The United States won the Presidents Cup, but Mike Weir gave Canada quite a consolation prize.
The Americans won enough of the singles matches in Montreal on Sunday to capture the Presidents Cup for the second straight time.
That didn’t stop the relentless cheers that rocked Royal Montreal Golf Club on a spectacular autumn day, especially when Weir won the final two holes to beat Tiger Woods and send his country home feeling like a winner. Weir won the Masters four years ago, and he wasn’t sure which felt sweeter.
“It’s right there with it,” Weir said. “Obviously, winning the Masters was such a thrill, but to play Tiger … he’s the best player there is, and I had to play my absolute best today to beat him.”
He needed some help from the world’s No. 1 player.
With the match all square and Weir safely in the 18th fairway, Woods pulled his tee shot and watched it land in a pond, just a few yards short of a Canadian flag fans were holding behind the ropes.
Weir hit his approach to 15 feet, and after Woods’ chip for par stopped 2 inches from the cup, he conceded the putt.
By then, the Americans were celebrating something far more important.
“I lost,” Woods. “But the team won the Cup, and that’s the important thing.”
The International team won seven of Sunday’s 12 matches, not nearly enough to avoid the inevitable outcome: U.S. 19 1/2, International 14 1/2.
For the Americans, it was another victory for captain Jack Nicklaus, who now is 2-1-1 in the Presidents Cup.
Woods and Weir shared a hug on the 18th green as thousands of fans crammed into the bleachers. The crowd covered every blade of grass around the green and chanted, “Mike! Mike! Mike!”
“I told him I was proud of how he handled himself,” Wood said. “He had to carry an entire country on his shoulders. Not too many people can play as well as he did. He handled it magnificently.”
The Americans needed to win only three matches to retain the Cup, and Stewart Cink delivered the clinching point. He birdied the first five holes and beat Nick O’Hern, 6 and 4, for the largest margin of the week.
PGA Tour: Chad Campbell (69) righted his listing game with a one-stroke victory over Johnson Wagner (70) at the Viking Classic in Madison, Miss., making two birdies on his last three holes to win.
Bill Haas (72), who was second entering the final round, finished tied for third with Boo Weekley, who shot 70.
LPGA Tour: Maria Hjorth (67) made a long birdie putt on the 17th hole at the Navistar LPGA Classic in Prattville, Ala., and held on for her first tour win since 1999, denying Lorena Ochoa’s bid for a fourth consecutive victory.
