The International team lifted their mood with a stirring comeback on Friday at the Presidents Cup as home hero Bae Sang-Moon raised the roof with a final-hole match-winning putt.
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The Internationals won three, lost one and halved one of the five fourballs to reduce the deficit to the United States to just one point after being 4-1 down overnight in Incheon, South Korea.
Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen had been the International team’s lone winning pair on Thursday and they led off with a thumping 4 and 3 win against world No 1 Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson on Friday.
“We both played very poor rounds of golf and we didn’t have many chances. So it was Merry Christmas to the other guys,” said a disappointed Spieth.
Saturday afternoon four-ball matches pic.twitter.com/xwYfavu3AF
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Three of the other four matches were decided on the 18th green of a pulsating day as the two teams battled blow for blow.
It was there, to a cacophonous roar, that Bae sank a snaking 12-foot birdie putt that enabled him and Korean-born Kiwi Danny Lee to beat Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker by the narrowest margin in match play – one-up on the 18th.
“I knew it was really, really big putt,” said Bae, who has won twice previously at the same course. “You know, a lot of people came out here and they were supporting us. It was really helpful.”
Thongchai Jaidee put his poor display Thursday behind him as he teamed up with Charl Schwartzel to defeat Bill Haas and Chris Kirk 2 and 1.
Bubba Watson and JB Holmes took the lone US win on day two with a two-up victory over Marc Leishman and Steven Bowditch to continue their 100 percent record this year in the 11th Presidents Cup.
