Check Back Daily -- Scratch-Golfer.com Senior Editor Rick Adams will provide on site reports each day from the President's Cup in Virginia , focusing on Dallas' Justin Leonard.

What Will Johnny Miller Say Now?

By Rick Adams
Senior Editor

Prince William County, Virginia (September 22) -- Without question, Justin Leonard turned in the best ball-striking performance by an American player, and the all-Dallas native duo of Leonard and Scott Verplank was the premiere pairing on the course in the 2005 President's Cup on Thursday.

JL and good friend Scott poured in six birdies in 16 holes in the alternate shot “foursomes” format to rout the International team of Stuart Appleby and Peter Lonard, 4 and 2. It was the brightest spot in a somewhat disappointing opening day for the Yanks, who trail 3 ½ points to 2 ½ points.

Phil Mickelson, winless in five matches in the 2003 edition of the Cup, which ended in a dark-induced tie in South Africa, teamed with Chris Dimarco to beat Tim Clark and Nick O'Hern, 1 up, for the Americans' other full point. Local favorite Fred Funk, originally from Maryland, and Jim Furyk, who spent part of his afternoon stretched out on the grass while a physiotherapist worked on his ailing ribs, managed a halve with VJ Singh and Mark Hensby.

The surprise upset was the early ouster of world's No. 1 Tiger Woods and captain's pick Fred Couples. They were drubbed, 4 and 3, by two-time US Open champ Retief Goosen and Australian Adam Scott, whose swing is remarkably similar to Tiger's former style.

The Internationals also earned a point from 2005 US Open winner Michael Campbell of New Zealand and Argentina 's Angel Cabrera, 2 and 1 over the expected stalwart pairing of Cup veterans Davis Love III and Kenny Perry. Perry stirred hope of a halve when he drained a long birdie putt on the 17 th hole, only to watch Campbell roll his own birdie in on top to close out the match.

Captain's pick Trevor Immelman, who some suggested Gary Player had selected largely for South African national loyalty, quieted the critics with the day's largest victory margin, 6 and 5, over David Toms and Stewart Cink. Immelman and Canada 's Mike Weir posted six birdies, including a fast start on holes 1, 3, 4, and 5, against no bogies.

Buddy System

Leonard and Verplank have “talked for 10 years about playing together” in a Ryder Cup or President's Cup competition, but this is the first event in which both have been on a team at the same time. “We've been friends for a long time. We're both from Dallas . And we play similar games,” Verplank said in a post-round press conference.

“We play a lot of practice rounds together on Tour,” JL noted, “not just because we're friends but also because we can help each other figure out the course.” A couple weeks ago, after Scott had made the team on points and Justin was selected by captain Jack Nicklaus, they popped into the Robert Trent Jones Golf Course for an early practice round.

The extra site survey worked in the opening match, despite Scott's early struggles. Verplank short-sided approaches to both 1 and 2, and though Leonard recovered well from rough and sand they bogeyed each and were 1 down going to the 3 rd . Appleby gave the advantage back attempting to thrash a metalwood from 6-inch rough – giving comfort to onlooking hackers, he only advanced the ball about 20 feet and the ensuing bogey squared the match.

Justin seized the momentum on No. 4, lacing a short iron within 10 feet, and Verplank slid the birdie putt in the side of the cup. At that point, fewer than 50 fans were around the green to cheer. The majority had been sucked along by the marquee Woods/Goosen match, and many of the rest by the preceding Mickelson group.

NBC on-course announcer Roger Maltbie rolled by in a golf cart (he doesn't always walk as shown on TV). Had he paused for a few moments, he would have enjoyed the fairways-and-greens clinic. Leonard and Verplank were striping every tee shot, threading the ball between shimmering white bunkers and lush rough, and playing smart approaches to each green. Justin's father, Charles, said, “His swing is as good as I've seen it this early in these types of matches.”

Despite a length mismatch off the tee – Appleby was blasting it past Scott by 40-50 yards – the outcome hinged on two par-5s. On No.6 (585 yards), Leonard nailed a 3-wood up the steep hill, reaching the greenside bunker. With an iron second shot, Lonard just missed the putting surface in dicey rough. After Verplank's superb blast to about 5 feet, Appleby chipped long and Lonard missed the downhill birdie attempt. Justin stroked in his uphill birdie for a 2-up cushion.

More than two hours into the day, there had been relatively few cheers echoing across the hilly layout, a sign that things were not going well for the home team. Woods/Couples, Love/Perry, and Toms/Cink all trailed, and Funk/Furyk and Mickelson/Dimarco were clinging to one-hole margins.

The second critical par-5 for Leonard/Verplank was the 10 th , a picture postcard 525 yards along Lake Manassas . After Scott split the fairway once again, Appleby blocked his tee shot away from the lake, hitting a spectator in the back on the descent. Had the ball landed cleanly, it was on a trajectory down a steep bank toward a collection pond, a penalty stroke, and a nearly impossible recovery angle. Instead, Lonard was able to lace a long iron to the front of the green for a potential match-turning eagle putt.

Leonard (after a long wait for the group ahead and Lonard's club selection indecision), “nutted” another 3-wood … leaving an eagle putt for the Americans that was even closer than the Internationals. Both teams two-putted for birdies.

One of the oddities of alternate shot play – Justin never had to hit an iron shot for a stretch of several holes. He played 3-wood to 10, Verplank hit the approach to 11 (and JL made the birdie to go 3-up), Leonard knocked 3-wood into a greenside trap on 12 (which Scott popped out to gimmee range for a halving birdie, Verplank had the approach on the par-4 13 th , the tee shot on the par-3 14 th , and the wedge to the 15 th . Finally on 16, Justin had an iron in hand, drilling it to about 12 feet, and Verplank holed the clinching birdie.

Nicklaus is hoping their hot hand continues. He has maintained the Leonard/Verplank pairing for Friday's four-ball (aka “best ball”) against the Internationals' birdie machine, Immelman and Weir.

By the time announcer Johnny Miller comes on the air Saturday, Justin may have 2 points to his credit. Following his excoriation of Leonard's indifferent play during the '99 Ryder Cup, which Miller later called a “double bogey” comment, he warned that, when on the air for eight hours, “I'm bound to screw up.” (Note to NBC producer: Saturday's President's Cup coverage is scheduled to run 9 hours.)

Cup Clippings