Teammates give Tiger Woods credit as Presidents Cup captain

MELBOURNE, Australia – Tiger Woods' final putt Sunday was still rolling toward the hole when he started to remove his cap for a postmatch handshake with Mexico's Abraham Ancer.

It had already been a long week for Woods, but there was no time to waste. He had a team to support.

Woods' 19-foot birdie at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, which secured his 3 and 2 singles victory, improved his Presidents Cup record for the week to 3-0 and vaulted him into first place on the event's win list with a record of 27-15-1.

It was Woods' ninth Presidents Cup as a player and first as a captain. He might have managed an even better game than he played in the United States' 16-14, come-from-behind victory.

"It was really cool being part of this team and having Tiger as captain in that you get Tiger to speak up a little more," said Matt Kuchar, who clinched the victory for the Americans on Sunday (about midnight Saturday Twin Cities time). "We had a room full of some of the greatest golfers in the world, and when he speaks, we all listen."

Kuchar played the penultimate singles match. Woods sent himself out first because he wanted to finish early and spent the rest of day spurring the rest of the team. But as he acknowledged afterward, he also jumped at the chance to pair himself against Ancer because Ancer said in an interview last month that he'd love to go up against Woods in singles.

Be careful what you wish for. Woods produced six birdies in the 16 holes.

Saturday, Reed's caddie got into a physical altercation with one of the scores of hecklers who had hounded Reed, calling him a cheater because in his previous start, in the Bahamas, he was assessed a two-stroke penalty for clearing sand behind his ball during practice strokes.

Woods had been asked Saturday if he thought the fans' behavior was disrespectful, and his answer seemed directed at the officials. "Have people said things that have been over the top?" Woods said. "Yes. I've heard it."

Message delivered. At least four armed police officers walked Reed's singles match. They waded into the stands or stopped alongside the gallery ropes to issue warnings to spectators who spoke out of turn.

Reed beat Pan with eight birdies in 16 holes and said he benefited from having Woods in his corner, and in his ear.