Match Recaps: Sunday's Singles matches

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MELBOURNE, Australia -- Here's a look at each match in Sunday's 12 singles matches on the final day of The Presidents Cup. Each team won six matches as the United States retained the Cup.

MATCH 23: K.T. Kim, International def. Webb Simpson, U.S., 1 up

Match Flow: After halving the first three holes, Simpson bogeyed the fourth hole to fall 1-down. Simpson then bogeyed the fifth, adding to Kim's advantage. Kim increased the lead to 3-up at the seventh thanks to an approach shot that landed four feet from the pin. Simpson answered by winning his first hole of the day with a par at the eighth. The next five holes were halved before Simpson won the par-5 15th with a birdie and the 16th with a par to complete the comeback and square the match. But Kim responded with a birdie at the 17th to reclaim the lead and win the match by halving the 18th.
Tipping Point: Having frittered away his 3-up lead, Kim responded in impressive fashion at the 17th. After Simpson hit his approach shot to 62 feet, Kim followed with an approach to within 10 feet to set up the deciding birdie.
Notes: The 16th hole took roughly 30 minutes to play, as Kim's errant drive required a ruling which even involved International captain Greg Norman. The lengthy ruling left the next two groups cooling their heels on the tee box . . . Kim proved his worth in the lead-off spot after Norman surprisingly selected him there based on input from International player Ryo Ishikawa . . . Kim finished this week with a 2-2-0 record while Simpson finished with a 3-2-0 mark . . . Simpson lost his last two matches after winning his first three with Bubba Simpson.

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MATCH 24: Charl Schwartzel, International def. Dustin Johnson, U.S., 2 and 1

Match Flow: Schwartzel won the second hole with a birdie and the third with a par to jump out quickly. He gave one back with a bogey at the fourth, but Johnson conceded the seventh hole after finding trouble with his tee shot. Schwartzel also won the ninth after Johnson missed an 9-foot par putt. The South African moved to 4 up with a 6-foot birdie putt. The American answered by winning the 12th by rolling in a 14-foot birdie putt. Johnson also won the 15th hole with a birdie but missed a golden opportunity at the next hole when he halved the 16th with a bogey.
Tipping Point: Johnson nearly drove the green at the short par-4 11th and both players had six-foot birdie putts. Schwartzel made his; Johnson didn't.
Notes: Johnson hit seven of eight greens on the back nine but an uncooperative putter prevented him from taking advantage of his accuracy . . . Schwartzel was also accurate, hitting 13 of 17 greens in regulation . . . Schwartzel finished this week with a 3-1-1 record while Johnson finished with a 1-3-1 mark.
Quotes: "Obviously, playing against Dustin, an unbelievable player, is always going to be a tough match. I really dug deep. I really wanted to win." - Charl Schwartzel . . . "This competition, it's all about putting, and I would say I had a very average putting (week). I missed way too many putts." - Dustin Johnson

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MATCH 25: Ryo Ishikawa, International def. Bubba Watson, U.S., 3 and 2

Match Flow: Watson won the first hole with a 9-foot birdie putt but found a greenside bunker with his second shot at the par-5 fifth and settled for par while Ishikawa two-putted from 40 feet for birdie to square the match. Watson's birdie putt at the third actually ran off the green, as Ishikawa won that hole. The young Japanese star won the fifth with a par and the sixth with a birdie and was suddenly 3 up. He slipped at the eighth with a double but bounced back by winning the ninth with a par. Ishikawa chipped in at the 11th to halved the hole, a big moment. He then increased the lead by rolling in a 12-foot birdie putt at the 13th. Watson won the 15th with a birdie but was closed out when both players bogeyed the 16th.
Tipping Point: Coming to the ninth tee after a double bogey that lost the hole, Ishikawa didn't unravel. He his a solid drive, followed with an approach shot that left him 50 feet from the pin, then two putted while Watson missed a 9-footer to save par.
Notes: Watson was 4-over for the rest of the back nine after starting with a birdie . . . Ishikawa finished this week with a 2-2-0 record while Watson finished 3-2-0.
Quotes: "It was a little embarrassing chip-in but it was a big one." - Ishikawa on the chip at the 11th . . . "My body was moving pretty well this morning, though on the course it wasn't as smooth. But I was able to make putts at the important holes and my motivation was high." - Ishikawa.

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MATCH 26: Geoff Ogilvy, International def. Bill Haas, U.S., 2 up

Match Flow: Haas took the lead when Ogilvy bogeyed the fourth, but the Australian bounced back with a birdie on the next hole when his tee shot at the par-3 fifth landed within three feet. Haas lost the eighth when he found the greenside bunker but the match was all-square when Ogilvy bogeyed the 11th. As he had done on the front-side, though, Ogilvy bounced back with a birdie at the 12th and never trailed after that. He won the final hole when Haas bogeyed.
Tipping Point: Pretty easy to figure this one out -- Ogilvy's 59-foot birdie putt at the par-4 12th gave him the lead, and he would never give it up the rest of the way.
Notes: Haas didn't make his first birdie until the 17th hole, and he sandwiched that with a couple of bogeys . . . Ogilvy had three birdies on the day . . . Ogilvy finished the week with a 3-1-1 record while Haas was 1-3-1.
Quotes: "I played really nicely. It's fun to hit a few good shots and hole a few good putts, hit two great shots at the last." - Geoff Ogilvy ... "It's hard to play someone like Bill because you like him so much and he's one of the nicest guys in the world. Really, match play is a lot easier when you don't like the guy you're playing. So that was hard." - Ogilvy . . . "He's one of their best players but he was beatable today. I think he gave me an opening and I didn't take it, which is disappointing." - Bill Haas

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MATCH 27: Hunter Mahan, U.S. def. Jason Day, International, 5 and 3

Match Flow: Day opened with a bogey to lose the hole and things steadily went downhill from there. The Aussie bogeyed the fourth, double-bogeyed the sevneth and eighth and bogeyed the ninth to lose all those holes. Through eight, he was 5 down and Mahan had yet to post a birdie. Day tried to come back, winning the 11th with a birdie and the 13th when Mahan double-bogeyed. But the American responded with birdies at the 14th and 15th to close out the match.
Tipping Point: Finding himself 2 down through five holes, Day could ill afford to make any more mistakes. But his tee off on the sixth found native area and he was forced to take a drop, ultimately finishing with a double bogey.
Notes: Mahan didn't record a birdie until the last two holes to end the match . . . Day had a miserable front nine -- he was 9 over with five bogeys and two doubles to shoot 44 on the front side. . . . The match was the first one completed on Sunday . . . Mahan finished this week with a 4-1-0 record; Day was 1-3-1.
Quotes: "My mind was right for this week. I played well. I had good partners and got a little lucky today." -- Hunter Mahan . . . "I was not just playing Jason; I was playing the crowd too." - Mahan

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MATCH 28: Nick Watney, U.S. def. vs. K.J. Choi, International, 3 and 2

Match Flow: A Choi bogey at the fourth and a Watney birdie at the fifth put the American 2-up. Choi battled back, winning the seventh with a birdie and the 11th after Watney bogeyed to square the match. But with the momentum on his side, Choi let it slip away when he bogeyed the 12th after a poor drive into the native area forced him to chip out. Choi then ran out of steam down the stretch, as he bogeyed the par-5 15th while Watney made birdie, then followed with another bogey at the 16th to end the match.
Tipping Point: Watney dealt the key blow at the par-5 15th when his third shot from 50 yards landed four feet from the pin. That set up an easy birdie opportunity -- made easier when Choi missed a six-foot par putt.
Notes: Through the first 10 holes, the two players combined for four birdies and just one bogey ... choi bogeyed four of his last five holes . . . Watney finished the week with a 2-1-1 record while Choi was 3-2-0.
Quotes: "He's a great competitor. He's been playing just awesome all week. So I knew it was going to be a really tough match. I think I'm just very, very happy to contribute." - Nick Watney

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MATCH 29: Adam Scott, International def. Phil Mickelson, U.S., 2 and 1

Match Flow: Mickelson couldn't have started any worse, conceding the first three holes to Scott, who only had to use his putter once in that stretch. The Australian never gave up the lead after that. When he won the par-3 fifth hole, he was 4 up and cruising. Mickelson finally appeared to wake up late in the match, posting back-to-back birdies to win the 15th and 16th holes. That left him 2-down with two to play, but the match ended when both players parred the 17th.
Tipping Point: How about Mickelson's first tee shot? He sent it far right on the dogleg-left opening hole. His second shot came up short of the green, his third shot went over the green and against a television tower and his fourth shot still left him away. It didn't get much better after that.
Notes: Mickelson conceded the first three holes, then bogeyed the next two . . . Scott didn't officially post a birdie, although Mickelson had him pick up on a couple of opportunities . . . Scott finished the week with a 2-3-0 record while Mickelson was 3-1-0, losing his first match of the week after winning his first three with Jim Furyk. . . Scott's two wins involved defeats of Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
Quotes: "It's disappointing to ... not get the Cup this year, but to have this event here at home, it has been a fantastic week and one I'll remember for my whole career." - Adam Scott

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MATCH 30: Retief Goosen, International def. Matt Kuchar, U.S. 1 up

Match Flow: The two split the first two holes, with Kuchar winning the first on a birdie and Goosen answering with a eagle win at the second. Goosen took the lead with another birdie at the sixth, thanks to a great approach shot to six feet. Consecutive Kuchar bogeys left Goosen 3-up after 11 holes. But then Kuchar, who had found hot streaks at Royal Melbourne this week, got into another groove. He won three consecutive holes, two with birdies, to square the match. But at the 16th, Goosen won with par and that was the difference.
Tipping Point: At the par-4 16th, both players were in greenside bunkers. But Goosen splashed out to four feet while Kuchar's ball landed 11 feet from the pin. Kuchar missed his par-saving putt, Goosen made his.
Notes: Goosen and Kuchar each played the front nine without a bogey but combined for four bogeys (three by Kuchar) on the back . . . Goosen finished the week with a 3-2-0 mark, a nice bounceback from the 2009 Presidents Cup when he was 0-3-1. Kuchar was 1-3-1 for the week.

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MATCH 31: Jim Furyk, U.S. def. Ernie Els, International, 4 and 3

Match Flow: Furyk won the second hole with an eagle from 41 feet and never looked back. He bogeyed the fourth and sixth holes to 3 up and capped off a great front nine by claiming the ninth hole when Els bogeyed. The American stumbled after the turn, with a double bogey at the 10th and bogey at the 11th to lose both holes. But he settled down and put together consecutive birdies to win the 14th and 15th holes to secure his undefeated mark for the week.
Tipping Point: You've got to think that eagle at the second hole set the tone. From 244 yards on his second shot, Furyk's shot just missed the green but no problem for the week's best player.
Notes: Furyk's 5-0 mark this week is just the fourth time in Presidents Cup history that a player has gone undefeated in all five matches (Maruyama in 1998, O'Meara in 1996, Woods in 2009) . . . Furyk now has 20 victories in his Presidents Cup career, tied with Woods for the most all-time . . . Furyk finished the week 5-0-0 while Els was 1-4-0.
Quotes: "I didn't expect to play as well as I did, but it had to do a lot with my putting this week." - Jim Furyk

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MATCH 32: David Toms, U.S. def. Robert Allenby, International, 7 and 5

Match Flow: Toms was his ever-steady self as he picked up the day's most lopsided win. The 44-year-old American, the oldest player on the U.S. Team, won the first, fourth and fifth holes with pars before Allenby was able to make his lone inroad with his only birdie of the day at No. 6. Toms responded by winning the next three holes with two pars and a birdie of his own to go 5 up and eliminate just about any doubt. He birdied the 11th to lengthen his lead and then closed Allenby out with a par at the 13th hole.
Tipping Point: Toms answered Allenby's lone challenge by winning five of his next seven holes, including the first three straight.
Notes: Toms would have been hard for anyone to beat. He didn't miss a fairway and hit 11 of 13 greens in regulation. ... Allenby, on the other hand, only hit five fairways and 6 of 13 greens. ... Toms finished with a 3-1 record while Allenby didn't win any of his four matches.

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MATCH 33: Tiger Woods, U.S. def. Aaron Baddeley, International, 4 and 3

Match Flow: It doesn't get any better for the fans Down Under -- an Aussie playing the former world No. 1. Well, that is, unless Baddeley could have come away with the win but Woods was just too tough. The American set the tone for the day when won the fifth and sixth holes with birdies to go 2 up. Another birdie at the 10th padded the advantage, followed by wins at Nos. 12 and 13 with pars. Not until Woods had built that 5-up advantagte did Baddeley get untracked. He won his first hole with a par at No. 14 but by then the damage had been done. Woods blasted out of a greenside bunker to 21 inches for a conceded birdie at the par-5 15th and The Presidents Cup remained in the hands of the United States when Baddeley was unable to hole a chip for eagle.
Tipping Point: The difference in this match wasn't a single hole or even a certain stretch. It was Woods' putter that finally decided to cooperate as he made six birdies and dropped just one shot to par.
Notes: It was a far cry from Woods' perfect 5-0 record at Harding Park but he contributed two points to the cause after being named one of Fred Couples' Captain's Picks. ... Baddeley was even par through 15 holes as he hit eight of 15 greens in regulation and 8 of 12 pars. Baddeley finished with a 1-2-1 record while Woods was 2-3-0. . . Woods becomes the first Captain's Pick to clinch the Presidents Cup . . . Woods' singles record in The Presidents Cup is 5-2.
Quotes: "We didn't have a good start as a team, and just thought it was going to come down to DT and myself and Stricks. We needed to make sure we put some red up there early and give the boys up in front of us some kind of comfort that we have got their back right behind them. For some reason it just came down to my match." -- Tiger Woods

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MATCH 34: Steve Stricker, U.S. def. Y.E. Yang, International, 2 and 1

Match Flow: Perhaps bouyed by Saturday's win with K.T. Kim over Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson, Yang came ready to play. He made a 5-footer for birdie at the first hole to seize the early lead but Stricker got it back at the par-3 third with a 4-footer for birdie. The American then won the next three holes with a bogey and two pars to grab a 3-up advantage. The two men traded wins over the next four holes, so Stricker went to the 11th hole again 3 up. Even though the President Cup was shifting in the U.S. favor as the two reached the back nine, Yang didn't give up. The 2009 PGA champ parred No. 12 and made a 30-footer at the 14th to get back to 1 down. But Stricker won the 16th hole when Yang tangled with the tall grass above a greenside bunker and when the two halved the 17th with pars the win belonged to Stricker.
Tipping Point: Stricker broke away from Yang when he won four straight starting at the third hole. Turns out, that cushion was important as Yang doggedly whittled away at the American's advantage.
Notes: Stricker played 17 holes in 1 over while Yang was 4 over and still remained in the match. ... Stricker finishes with a 2-2-0 record and earned two points for the U.S. Team. ... Yang was 1-2-0 and contributed one big point with the win in Four-Balls over Woods.
Quotes: "As soon as Tiger won in front of me, I knew it was over. Yeah, it was pretty anticlimactic, but you still want to win your match. You still want to win. Y.E. started to play well at the end, but it was a good victory for all of us. A lot of guys played well this week." -- Steve Stricker

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