PRESIDENTS CUP: Groundhog Day 1

The United States has once again got off to a fast start at the Presidents Cup, racing out to a 4-1 lead over the Internationals.

BY BRENDAN JAMES

There may be a new format for the matches in this year’s Presidents Cup but he result after day one is the same old story.

While local hero Sang-moon Bae and South African Charl Schwartzel watched their International team mates from the sidelines, the Americans grabbed the advantage almost from the outset and proceeded to do what they have done in almost every contest between the teams for 15 years. They posted early wins to have the Internationals fighting to stay in the contest after just one session.

The United States didn’t play brilliant golf at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea but it was good enough to open the matches with a 4-1 lead.

Jason Day reacts to missing a putt on the 18th green. PHOTO: KIM DOO-HO/AFP/Getty Images

Only one match went the distance and it was the veteran Captains pick, Phil Mickelson who nailed the Internationals by hammering his best and longest drive of the round that leave partner Zach Johnson a 7-iron approach into the green on the par-5 18th hole. It shut out the all-Aussie pairing of Jason Day and Steven Bowditch and led to a 2 up victory and a three-point lead.

It was the fifth consecutive opening session win for the US and it is their largest margin since a four-point lead after the first day in 2007.

The key to the American dominance, again, was the opening four or five holes. Each of the winning US pairs made early birdies to gain the ascendency and were never headed.

"It's tough when you go out there and you see the first three or four holes, all the red and we're done in matches," International captain Nick Price said. "You just try and do your best, that's all. That's all I'm doing now is I'm talking to my team and I'm saying to the guys, `Don't get down. It's early days.'

“I'm certainly not despondent about the whole thing. We're not in the situation we'd like to be after the first round, but there's an awful lot of golf to play."

After just one session, this Presidents Cup already has a Groundhog Day feel about it as the Americans surge toward a sixth victory in the event.

The only resistance came from the South African duo of Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace, who gained the lone victory 3 & 2 over Matt Kuchar and Patrick Reed.

"I know we're behind," Grace said. "But one point is better than none."

Members of the Fanatics cheer for the International Team on the first tee during the Thursday foursomes matches. PHOTO: David Cannon/Getty Images.

Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker grabbed the first point for the Americans, smashing Presidents Cup debutantes Anirban Lahiri and Thongchai Jaidee 5 & 4.

The ‘Dream Duo’ of World No.1 Jordan Spieth and big-hitting Dustin Johnson comfortably accounted for New Zealand's Danny Lee and Victorian Marc Leishman and 4 & 3. If it wasn’t Spieth holing putts, it was Johnson breaking hearts with 350-yard drives down the middle of the fairway. Not surprisingly, US Captain Jay Haas has teamed Spieth and Johnson again for the morning Fourball session on Friday.

“He’s going for the kill,” International Captain Nick Price said. “He wants to shut us down fast. If I was in his situation, I’d do the same thing.”

But Haas knows he doesn’t want to fall into the trap of cracking open the champagne before the job is done.

“I think they all realise it’s a long series right now,” he said. “Kind of like shooting a low round in the first round of a tournament. There’s a lot of golf to be played. So I don’t think that anybody’s getting too giddy.”

Hideki Matsuyama narrowly misses a putt on the 15th hole during the Thursday foursomes. PHOTO: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

But Haas has the upper hand, not only on the scoreboard, but in the locker room as he already has established pairings that are working well. Price, on the other hand, needs to find some winning combinations and fast.

That’s why he’s sending his only winning pair from day one out in the first group on Friday. Oosthuizen and Grace will be followed by Korean born Kiwi Lee and Korean Bae, in what promises to be the gallery hog pair for the morning.

Price has paired World Cup winning combination Scott and Day together, while Marc Leishman and Steven Bowditch will attempt to defuse the long-bombing J.B Holmes and Bubba Watson. The final group will see Charl Schwartzel join the action alongside Jaidee.

UNITED STATES 4 lead INTERNATIONALS 1

B. Watson/J.B Holmes d. A. Scott/H. Matsuyama 3 & 2

M. Kuchar/P. Reed lost to L. Oosthuizen/B. Grace 3up

R. Fowler/J. Walker d. A. Lahiri/T. Jaidee 5 & 4

P. Mickelson/Z. Johnson d. J. Day/S. Bowditch 2up

J. Spieth/D. Johnson d. D. Lee/M. Leishman 4 & 3

FRIDAY FOURBALL MATCHES (all times Australian Eastern Daylight Saving time)

Match 6, 11:35am:

Dustin Johnson / Jordan Spieth (USA) vs. Louis Oosthuizen / Branden Grace (INT)

Match 7, 11:50am:

Rickie Fowler / Jimmy Walker (USA) vs. Danny Lee / Sang-moon Bae (INT)

Match 8, 12:05am: