MELBOURNE, Australia – While Tiger Woods' United States Presidents Cup team was heavily favored on paper, it was Ernie Els' International squad that took the dominating lead after Thursday fourballs at Royal Melbourne. Here's how each match unfolded.
MATCH 1: Tiger Woods-Justin Thomas (U.S.) def. Marc Leishman-Joaquin Niemann (INT), 4 and 3
This was the Woods Show as he single-handedly won the match for his team, making six birdies in 15 holes. It was effortless. Thomas did not play well but it didn’t matter. After being 3 down after five holes, the Internationals won the next two.