THE NEW MIKE WEIR
U.S. retains Presidents Cup with boost from Tiger but did Canadian Graham Delaet steal the show?
DUBLIN, OHIO— Nick Price, captain of the International team at the 2013 Presidents Cup, may have been gazing at a crystal ball Sunday morning when he described Canada’s Graham DeLaet as “definitely major championship material.”
DeLaet’s holed-out bunker shot on the 18th hole to win his epic, see-saw singles battle with young American star Jordan Spieth came roughly five hours after Price’s comment, and put a hard stamp on the captain’s statement. It was not a victory in a “major” golf event, but it was certainly the biggest victory in DeLaet’s career to date.
“One hundred per cent, yes,” was DeLaet’s answer moments after the victory when asked, “Has this been the best week you’ve ever had in golf?”
But every silver lining has a cloud, and DeLaet’s glory was dampened by yet another International team loss in the biennial competition. The U.S. team won its fifth straight Cup, 181⁄ 2- 151⁄ 2, with Tiger Woods delivering the winning point when he hung on to defeat Richard Sterne, 1 up.
“It was a team effort this whole week,” said Woods, who won the Cup-clinching match for the third consecutive time. “We really played well to give ourselves a nice lead.”
In 10 Presidents Cups over 19 years, the U.S. has now won eight to the Internationals’ one, with one draw.
“It was a tall order, but they gave it their best shot. These guys played their tails off,” Price said. “We’re a real hodge-podge of a team that came together from four corners of the planet. And they gave the might of America a run for their money.”
DeLaet’s singles win capped off a fourday marathon in which he, along with playing partner Jason Day of Australia, each compiled a record of three wins, one loss, and one tie against American stars like Phil Mickelson, Keegan Bradley, Steve Stricker, Brandt Snedeker and Spieth. Only Woods, who went 4-1, won more matches.
Coming off the 18th hole after the match, DeLaet was hugged by his wife Ruby, caddy Julian Trudeau and Day (whose own decisive singles victory over Snedeker had ended nearly an hour earlier). A crowd of Canadian supporters sang “O Canada” a few steps away.
DeLaet was told by one reporter that his performance over the course of the tournament would rank with Mike Weir’s celebrated victory over Woods in head-tohead singles at the 2007 Presidents Cup.
“Wow,” he said quietly. “You know, Mike Weir’s always been someone that I’ve looked up to since I was a kid, so that’s pretty special.”
The latest loss by the International team may well incite a few closed-door discussions at PGA Tour headquarters over the next few days. For all the revenue the Presidents Cup generates for the Tour, its credibility as a sustainable competition wanes with each American win.
Nonetheless, no one left the grounds of Jack Nicklaus’s Muirfield Village unsatisfied late Sunday afternoon. In spite of inclement weather throughout the fourday event, and three outright stoppages in play due to torrential rain, the show did go on and no player embarrassed himself with poor play.
Some amazing golf shots were struck, and fans on both sides had ample reason to scream their lungs out. And to their credit, the galleries were well behaved and respectful of the players.
Mickelson may have summed up the players’ feelings best after play concluded.
“When the Presidents Cup came about in 1994,” he said, “I was concerned that having a team event every year would become too much. But it’s the exact opposite of what’s happened.
“We’ve really had a lot of fun over the course of the years.”