advantage to 11-6. The Internationals lost all but one match — the young Ryo Ishikawa and the elder Ernie Els finally won their first point, beating Bill Haas and Matt Kuchar. (continue reading…)

Arm-bump!

The Saturday foursomes are underway at Royal Melbourne, with the Americans leading 7-5 over the Internationals entering the third session. Curious if the Internationals will figure out how to play foursomes since the Americans have always dominated them in the alternate shot format. Two guys on each team sit out, so there only five matches instead of six. (continue reading…)

The conditions at Royal Melbourne on Friday in the second session of the Presidents Cup were rather tough, to say the least. So the last thing any player — whether the Internationals or the Americans — wants is an unruly fan who probably had a few too many Fosters (yes, I realize Aussies don’t actually drink Fosters). Unfortunately, Hunter Mahan feel victim to a heckler that yelled in his backswing on his approach to the 16th green. (continue reading…)

The most-anticipated first-tee handshake in Presidents Cup history

As the sixth and final match of the day, Tiger Woods-Steve Stricker vs. Adam Scott-K.J. Choi, was about to commence,  Tiger made the customary rounds, shaking hands with his competitors, their caddies, scorers, marshals, etc. — of course, that included Scott’s caddie and Tiger’s former caddie Steve Williams.

In case you missed it, no punches were thrown. Geoff Shackelford compiled a play-by-play slideshow of The Handshake, which can be seen here. (continue reading…)

The International Team is stacked with five Aussies, giving them a clear advantage Royal Melbourne

Fred Couples possesses an outstanding golfing resume, but he’s in denial if he believes local knowledge is not just an advantage, but a necessity at Royal Melbourne. (continue reading…)