Who won what and where: USA hold on in Presidents Cup

Presidents Cup – United States 15.5 Internationals 14.5

A sixth straight victory for the United States, and a ninth in 11 matches, as Bill Haas, son of American captain Jay, claimed the decisive point against Sang-moon Bae in Korea.

After day one Nick Price’s side trailed 4-1 but were only a point adrift heading into the singles where the United States led, at one stage, in nine of the 12 matches.

But the Internationals again rallied and a second overall victory seemed possible. But an 18-footer from Chris Kirk and a miss from four feet by Anirban Lahiri swung the match.

In the end it came down to the final match and Bae, who will soon have to temporarily quit golf to take up national service, made par saves on 16 and 17 but then fatted a pitch to the last and Haas jr sealed the deal.

Branden Grace (5/5) and Louis Oosthuizen (4.5/5) were the stars of Price’s side, Jason Day contributed just half a point, while Phil Mickelson, like Haas a captain’s pick, led the way for the Americans along with Zach Johnson (3.5/5).

What Jay Haas said: “I thought of that (the Ryder Cup in 1995), I believe Phil and Jim were on that team. It wasn’t pretty down the stretch there, if I could have parred the last hole, beaten Phil Walton; not that I remember his name very well.

“But yeah, I thought, that’s 20 years ago. And Bill was there watching me play, and I remember that I wish I would have just gotten up on the 18th hole and swung as hard as I could like I was in a driving contest and maybe hit a better shot. He’s heard me say that.

“So for him to do that down the stretch, is not vindication or anything like that, but just how things work out, and 20 years went by in a blink. Glad it worked out.”

"This year my goal was to keep my card and I was not 100 per cent sure I was going to be able to do that" – Matt Fitzpatrick European Tour: British Masters – Matt Fitzpatrick

The youngest player in the field, at just 21, claimed his first victory and £500,000 after closing with a 68 at Woburn to win by two from Shane Lowry, Soren Kjeldsen and Fabrizio Zanotti.
The Sheffield youngster said he had phone his coach Mike Walker after his first three rounds, feeling that his game wasn’t quite there, but it was good enough to lift him to 59th in the world.
The key moments came when he holed from 20 feet at the 15th to lead for the first time and then from close range two holes later. He could then afford to drop one at the 18th. Kjeldsen will rue three-putting the 15th having found the green at the par 5 in two.

What he said: “Winning wire to wire is something most players dream of. Jordan Spieth did so when he won the Masters and for me to be in the same category as him is pretty special. I have spent a little time with him (they share apparel sponsors) and I would love to get a text from him.
“This year my goal was to keep my card and I was not 100 per cent sure I was going to be able to do that after the start I had, but I managed to start to play well and the past two months have really got going and made a lot of money.”

LPGA Tour: Sime Darby Malaysia – Jessica Korda

A season which has seen Korda miss out on the Solheim Cup and miss the cut in eight of her last 12 starts has turned with a four-shot win in Malaysia.

The American shot back-to-back 65s to beat a brilliant leaderboard which featured Lydia Ko, Stacy Lewis and Shanshan Feng all in second place. Korda was in tears as the last putt dropped before a group of players, including Ko and Lewis, sprayed water on her.

What she said: “I was weirdly calm.“I knew what I needed to do. I needed to take care of myself. If somebody was going to make a hot start, that’s just the way it was going to be. I was going to continue to play my own game.

“I think it was just a long time coming. I knew that I was getting really close and just needed to stay patient. That’s all my caddie was telling me. He was on me all week about staying patient, the putts will fall. So it’s just an incredible feeling.”

  
LET: Xiamen International Ladies Open – Hye In Yeom

The South Korean fired a four-under 68 to secure a five- shot win over Thailand’s Kusuma Meechai and last year’s winner Ssu-Chia Cheng of Chinese Taipei.
Three birdies from the 12th put her six shots clear and she was then able to coast in. This was the 23-year-old’s first win as a professional and she is now eligible to join the LET.
She is the seventh first time winner on the 2015 LET and the fourth in a row following Hannah Burke, Nicole Broch Larsen and Celine Herbin.

What she said: “I feel like I’m still dreaming because I didn’t expect to win. I didn’t see the scoreboard so I just focused on my own game shot by shot and I didn’t know I’d won until the last hole.”