It’s Augenstein, Ogletree in US Amateur final

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MELBOURNE, Australia – At the end of it, Marc Leishman said he was ready to run through a wall. He reckoned it might be as good as he’d ever felt on a golf course. International Team Captain Ernie Els arrived at the green soon after it ended, and after embracing the big Australian, started yelling, “Where’s Abe? Where is he! Get him here!â€� He was referring to Abraham Ancer, and the diminutive Mexican popped out amongst the huge throng of International Team players, caddies, staff, better halves and media where Els engulfed him in a bear hug that resembled more of a headlock thanks to the height difference. RELATED: Sunday Singles will bring drama | Day 3 match recaps | Day 4 match previews | Guide to Sunday singles Els was grinning from ear to ear after the duo had turned around an American tidal wave – fighting back from 5 down through 10 holes to secure a vital tie against Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler in the afternoon Foursomes session. After starting the session with a commanding four-point lead, it appeared the Internationals would give it all away until the heroics ensured they would start Sunday singles with some form of edge. In the end it would be two points (10-8) after Byeong Hun An and Joaquin Niemann also came back for a late tie. But it was the Leishman/Ancer miracle that had the crowd, and the Internationals, juiced. For a few reasons. First, the aforementioned critical lead heading to Sunday. The International Team hasn’t led at this point since 2003. Second – it dealt a blow to Thomas, the U.S. spearhead, who was 3-0 leading into the session and had earned the ire of a few of his combatants thanks to his impressive performances and out and out killer instinct. Thomas had drained an incredible putt on the 18th green Friday to flip a match into a win and celebrated in dramatic fashion with his captain and partner Tiger Woods. It added a target on his back the Internationals wanted to take down, knowing he had been the star player. Come Saturday morning Thomas, now paired with Fowler in Four-Ball, added some fuel to the fire by calling out Haotong Li for playing out of turn. Li had blocked his tee shot on the par-5 second hole into dense trees and didn’t realize he’d have to wait to just punch out. But as match play rules allow, should you play out of turn your opponent has the option to make you replay the shot. Fowler had seemingly indicated it was no big deal, but Thomas insisted on the replay – as is his absolute right. When Li returned the ball back to its original spot he was unable to replicate his earlier punch out, in fact taking three shots to escape. It was a shrewd move on the Americans part that paid off as they won the hole when Leishman couldn’t match their birdie. Later in the match, the Americans refused to concede Li an 1-foot, 9-inch putt on the 10th green, which he promptly made. However, a hole later when Thomas was required to make a 3-foot, 3-inch putt, he gestured to his opponents by laying his putter down on the ground, suggesting it should have been conceded. After the U.S. side closed out a 3-and-2 win to see Thomas remain undefeated, the want to win against him grew even further. So when Leishman was given Ancer as a partner for the afternoon Foursomes, who was also 3-0 at the time, and they drew the Thomas/Fowler combo, expectations were high. Until the match got underway. After the first seven holes, the U.S. side was 5 up and had a chance to be even further ahead. They’d maintained that lead through 10 holes before Leishman pulled one back by converting from 5 feet on the 11th. Ancer did the same from just inside 10 feet on the 12th. Now they were down three holes down with six to play. “I spoke to Ernie going down 12, and he was just saying, get as far as you can. Take it as for as you can,â€� Leishman said. “I’m like, ‘Hang on. Let’s not talk about losing this yet. We’re going to fight this out.’â€� And fight they did. But by the time they reached the 15th green they were still three down. Ancer had 20 feet just to take it another hole. He drilled it home. “I just believed. We kept believing. We told ourselves that we were going to keep going at it and we were going to fight until the end. We were not just going to give up,â€� Ancer said. On the 16th green once again it appeared over when Leishman was staring at a 17-foot par putt and Fowler had just over 6 feet. The crowd erupted when Leishman made his putt and did again when Fowler missed. Two down, two to play. “The crowd were part of it. Me and Abe were talking when we were 5 down, “Let’s keep fighting and see what happens.” That’s a good thing; neither of us say die,â€� Leishman said. “It would have been easy to I guess lay down today and take it easy, but we’re not like that. We’re fighters.â€� The Americans could feel it slipping away but couldn’t halt the wave. “They made some great putts, and we unfortunately weren’t able to convert a couple of the chances that we had,â€� Fowler would later say. On the 17th, Thomas had a par putt from 9 feet to win the match. Once again it failed to drop and now the freefall was in full affect as the enormous crowd swarmed. One down, one to play. “It was pretty amazing. Walking to that 18th tee there felt like the Tour de France, everyone screaming, it was awesome,â€� Leishman said. “We did it for the crowd. Walking to that 18th tee, that’s something I’ll remember forever, just people basically screaming and high-fiving and we were still 1-down. I felt like we were about 4-up.â€� Ancer stepped up on the 18th and smashed his driver into the fairway. Thomas pulled his into the trees and the scene erupted again. Fowler could do nothing but pitch out and Leishman smelled blood in the water. From 152 yards out, he stiffed his approach to 6 feet and delirium ensued up around the green. “To do it under pressure and in front of the Aussie crowd was unbelievable,â€� Ancer would say of his partner. When Thomas put their third on the back of the green some 54 feet away and Fowler couldn’t hole the par putt, the hats came off and the epic comeback was complete. The pair was mobbed by their team. “It felt like a lot more than a half-point,â€� Leishman said. “That’s probably as good as I’ve felt on a golf course, and I only halved the match. It’s going to be a big momentum gainer for the Internationals.â€� Thomas stood stunned after it was over, standing there trying to figure out what buzz saw they ran into. “Speechless. It’s unacceptable for us to get a half a point,â€� he said. “They made a couple long putts there on 15 and 16 to keep it going. We had our chances, and I mean, flat honest, just didn’t execute. I’m just disappointed in myself for burning that for us on 18. We’ve got to put it behind us and go get a point tomorrow.â€� Leishman also made sure to bring his focus back to the long term goal – winning the Presidents Cup for the first time since 1998. “We’ve all won up here; we’ve won tournaments, but we don’t get chances to play with a teammate very often,â€� he added. “To be successful with a teammate would be pretty cool. We had a taste of that today, but I think if we can play well and do our jobs tomorrow, what we felt today is going to probably be pushed aside for what we may feel tomorrow.â€� Adam Scott, the veteran leader on the course for the team, confirmed the result was huge for the Internationals as they sleep on their first lead heading to Sunday in 16 years. “It was a big last hour for us today. Certainly feel like it showed our intentions as a team. There’s a lot of heart sitting here next to me,â€� Scott said. “That was huge for us, and also Ben and Joaquin Niemann digging deep and finding a halve. It goes a long, long way, the half-points. The score line is really good for us, considering what it was looking like with a couple hours to go. “We’re in the middle of a fight and we’re all going to be up for it.â€� Clearly.

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Tiger vs. Phil. Bubba vs. Rose. Scott vs. Spieth. JT vs. Hovland. Kisner vs. Woodland. These were among the juicy Round 1 matches in our Mythical World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, the just-for-fun exercise we’re conducting this week in lieu of the real tournament, which was among the canceled events by the PGA TOUR in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The TOUR conducted a draw to produce a bracket, and now our 10 experts are voting for the winner of each match. We’ll release each day’s results as if the tournament is actually being played at Austin Country Club in Texas. The 16 Group Stage winners will be determined on Friday, then we’ll vote for single-elimination matches this weekend to crown the Mythical champion on Sunday. The voting rules are simple: Each expert was asked to pick a match winner, and the golfer with the majority of votes is the match winner. In the case of an equal split of votes, the match is considered tied. Our 10 expert voters include: GolfBet’s Jason Sobel from The Action Network; GolfTV’s Jamie Kennedy; Tom Alter and Jim McCabe from PGA TOUR Communications; Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton; PGATOUR.COM writers Ben Everill, Sean Martin, Mike McAllister and Cameron Morfit; and a combined vote from the TOUR’s ShotLink team. Here are the experts’ picks for the 32 Round 1 matches that would’ve been played Wednesday in Austin. Feel free to provide your own picks and commentary – and let us know if you agree or disagree with ours — in the comments section below. GROUP 1 Rory McIlroy (1) vs. Sung Kang (52): 10 votes for McIlroy, 0 votes for Kang. McILROY wins. Why I picked McIlroy: “Possibly the biggest David vs Goliath match-up of the group stage. Kang has shown form this year, but Rory’s on a different level.â€� – Jamie Kennedy Gary Woodland (18) vs. Kevin Kisner (36): 9 votes for Kisner, 1 vote for Woodland. KISNER wins. Why I picked Kisner: “A win last year, a runner-up in 2018, and 13-2-1 in his last 16 matches at Austin CC.â€� – Mike McAllister Group standings: McIlroy 1-0, Kisner 1-0, Woodland 0-1, Kang 0-1 GROUP 2 Jon Rahm (2) vs. Tom Lewis (59): 10 votes for Rahm, 0 votes for Lewis. RAHM wins. Why I picked Rahm: “From U.S. Open last year, his worldwide results include three wins and six other top 5s. That’s enough for me.â€� – Ben Everill Bernd Wiesberger (26) vs. Chez Reavie (37): 8 votes for Wiesberger, 2 votes for Reavie. WIESBERGER wins. Why I picked Wiesberger: “Unheralded talent deserves greater respect.â€� – Jim McCabe Group standings: Rahm 1-0, Wiesberger 1-0, Reavie 0-1, Lewis 0-1 GROUP 3 Brooks Koepka (3) vs. Shaun Norris (60): 9 votes for Koepka, 1 vote for Norris. KOEPKA wins. Why I picked Koepka: “I wish it was Chuck Norris. Dr. Anthony Fauci turns to him for advice.” – Rob Bolton Abraham Ancer (29) vs. Collin Morikawa (44): 7 votes for Morikawa, 3 votes for Ancer. MORIKAWA wins. Why I picked Morikawa: “Morikawa’s steady play, and strong ball-striking, will make him a tough beat. He just doesn’t make mistakes.â€� – Sean Martin Group standings: Koepka 1-0, Morikawa 1-0, Ancer 0-1, Norris 0-1 GROUP 4 Justin Thomas (4) vs. Viktor Hovland (57): 6 votes for Thomas, 4 votes for Hovland. THOMAS wins. Why we picked Thomas: “Thomas ranks fifth in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green compared to Hovland’s 130th on TOUR and both are about equal when it comes to performance on the greens.â€� – ShotLink team Paul Casey (24) vs. Erik van Rooyen (42): 8 votes for Casey, 2 votes for van Rooyen. CASEY wins. Why I picked Casey: “Match play aficionado gets at it again.â€� – Jim McCabe Group standings: Thomas 1-0, Casey 1-0, van Rooyen 0-1, Hovland 0-1 GROUP 5 Dustin Johnson (5) vs. Keegan Bradley (62): 9 votes for Johnson, 1 vote for Bradley. JOHNSON wins. Why I picked Johnson: “Johnson, who became the first to sweep the four World Golf Championships when he cruised to the title here in 2017, simply has too many good vibes in Austin.â€� – Cameron Morfit Hideki Matsuyama (22) vs. Cameron Smith (35): 6 votes for Matsuyama, 4 votes for Smith. MATSUYAMA wins. Why I picked Matsuyama: “Matsuyama hasn’t won in three years, but his game is trending upward. I’ll take the superior ball-striker in this match.â€� – Sean Martin Group standings: Johnson 1-0, Matsuyama 1-0, Smith 0-1, Bradley 0-1 GROUP 6 Adam Scott (6) vs. Jordan Spieth (56): 9 votes for Scott, 1 vote for Spieth. SCOTT wins. Why I picked Scott: “Scott is enjoying a career resurgence as he approaches 40 and can still make enough putts (most of the time) to allow his superior ball-striking to see him through.â€� – Cameron Morfit Lee Westwood (31) vs. Shugo Imahira (41): 9 votes for Westwood, 1 vote for Imahira. WESTWOOD wins. Why I picked Westwood: “Although this event hasn’t exactly been kind to him, he’s flashed enough form lately to get past Imahira.â€� – Mike McAllister “We’ve seen a mini-revival from Westy over the last few months that would have peaked around Augusta.” — Ben Everill Group standings: Scott 1-0, Westwood 1-0, Imahira 0-1, Spieth 0-1 GROUP 7 Patrick Reed (7) vs. Andrew Putnam (63): 10 votes for Reed, 0 votes for Putnam. REED wins. Why I picked Reed: “Put him in a one-on-one and he’s always tough to beat.â€� – Ben Everill Matthew Fitzpatrick (25) vs. Rafa Cabrera Bello (46): 6 votes for Cabrera Bello, 4 votes for Fitzpatrick. CABRERA BELLO wins. Why I picked Cabrera Bello: “The Spaniard has good feel for Austin CC.â€� – Jim McCabe Group standings: Reed 1-0, Cabrera Bello 1-0, Fitzpatrick 0-1, Putnam 0-1 GROUP 8 Patrick Cantlay (8) vs. Adam Hadwin (55): 10 votes for Cantlay, 0 votes for Hadwin. CANTLAY wins. Why I picked Cantlay: “If the Canuck had been showcasing benefits yielded by the Nappy Factor, this would set up as an upset.” – Rob Bolton Tyrrell Hatton (21) vs. Sergio Garcia (38): 8 votes for Hatton, 2 votes for Garcia. HATTON wins. Why I picked Hatton: “The mercurial Hatton’s self-confidence has never been higher after notching his first PGA TOUR victory at Bay Hill.â€� – Cameron Morfit Group standings: Cantlay 1-0, Hatton 1-0, Garcia 0-1, Hadwin 0-1 GROUP 9 Webb Simpson (9) vs. Lucas Herbert (64): 10 votes for Simpson, 0 votes for Herbert. SIMPSON wins. Why I picked Simpson: “Simpson has been one of the best players on TOUR this season, so there’s no reason to think an upset will happen here.â€� – Sean Martin Rickie Fowler (27) vs. Scottie Scheffler (45): 7 votes for Scheffler, 3 votes for Fowler. SCHEFFLER wins. Why I picked Scheffler: “Scheffler has been playing really well this season, and Fowler may not be the fan favorite against Texas Longhorn.â€� – Tom Alter Group standings: Simpson 1-0, Scheffler 1-0, Fowler 0-1, Herbert 0-1 GROUP 10 Tommy Fleetwood (10) vs. Byeong Hun An (50): 6 votes for Fleetwood, 4 votes for An. FLEETWOOD wins. Why I picked Fleetwood: “An is an underrated player who can ball-strike with the best of them. Sadly for him, Tommy ball-strikes better than almost all of them. Fleetwood is a man for an occasion and should easily handle the South Korean.â€� – Jamie Kennedy Francesco Molinari (28) vs. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (47): 8 votes for Bezuidenhout, 2 votes for Molinari. BEZUIDENHOUT wins. Why I picked Bezuidenhout: “Yes, Molinari was a semifinalist last year so this is definitely an upset pick. But it’s been nearly a year since his last top-10 finish, and he’s missed the cut in three of his last four starts. The South African is in better form right now.â€� – Mike McAllister Group standings: Fleetwood 1-0, Bezuidenhout 1-0, Molinari 0-1, An 0-1 GROUP 11 Tiger Woods (11) vs. Phil Mickelson (61): 9 votes for Woods, 1 vote for Mickelson. WOODS wins. Why I picked Woods: “If he’s healthy, Tiger seems more like Tiger while Phil seems more like a shell of himself lately. (And Tiger is a master at match play.)â€� – Tom Alter Kevin Na (30) vs. Victor Perez (40): 8 votes for Na, 2 votes for Perez. NA wins. Why I picked Na: “He’s more experienced and it assumes that he doesn’t withdraw early.” – Rob Bolton Group standings: Woods 1-0, Na 1-0, Perez 0-1, Mickelson 0-1 GROUP 12 Xander Schauffele (12) vs. Jason Day (51): 7 votes for Schauffele, 3 votes for Day. SCHAUFFELE wins. Why I picked Schauffele: “Day showed some promising signs on the West Coast, but he withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and struggled in the only round at THE PLAYERS Championship, so if there were a tournament this week, you’d have to wonder about his health.â€� – Sean Martin Shane Lowry (20) vs. Danny Willett (33): 6 votes for Lowry, 4 votes for Willett. LOWRY wins. Why I picked Lowry: “Had gone eight straight matches at Austin CC without a win until Friday last year. I’m calling that win momentum.â€� – Ben Everill Group standings: Schauffele 1-0, Lowry 1-0, Willett 0-1, Day 0-1 GROUP 13 Bryson DeChambeau (13) vs. Ian Poulter (58): 6 votes for DeChambeau, 4 votes for Poulter. DeCHAMBEAU wins. Why I picked DeChambeau: “A match-play assassin, Poulter was fired up for this potential Ryder Cup preview, but DeChambeau has been trending in the right direction, his 40-yard average margin over Poulter off the tee proving to be a huge boost throughout the day.â€� – Jason Sobel Henrik Stenson (32) vs. Jazz Janewattananond (39): 8 votes for Stenson, 2 votes for Janewattananond. STENSON wins. Why I picked Stenson: “Ol’ Henrik has dirt in his wedges older than Jazz.â€� – Jim McCabe Group standings: DeChambeau 1-0, Stenson 1-0, Janewattananond 0-1, Poulter 0-1 GROUP 14 Justin Rose (14) vs. Bubba Watson (53): 6 votes for Watson, 4 votes for Rose. WATSON wins. Why I picked Watson: “A strange year for Rose — three MCs in four PGA TOUR starts since the calendar turned over — continues in this one, as Bubba’s aggressive nature and affinity for this course (he won here two years ago) proves too much to overcome.â€� – Jason Sobel Sungjae Im (23) vs. Matt Wallace (43): 10 votes for Im, 0 votes for Wallace. IM wins. Why I picked Im: “He’s lost to only two golfers in his last two starts; now he needs to beat only one per match.” – Rob Bolton Group standings: Im 1-0, Watson 1-0, Rose 0-1, Wallace 0-1 GROUP 15 Marc Leishman (15) vs. Graeme McDowell (49): 7 votes for Leishman, 3 votes for McDowell. LEISHMAN wins. Why I picked Leishman: “After struggling in the first three years in Austin, he found something last year and went undefeated in group play. Oh, and he’s got a win and a runner-up among his last four starts.â€� – Mike McAllister Matt Kuchar (17) vs. Billy Horschel (34): 7 votes for Kuchar, 3 votes for Horschel. KUCHAR wins. Why we picked Kuchar: “Kuchar is a past champion and has seven top-10s in his last nine starts at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.â€� – ShotLink team Group standings: Leishman 1-0, Kuchar 1-0, Horschel 0-1, McDowell 0-1 GROUP 16 Tony Finau (16) vs. Brendon Todd (54): 9 votes for Finau, 1 vote for Todd. FINAU wins. Why I picked Finau: “With the exception of Kevin Kisner last year, the course favors longer hitters, and Finau has proven match-tough (Presidents Cup, Ryder Cup) on any type of layout.â€� – Cameron Morfit Louis Oosthuizen (19) vs. Brandt Snedeker (48): 5 votes for Oosthuizen, 5 votes for Snedeker. TIE. Why I picked Oosthuizen: “Has a 13-6 match play record since the tournament moved to Austin, including his run to the final in 2016. I think he likes the course.â€� – Mike McAllister Group standings: Finau 1-0, Oosthuizen 0-0-1, Snedeker 0-0-1, Todd 0-1

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