Kim Crushes Garcia as U.S. Wins Cup

Sept. 21, 2008

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- The Ryder Cup is coming back to America.

Led by a brash kid from LA, a country boy from Florida's Panhandle and two native sons, the United States beat Europe on Sunday to win golf's greatest team prize for the first time since the "Miracle at Brookline" in 1999.

Anthony Kim, Boo Weekley and Kentuckians Kenny Perry and J.B. Holmes provided crucial wins for the Americans, who clinched it when Europe's Miguel Angel Jimenez conceded a short par putt to Jim Furyk at the 17th hole to assure the home team of 14½ points at Valhalla.

Europe had won three straight matches over the U.S., the last two in routs. But the Americans led all the way in this one, even without the world's greatest player. Tiger Woods could only watch on TV as he recovers from knee surgery.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Wearing a gaudy USA belt buckle and pumping his fist all around the course, Anthony Kim gave the Americans a crucial point Sunday as they tried to take back the Ryder Cup.

Kim knocked off European stalwart Sergio Garcia 5 and 4, ending the first match of the day with an 8-foot par putt at the 14th hole. He handed the Spaniard the worst loss of his Ryder Cup career.

Kim's point gave the Americans a 10-7 lead. They needed 14½ points to win the gold chalice for first time since 1999.

Kim played with plenty of attitude against Garcia, who finished the weekend with an 0-2-2 record. It was the first time in five Ryder Cup appearances that he failed to win a match.

"I wouldn't trade this for 10 million dollars," said Kim, at 23 the youngest member of the American team. "This was the experience of a lifetime."

Garcia had a lead in only four of the 65 holes he played at Valhalla Golf Club.

"I felt like I hit some good shots," he said. "I just couldn't get anything right."

Two fan favorites, Boo Weekley and Kenny Perry, were also playing well for the home team.

Weekley did his best to fire up an already raucous crowd. After teeing off at No. 1, the country boy from the Florida Panhandle stuck the club between his legs and galloped down the first fairway as if he were on a horse.

Weekley dropped an early hole to Oliver Wilson, but he holed out from a greenside bunker at the seventh and built a 4-up lead on the unheralded Englishman through 11 holes. Chants of "Booooooo!" rang out across the course.

The 48-year-old Perry used a hot putter to go 3 up on Henrik Stenson through 14 holes, the Kentuckian justifying his decision to dedicate the entire season to playing the Ryder Cup in his home state - even when it meant skipping a couple of majors.

But the Europeans had big leads in three other matches. Justin Rose was 4 up on Phil Mickelson, who had not won a singles match since 1999, and Robert Karlsson held the same advantage over Justin Leonard. Ian Poulter was on the way to his fourth win of the weekend, going 3 up on Steve Stricker before the turn.

The Americans were trying to win for the first time since the "Miracle at Brookline" nine years ago.

"The only concern I have is guys getting ahead of themselves," U.S. captain Paul Azinger said. "I'll try to keep them in the present."

Kim set a blistering pace with three birdies in the first four holes, and Garcia couldn't keep up. His drive at No. 6 slid off the side of a hill and forced him to take an unplayable penalty after a lengthy discussion with the officials. At the next hole, he knocked two balls into the water and conceded the hole before the players even reached the green.

There appeared to be plenty of bad blood between the players, especially when Kim kept declining to concede short putts to the Spaniard and seemed perturbed that Garcia wanted relief when his ball wound up next to a stone staircase at No. 6.

"Do what you've got to do," Kim sniffed to the referee.

The take-no-prisoners strategy paid off at No. 11, where Garcia missed from about 3 feet to lose the hole. Kim slapped hands with the gallery on his way to the next tee, and needed just three more holes to finish it off.

"That short miss at 11 kind of put the dagger in me," Garcia said.

Kim didn't even realize he had won as he walked away from the 14th. Someone told him he didn't need to play any more holes, and he returned to the green to shake hands with Garcia. They appeared to be over any hard feelings, embracing warmly.

Garcia patted his opponent on the chest and mouthed to him, "You played great."

The Europeans had won an unprecedented three straight Ryder Cups, the last two in routs. They needed 14 points to retain the trophy, while the Americans had to win outright to end their streak of misery. They were in their best position in more than decade despite missing the world's best player, Tiger Woods, who was sidelined by knee surgery.

The outcome was likely to turn on a number of tight matches.

Chad Campbell was surprisingly 2 up on Padraig Harrington, winner of the last two major championships and sent out last by European captain Nick Faldo in hopes of clinching it at the end.

But they had played only six holes.

American Hunter Mahan was 1 up on Paul Casey with three holes left. U.S. star Jim Furyk had a one-hole lead on Miguel Angel Jimenez with eight to go.

Graeme McDowell of Europe was 1 up on Stewart Cink at the turn. Europe's Lee Westwood had the same narrow edge on Ben Curtis as they approached the turn. Soren Hansen held a 1-up lead for Europe against J.B. Holmes, another Kentucky native, through the 10th hole.

The U.S. had a 9-7 lead after two days of alternate-shot and better-ball competition, its first lead going into singles since 1995.

Azinger put most of his leading players at the top of the draw, while Europe's Nick Faldo went with three of his best players -- Poulter, Westwood and Harrington - in the last three spots. He can only hope those matches still matter by the end of the day.

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