Presidents Cup 2015 Leaderboard: Saturday Scores, Top Pairings, Twitter Reaction
The American team held off the International squad again on Saturday in Icheon City, South Korea, despite darkness that had some players finishing their foursomes with very low visibility. Heading into the final day of play on Sunday, the Americans hold a 9.5-to-8.5 lead.
Here's a look at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea as play came to an end on Saturday:
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Take a look at the scores from Saturday, per the event's official website:
| J.B. Holmes Bubba Watson | 1 UP | Louis Oosthuizen Branden Grace - Win |
| Phil Mickelson Zach Johnson - Win | 3 and 2 | Adam Scott Anirban Lahiri |
| Jimmy Walker Chris Kirk | 6 and 5 | Sangmoon Bae Hideki Matsuyama - Win |
| Patrick Reed Jordan Spieth - Win | 3 and 2 | Jason Day Charl Schwartzel |
| Patrick Reed Rickie Fowler | 3 and 2 | Louis Oosthuizen Branden Grace - Win |
| Bubba Watson J.B. Holmes | Halved | Adam Scott Marc Leishman |
| Bill Haas Matt Kuchar | Halved | Sangmoon Bae Hideki Matsuyama |
| Dustin Johnson Jordan Spieth - Win | 1 UP | Jason Day Charl Schwartzel |
While the Americans still hold an advantage, the edge isn't as significant as it has been in the past. In fact, the one-point lead is the slimmest margin the Americans have enjoyed in the last 10 years heading into the final day. The International team hasn't won the event since 1998, surrendering the victory to the Americans five straight times.
On Saturday, the South African duo of Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen set the pace. They equaled a record set by Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker as they were perfect in competition, per Asian Tour.
Grace battled darkness and sunk two clutch putts late to keep the International team within a point. Per the Associated Press, via ESPN.com, Oosthuizen made it clear there's a great deal of effort and passion on the International side.
He said: "We need to win. This is huge for us."
Having been beaten so many times before, Oosthuizen and his teammates are finally within striking distance and hungry to break their losing streak with a strong finish. There's also a matter of national pride at stake for one of the members of the team.
Bae Sang-moon, who teamed with Hideki Matsuyama to squash Jimmy Walker and Chris Kirk six and five in fourballs on Saturday, hails from South Korea. This opportunity to play in front of his home crowd is special. It's made even more important because it is the final event he'll play before he is required to report for his mandatory military service to his country.
Per the event's Twitter account, Sang-moon expressed his gratitude to captain Nick Price for the opportunity to represent his country on the course:
On the American side, the game's top player Jordan Spieth was his normal dominant self. He won two matches on the day. He holed a bunker shot and made several other great plays to do his part in keeping the Americans on top.
On Sunday, the head-to-head format begins. Spieth will be paired against Marc Leishman in one of the key matchups of the day. The battle is in the ninth spot, which is something of the anchor leg, as it can be the deciding leg of this portion of the event. Obviously, U.S. captain Jay Haas has placed his big gun in the pivotal spot. The only time Spieth hasn't come up with the win was on Friday when he and Dustin Johnson fell to Grace and Oosthuizen four-and-three in fourballs.
Luckily for the Americans, Sunday's format will finally split the dominant pair up.
Here's a look at all of the pairings for Sunday, per the event's Twitter account:
Another crucial leg will be the second when Rickie Fowler takes on Adam Scott. The latter has been part of many of the losing International teams from the past, and it'll be interesting to see if he can come up with an inspired performance. He's yet to capture a win throughout the event. Fowler has one victory, but he didn't play at all on Saturday. Can he rebound and help get the Americans off to a strong start?
For once, it should be an exciting finish to the event. Stay tuned for post-event coverage after Sunday's final round.
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