Day of Redemption

By Rick Adams
Senior Editor

Prince William County , Virginia (September 25) – It was Chris Dimarco's turn on stage. The star of captain Jack Nicklaus' final curtain call. The one guy who might have to come through with a virtuoso performance if the other 11 members of the US President's Cup team had not already brought down the house.

The last time there was an American hero in international team competition, 1999, Dallas ' Justin Leonard provided the fireworks with the putt of his life to win the Ryder Cup. Dimarco's 12-footer on the 18th hole Sunday was barely one-quarter the distance of JL's bomb, but no less significant as the defining moment in his career.

This time Leonard was the opening act for the spectacle, and he set the flag-waving tone early with a decisive 4-and-3 handling of feisty Tim Clark. Justin's point not only gave the US the lead in the team competition, 12-11, it was Leonard's first-ever singles victory in a Ryder or President's Cup. It also pushed his total points for the week to 3 ½ of a possible 5, his best showing in five Cup competitions.

The fantastic finish provided closure not only to this year's act but also to the inconclusive and unplanned tie of two years ago. Somewhat hidden behind the footlights in the euphoria over Dimarco's starring role were several sideshows, all with a similar theme of redemption:

• Jack Nicklaus – In what may be his final farewell from the competitive golf stage, the Golden Bear received two touching and memorable gifts from the American players. The first, before the event began, was a portrait of Nicklaus' late grandson Jake, who tragically drowned earlier this year. The other was a President's Cup victory after Jack's teams had lost in 1998 and tied in 2003. The greatest golfer ever observed, “If I end my career this way, it's a great way to go out.”

• The Oakland Hills 9 – Stung by the embarrassing 18 ½ - 9 ½ defeat by the Euros in last year's Ryder Cup, the nine Americans who carried over to the President's Cup squad (Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III, David Toms, Kenny Perry, Dimarco, Fred Funk, Jim Furyk, and Stewart Cink) were eager to atone in front of Red, White, and Blue fans. Next year we'll get to see most of them seek Ryder revenge in Ireland .

• Retief Goosen – The quiet South African, No. 5 in the world rankings, is usually overlooked in hype about the more charismatic “Big Four” of Woods, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, and Mickelson. Goosen wryly commented he'd like to move into the No. 4 position so the media can then talk about the “Big Three.” Then he went out and wore down No. 1 Woods to cap a near-perfect 4-0-1, matching Dimarco for the best record of the week.

• Fred Couples – Maligned as a merely sentimental captain's pick, fan favorite Freddie was outclassed in losses to Goosen and Adam Scott (paired with Tiger on Wednesday and David Toms on Thursday). After resting Saturday morning, Couples managed a half-point with buddy Love, then surprised many by requesting to be matched against No. 2 in the world Singh for singles. Freddie reprised their climactic 1996 battle, this time trumping a laconic Vijay with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th that laid a track for Dimarco's Cup-clinching putt to follow.

• David Toms – Some were surprised that Toms showed up after Hurricane Katrina devastated his beloved Louisiana and his emergency trip to the hospital a week ago for a heart condition that will require surgery. After losing all three team matches, sitting Saturday afternoon, and falling behind early Sunday, Toms gritted out an important 2-and-1 early victory over Cup rookie Trevor Immelman.

• Kenny Perry – Somewhere between the White House dinner on Tuesday and the opening match, Perry lost his game, suffering a pair of losses with DL III (a formidable team in past international competitions) and a 5-and-4 defeat to the hot putters of Mark Hensby and Tim Clark. On Sunday Kenny unexpectedly romped over Australia 's Hensby, winning 5 of 7 holes starting at the 3rd.

• Mike Weir – It's been a tough stretch since the Canadian hero lost his national Open to Singh a year ago, including 7 missed cuts in his past 11 events. After a great start Wednesday with Immelman over Toms and Cink, the little duo were whipped by Leonard/Scott Verplank and Love/Cink, leading captain Gary Player to bench Weir for Saturday afternoon's best-ball. With the 2007 President's Cup at Royal Montreal looming, mighty Mike provided some highlights for the promotional video with a 3-and-2 singles triumph over Verplank.

• Angel Cabrera – In his first appearance before a substantial US television audience, the Argentine strongman established himself as a potential contender in the Majors. He's prodigious off the tee, a confident clutch putter, and tenaciously fought back to tie Mickelson with the Cup on the line.

• International Golf – The sport itself regained a strong measure of respect, not just because of the final-day theater and dramatic finish but more so for the gentlemanly goodwill of the competition. Nicklaus and Player – two of the finest global ambassadors ever -- established the spirit of playing hard while building friendships. It's not a “battle” or a “war,” as some contentious Ryder Cups have been characterized; it's a “game.”

Where Eagles Soar

Justin's birdie average on the PGA Tour is pretty healthy: 3.65 per round, or about one every 5 holes (38th on Tour). Eagles are a different matter. At 285 yards average off the tee he's longer than he used to be, but still 15-20 yards behind his marquee peers. He only hits par-5 greens in two 4.5% of the time, and makes an eagle every 378 holes.

On Sunday JL rolled in eagle putts twice within three holes. At the 10th hole, where Leonard had struck superb second shots up the hill to the blind green all week, he pured a 3-iron from 215 yards to within 3 feet and was conceded the eagle by Clark. Two holes later he laced a similar 4-wood shot over the foreboding pond to 15 feet. When Justin made the 15-footer the partisan crowd of more than 2500 ringing the green exploded with ecstasy. The second eagle put JL 4-up, all but wrapping up the point.

“We didn't play great golf in the beginning of the match,” Justin said. “As the round went on, I started playing better and better.”

Leonard began the match with a fairways-and-greens strategy, winning the first hole when Clark pushed a par putt, losing the second when JL's tee shot buried in the bunker. Clark extended further gifts on Nos. 4 and 5, blowing makeable putts for birdie.

Justin thanked the South African Open champion by stiffing a 9-iron from 126 yards on the 5th hole for a 1-up birdie. On the uphill par-5 6th, Clark was still struggling, never finding fairway or green on his first three shots. Leonard was analyzing a 15-foot birdie try through a mottled section of green when Clark chipped in from 100 feet in the rough to square the match.

JL seized control for good on the serenely dangerous par-3 7th, 207 yards staring straight at Lake Manassas and dead into the wind. After Clark left a 5-iron short in heavy fescue, Justin hit a bold draw with a 4-iron that landed in the small back section of green near the pin and trickled against the collar. Leonard's par gave him back the lead. Clark 's second bogey in a row on No. 8 boosted the margin to two holes.

The even-numbered holes belonged to Justin coming in. He won 10 and 12 with eagles and the 14th when Clark blew another par putt through the break.

Unlike television viewers, spectators on site at the President's Cup don't see the stylized American flags on the scoreboard. Players don't get to see their teammates' shots, unless they happen to be on adjacent holes at the right time (and there are usually too many fans in between to see much action). Instead they gauge the flow of the competition by the crowd cheers that ripple through the trees – the roar for an American birdie is easy to detect; the higher decibels for an eagle can almost be felt.

At first the US players might not have realized the day's first two eagle roars were triggered by Leonard. But when they next passed a scoreboard and saw the 3-up margin, then 4-up, they were confident: “Justin's got his point. Now I'll go win mine.”