Bad Weather Plagues Day 2 of Presidents Cup; Two Matches Settled


It's going to be a long Saturday after a lengthy rain delay interrupted Friday's foursomes (alternate-shot) in the Presidents Cup matches at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.

Play was suspended soon after 3:00 p.m. ET and didn't resume until 5:45. All told, thunder, lightning and heavy rains delayed the second day for two and a half hours. Nearly an inch of rain fell Friday, and more precipitation is forecast for Saturday afternoon and Sunday of the four-day biennial competition.

Before play was suspended the Americans led three of the six matches, with the Internationals up in two and the sixth at all-square.

After play restarted, the first point of the day was earned by Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley of team USA, who defeated Australia's Jason Day and Canada's Graham DeLaet 4 and 3.

The International duo held serve through four holes thanks to a Day birdie on the par-4 first, but Mickelson and Bradley exerted their continued fine play from that point forward. The two carded five birdies and an eagle to get to 6-up through the 12th hole and cruised home from there.

"The front nine we really played well," Mickelson said at greenside. "To play with Keegan, he brings the best out of me."

In Match 2, South Africa's Ernie Els and Zimbabwe's Brendon de Jonge garnered a point in the second match by beating Bill Haas and Hunter Mahan by a 4 and 3 score. The American pair never got going Friday, carding only three birdies and a bogey as their competitors had six birdies and an eagle to win going away.

At the end of the day, the Americans - who began Friday with a 3½ to 2½ lead - were still on top by a 4½ to 3½ margin.

In the four incomplete matches, Steve Stricker and Jordan Spieth are 3-up over Internationals Branden Grace and Richard Sterne through 14 holes; Angel Cabrera and Marc Leishman are 1-up through 13 against Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker; Tiger Woods and Matt Kuchar are 3-up through 12 against Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel; and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and Australia's Adam Scott are leading 4-up through 11 over Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson.

The other four matches will resume Saturday morning, beginning at 7:35 a.m.

If the weather cooperates, the third day also includes five four-ball matches as originally schedule in the morning followed by five foursomes in the afternoon. Sunday will conclude the Presidents Cup with 12 singles matches.

For scoring details, visit http://www.presidentscup.com/scoring/2013.html.