Firm, fast setup is sending the Presidents Cup into chaos — and it’s awesome - Golf.com

At No. 4, Marc Leishman’s approach shot from the fairway hit the green, then slowly trickled back to 40 yards. Partner Abraham Ancer hit his next shot up onto the green, only to watch it roll back to his feet, leaving the exact same 40-yard shot for their fourth.

At No. 5, Hideki Matsuyama’s putt rolled just past the cup — then reconsidered, reversed course and toppled in the edge from the opposite side.

All over the place, 20-footers for birdie turned into nervy six-foot comebackers. There were still birdies aplenty — Royal Melbourne plays short, and several pins were set up with backstops available — but there were plenty of holes where par was a winner, too. Bones Mackay described one putt as “the hardest 12-footer he’s ever seen.” (Johnson missed it, and winced, which is about as strong an emotional reaction as you’ll see from him.)

Alternate shot (that’s foursomes, if you must) did a far better job of revealing the course’s perils, too. Getting out of position didn’t mean players could pick up and root on their partner; their partner had to go play from wherever he’d been left. It was a far different style of golf than, say, the Hero World Challenge, where 11 of the 12 U.S. Team teed it up last week. The contrast was immediately obvious; the ball spent far more time rolling on the ground, rewarding precise shots and punishing indifferent efforts.

On a day when the International Team continued to build on their Day 1 lead, the course still took center stage (at least, until Patrick Reed seized it again). That was a good thing.

2019-12-13 03:19:11Z
https://www.golf.com/news/2019/12/13/royal-melbourne-presidents-cup-chaos-firm-fast/