This match will forever be known for the tandem putter drop.
After cruising to a point during the first round four-ball matches at the Presidents Cup, Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas were in a dogfight for 18 holes during Friday’s (Thursday night in the U.S.) foursomes match. With a tied match on the final hole, Thomas made a clutch birdie putt from 17 feet to seal the second point in as many days for the pairing, 1 up.
Woods and Thomas went 2 up through the first five holes at Royal Melbourne, but the Internationals’ Hideki Matsuyama and Byeong Hun An clawed back to the tie the match at the turn.
The Internationals then went 1 up over the next three holes, but an American birdie – their first since the fifth hole – tied the match on the 13th. Both teams then went bogey-birdie-par-par over the next four holes, taking the all-square match to the 18th hole.
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Thomas’ drive missed the fairway to the right, giving Woods and approach shot from the baked-out rough. The Internationals were in the fairway then found the green, 25 feet from the middle-left pin. Woods threw his approach into the air and he walked after it, ultimately coming to rest 17 feet behind the hole.
Matsuyama’s birdie putt missed just slightly long and right, opening the door for Thomas to save the day and earn a point with a clutch birdie.
CHILLS. 😵@JustinThomas34 and @TigerWoods win their second point of the @PresidentsCup. 🇺🇸#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/bS5WvOeNm8
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 13, 2019
“I don’t know. I’m speechless,” said an emotional Thomas on Golf Channel after the putt, with Woods at his side. “I’ve made a lot of, been fortunate to hit a lot of big putts. To do it with my captain and maybe turn the tide in this Presidents Cup is awesome.”
A few minutes later, Rickie Fowler made a putt to earn a half point for the U.S., the final piece of a late American rally. The International team led 4-1 after Day 1 and will take a 6½-3½ lead into Day 3.
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