Winner’s Bag: Daniel Berger, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

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ATLANTA – The fans were understandably beside themselves, but they were not the best measure of Tiger Woods’ red-hot start, 6-under for the first seven holes as he shot a third-round 65 to take a three-shot lead at the TOUR Championship at East Lake. No, his fellow players were the best measure. They couldn’t help but look away from their own games to see what all the commotion was about. “Unbelievable,â€� said Tony Finau (67, T6). “It really is. I was looking at the board and it said 6 under through seven; that’s incredible. I played a practice round with him Tuesday and, you know, his ball-striking ability is incredible and you know when he’s making some putts he’s going to make some noise.â€� Woods distanced himself from playing partner Justin Rose (68) and even Rory McIlroy, who was one of three players to shoot 66 and is tied with Rose at 9 under, three back. Kyle Stanley (67) and Jon Rahm (68) were tied for fourth at 6 under, six behind. “The crowds were electric because of it,â€� Rose said of Woods’ hot start. “He was running the tables there. He was hitting good shots and making the conversion putts.â€�  Somehow, Rose regrouped, refusing to let the pandemonium throw him off his game. Still, many others were left shaking their heads at Woods’ front-nine 30, which included a bogey at the brutally hard, 230-yard, par-3 9th hole. “He was 6 under through seven on, I think, the tougher (nine),â€� said Paul Casey (66, T6). “I tend not to pay much attention to what’s going on most of the time, but I’ll be honest, it’s been a while since we’ve seen that sort of display from Tiger, so it’s kind of cool to pay attention to it.â€� With each sonic boomlet that went up over East Lake, Casey and his caddie, John McLaren, looked at each other and smiled, trying to deduce just how low Woods was going. “We heard the roar when he was obviously on one,â€� Casey continued. “We’re like, ‘Oh, what’s he done there?’ Then another roar, and then he was 10 under and I was like, ‘Hang on, I’ve missed one somewhere.’ It was cool. I mean we all want to win, but when you’re bumbling around at 3- or 4-under-par and he’s now 10, now you’re a spectator, almost.â€� Woods had a much less exciting back nine, making one birdie and one bogey. Afterward, even he was left shaking his head at his turbo-charged front nine. “Yeah, I got off to a nice start there,â€� Woods said. “I made some nice putts. Good Lord. I left myself in good spots, too, so I was able to take a run at some of the putts. Other than No. 3, every putt was uphill, so it was nice. I felt like I could free-wheel it, and they went in.â€� Woods hit 10 of 14 fairways, a key stat at East Lake, and for the third straight day made over 100 feet of putts. He leads the field in Strokes Gained: Putting (+5.104). OBSERVATIONS MCILROY EYES BIG FINAL-ROUND PAIRING: The final twosome on the final day of the TOUR Championship at East Lake will offer a study in contrasts, although each man wears the same brand of clothing and each has won the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup. Tiger Woods is making everything, and is first in Strokes Gained: Putting (+5.104). Rory McIlroy is making nothing, and is 23rd in SG: Putting (-1.711). “I gave myself plenty of chances,â€� McIlroy said, “and I think the biggest thing today was only just that one bogey, and it was a silly bogey from the middle of the (seventh) fairway, as well. “Five birdies out there, one bogey, it’s playing tough,â€� he added. “Got to put your ball in the fairway, put yourself in position, and for the most part, I did that today.â€� McIlroy, who hit 8/14 fairways, hasn’t won since the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard early this season. Woods hasn’t won since the 2013 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, but he is 42 for 44 (95 percent) at closing out a victory when he has the outright 54-hole lead. “Look, he’s a notoriously great front-runner,â€� McIlroy said, “but if I go out and I play similar tomorrow like I did today, I’ll have no complaints.â€� NOTABLES JON RAHM – Missed a 10-footer for birdie on 18, but still has an outside chance after signing for his third straight 68 to get to 6 under, T4 with Kyle Stanley (67) six shots back. BROOKS KOEPKA – Chased a surprising second-round 78 with a 67. PHIL MICKELSON – Shot 76 and is in last, continuing to prove this isn’t the place to miss fairways. He’s at 42.86 percent driving accuracy for the week, and -1.959 Strokes Gained: Putting. DUSTIN JOHNSON – Three-time winner this season was as good as he’s been all week while posting 67 to get to 4-under total and T8. Birdied four of his last six holes. PATRICK REED – Masters champion’s struggles here continued with a 72 (+8 total). BRYSON DECHAMBEAU – FedExCup No. 1 and two-time Playoffs winner found some game as he hit 8/14 fairways, his best of the week, and holed out from the fairway for eagle at the 17th hole while shooting a 4-under 66. He’s still 2-over for the week, though. QUOTABLES He was running the tables.He’s a notoriously great front-runner.I’ve heard the roars all day … what an atmosphere. SUPERLATIVES Low round: 5-under 65 by Tiger Woods, his second of the week. Longest drive: 368 yards (Jason Day/No. 3) Longest putt: 77’ 1â€� (Keegan Bradley/No. 13 for birdie) Toughest hole: The 230-yard par-3 9th (3.300). Easiest hole: The 533-yard par-5 6th (4.167) had four eagles, 17 birdies and no bogeys. CALL OF THE DAY For play-by-play coverage of the final round of the TOUR Championship, listen at PGATOUR.COM. SHOT OF THE DAY

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The U.S. Team has won the 14th Presidents Cup, defeating the International Team by a 17.5-12.5 margin at Quail Hollow Club. PRESIDENTS CUP: Scoring The U.S. improves to 12-1-1 all-time in the biennial competition, remaining undefeated on American soil at 8-0-0. The U.S. Team entered Sunday Singles with an 11-7 advantage over the International Team, and the United States weathered an early opposing surge with consistent play across the lineup. Here’s a match-by-match breakdown of Sunday’s 12 Singles matches at Quail Hollow Club. SUNDAY SINGLES MATCH 19 Si Woo Kim (Intl.) def. Justin Thomas (U.S.), 1-up This first match got tense on the back nine, with the normally stoic Kim showing some fire as he won the 14th (par) and 16th (birdie) holes and “shushed” the partisan crowd with a nice par putt at 15. Thomas, who led most of the match, hit his approach close for birdie at 17 to tie; both players had good birdie looks at 18. Kim putted first and made from 10 feet. Thomas, just inside, missed his putt left. Thomas had a strong week (4-1-0) but fell to 0-3 in Presidents Cup Singles. QUOTES: “I’ve never (felt) like pressure, even when I won THE PLAYERS Championship. It was a really hard match. … My goal was playing 18 holes. I kept the pressure on him.” – Si Woo Kim Score at match’s conclusion: U.S. Team 12, International Team 8 Player records this week: Thomas (4-1-0), Si Woo Kim (3-1-0) MATCH 20 Jordan Spieth (U.S.) def. Cameron Davis (Intl.), 4 and 3 Spieth, the most seasoned U.S. player, came into Sunday having never won in Presidents Cup/Ryder Cup Singles play, holding a record of 0-6-1. He lost his first two holes, but he got going with the putter, birdied Nos. 4 and 5 and was tied after nine. Spieth would run away by winning six of the last seven holes. Not only did he get his Singles victory, but Spieth became only the sixth player in Presidents Cup history to finish 5-0-0. QUOTES: “I had a great back nine … I rattled off three straight birdies (starting at 11) and then just kept trying to hit greens. It feels really good. I was more nervous than I probably should have been today, just because I wanted to get that monkey off my back.” – Jordan Spieth Score at match’s conclusion: U.S. Team 12, International Team 7 Player records this week: Spieth (5-0-0), Davis (2-3-0). MATCH 21 Sam Burns (U.S.) tied Hideki Matsuyama (Intl.) Another close match near the top of the lineup, with Burns, a rookie on the U.S. Team, and Matsuyama, an International Team veteran, heading to the 18th hole tied. Matsuyama hit a drive down the left side that struck a marshal and caromed left into the rough, a terrible break. From 182 yards, he hit his approach just over the green. Burns piped a drive, and hit his approach to 24 feet. Matsuyama’s long curling chip hit the flagstick and stayed out. Burns, playing the 18th hole for the fourth time, watched his birdie putt to win drift off right. Burns played much better on the week than his record would show. QUOTES: “He just blew the lid off this place.” NBC’s Paul Azinger after Burns made birdie from 48 feet at the 10th hole Score at match’s conclusion: U.S. Team 13.5, International Team 8.5 Player records this week: Burns (0-3-2), Matsuyama (1-3-1) MATCH 22 Patrick Cantlay (U.S.) def. Adam Scott (Intl.), 3 and 2 Cantlay came out a determined man after he and partner Xander Schauffele lost their afternoon Four-ball match on Saturday. He birdied the second, third and won the fourth with a par when Scott putted off the green. There was some beautiful golf in this match at times. Scott, the oldest man of the match at 42, stiffed his approach at the ninth with Cantlay’s ball sitting just 2 feet from the hole. Cantlay simply left Scott with few openings in a tactical victory. Score at match’s conclusion: U.S. Team 13, International Team 8 Player records this week: Cantlay (3-1-0), Scott (2-3-0) MATCH 23 Sebastian Munoz (Intl.) def. Scottie Scheffler (U.S.) 2 and 1 Scheffler, the world No. 1, came in fired up after going winless (0-2-1) in three team matches, but he faced a formidable foe. Munoz, from Colombia, was 2-down through seven, but kept punching. He won holes 8-10, then holed a bunker shot for eagle at the short 11th. Scheffler would answer, holing a curling downhill putt from 62 feet to keep from going 2-down. Munoz had a 1-up lead when the players traded birdies at 15 and 16. A poor tee shot by Scheffler at 17 cost him, his bogey clinching the match for Munoz. QUOTES: “It was tough. I really had to focus. It’s probably one of the best things I’ve ever achieved in my life, playing this week, holding him off two times this week. I threw everything at him, and luckily we got the win.” – Sebastian Munoz Score at match’s conclusion: U.S. Team 13.5, International Team 9.5 Player records this week: Scheffler 0-3-1, Munoz 2-0-1 MATCH 24 Tony Finau (U.S.) def. Taylor Pendrith (Intl.), 3 and 1 Finau clinched at least a half-point for the U.S. side when he birdied the 16th hole against the long-hitting Canadian rookie, then secured a full point at the par-4 17th when he made his seventh birdie of the round. Pendrith, winless on the week, led from the sixth hole through the 11th, but did not win a hole after 11. Finau won five of the final nine holes of the match. QUOTE: “I fought as hard as I think I’ve ever fought in a match. We know what’s on the line here this week, and it just adds that little intensity. I needed every bit of it. I played really nicely. I had to if I was going to beat Taylor today.” – Tony Finau Score at match’s conclusion: U.S. Team 14.5, International Team 9.5 Player records this week: Finau (3-1-0), Pendrith (0-4-0). MATCH 25 Xander Schauffele (U.S.) def. Corey Conners (Intl.), 1-up The man who won gold at the 2020 Olympics now owns a clinching point at the Presidents Cup, too. Schauffele was struggling mightily on the back nine, tugging his tee shot into the water at the par-3 14th and then driving his ball into the left-side creek at 15, but he showed lots of fight. He hit an incredible third shot from 218 yards after his drop and saved his 4 at 15 to regain a 1-up lead. Schauffele was 1-up with two to play and cold-shanked his approach at the par-4 17th with Conners sitting on the green in two. Conners, who had a rough week, three-putted to allow Schauffele to tie the hole with bogey. A scrambling par at 18 sealed his 1-up victory and the cup for the U.S.. QUOTES: “This is a really strange feeling. Man, we were struggling out there, and I’m really happy there are no pictures on the scorecard. I had all the boys pulling for me. I knew it was going to be close. Corey just let me in, and I was able to take advantage of it.” – Xander Schauffele Score at match’s conclusion: U.S. Team 15.5, International Team 9.5 Player records this week: Schauffele (3-1-0), Conners (0-4-0) MATCH 26 Sungjae Im (Intl.) def. Cameron Young (U.S.), 1-up Young had a nightmare start. Im came out with three pars and was 3-up on the fourth tee. But Young, one of six U.S. rookies, can go on some incredible stretches of golf, and he worked his way back into the match. When he birdied the par-4 15th, Young owned the lead. Im, an incredible ballstriker, was tough all week, and he would birdie the last two holes – making from 22 feet at 18 – to turn around the deficit and pull out a hard-earned point. Score at match’s conclusion: U.S. Team 15.5, International Team 11.5 Player records this week: Young (1-2-1), Im (2-2-1) MATCH 27 K.H. Lee (Intl.) def. Billy Horschel (U.S.), 3 and 1 In a battle of two Presidents Cup first-timers, the South Korean Lee steadily built a 3-up advantage through 11 holes, and he held off the fiery Florida Gator with just one hole surrendered the rest of the way – Horschel’s birdie at No. 13. Lee two-putted for birdie at the par-5 16th to match Horschel’s up-and-down from a greenside bunker, and the reigning back-to-back AT&T Byron Nelson champion was conceded the match while facing a 21-foot birdie try on No. 17, as Horschel faced 43 feet for par. Score at match’s conclusion: U.S. Team 15.5, International Team 10.5 Player records this week: Lee (2-1-0), Horschel (1-2-0) MATCH 28 Max Homa (U.S.) def. Tom Kim (Intl.), 1-up No player at Quail Hollow has been on a hotter run than Homa, who, one week after winning the Fortinet Championship, capped off an undefeated week (4-0-0) at the Presidents Cup by beating Kim. Homa did not start well – he was 3-down through 11 to the 20-year-old – but won holes at 12, 13, 14 and 15 to flip the match. Kim missed an 8-foot birdie putt at the last to tie the match. Homa’s birdie at the 15th, the end of Quail Hollow’s daunting Green Mile, produced an incredible roar that echoed across the course. Kim was one of the real standouts from the week, winning two points on Saturday. Score at match’s conclusion: U.S. Team 17.5, International Team 11.5 MATCH 29 Collin Morikawa (U.S.) def. Mito Pereira (Intl.), 3 and 2 Morikawa set the tone for the match on No. 1; after Pereira hit his approach on the long par-4 to within inches, the Cal Bear drained a 17-foot birdie to tie the hole. Pereira never led the match at any point. Morikawa matched his U.S. Team compatriot Spieth for largest advantage at any point Sunday (4-up), which he held through 10 holes on the strength of four birdies and an eagle. Pereira won the par-4 11th with a birdie but could draw no closer, and the two-time major winner drained a 24-foot curling birdie at the par-5 16th to conclude the proceedings, lightly flipping his putter and delivering a stout fist pump to the fans. Score at match’s conclusion: U.S. Team 16.5, International Team 11.5 Player records this week: Morikawa (2-1-0), Pereira (0-2-1) MATCH 30 Christiaan Bezuidenhout def. Kevin Kisner (U.S.) vs. (Intl.), 2 and 1 Birdies were difficult to come by in the day’s anchor match. Bezuidenhout, who was on the golf course for only the second time all week, played solidly and never trailed, though Kisner never let him far out of his sight. Bezuidenhout went 2-up with two to play with a deft up-and-down from a greenside bunker at the par-5 16th. When Kisner’s par putt at 17 spun out of the hole, victory was Bezuidenhout’s, and the Presidents Cup had ended in a five-point U.S. victory. Score at match’s conclusion: U.S. Team 17.5, International Team 12.5 Player records this week: Kisner (0-2-1), Bezuidenhout (1-0-1)

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