Tiger Woods won the deciding match for a third straight time and the United States lifted the Presidents Cup for a fifth straight time as they beat the International team 18 to 15 in Dublin, Ohio, last night.
Woods once again had to battle through back pain but beat Richard Sterne 1 up for the deciding point.
“It was a team effort this whole week,” Woods said on the PGA Tour website.
“We really played well to give ourselves a nice lead.”
After a rain-interrupted week, the United States began the final round with a 14-8 lead and, although they allowed the International team to come back towards the end of the day, the advantage was too great.
At one point, it appeared the Americans would enjoy a rout. Hunter Mahan collected the first win of the round by by beating Hideki Matsuyama, and although Jason Dufner scored a convincing win over Brendon de Jonge, Zach Johnson’s win against Branden Grace moved the United States to 17 points and the verge of victory.
However, Nick Price’s international team began a spirited fightback, Graham DeLaet beat Jordan Spieth 1-up, while a long birdie putt on the 16th helped Ernie Els to victory over Steve Stricker.
Further victories from Adam Scott, Jason Day and Marc Leishman sparked concerns among the Americans, but they could rely on Woods, who finished the weekend 4-1.
l Fred Couples, who has captained the United States to their last three victories, is to hand over captaincy duties ahead of the 2015 edition in Korea.