• Presidents Cup, Day Three

Tiger off the mark as USA tighten grip

Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson celebrate victory © Getty Images

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USA took a stranglehold on the Presidents Cup, with Tiger Woods contributing for the first time in three days.

The sub plot to the event had been the form of Woods, who was beaten alongside Steve Stricker on Thursday and with Dustin Johnson on Friday. Woods was sent out alongside Johnson in both foursomes and fourballs on Saturday and came good in the morning - helping USA move into a 13-9 lead ahead of Sunday's singles.

USA began the day holding a 7-5 lead and extended that to 11-6 on Saturday morning by winning four of the five foursomes. Only Ernie Els and Ryo Ishikawa denied Fred Couples' men a clean sweep by digging in to topple Bill Haas and Matt Kuchar.

The Internationals kept themselves just about in the match with a determined display in the afternoon fourballs, but still trail by four.

Conditions at Royal Melbourne were poles apart from Friday, as play began with rain falling - making the greens more receptive. Woods and Johnson took advantage with a back-nine surge to beat Adam Scott and KJ Choi.

Scott and Choi took an early lead as Woods and Johnson struggled on the greens, but they were level by the 12th and the match turned on the 13th with the Internationals forced to concede as Scott found trouble off the tee and Choi was also errant. A par on the 14th proved enough for another hole for USA and the victory was secured when Woods drained a fine putt from 17 feet on the 16th.

Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson were sent out first in the foursomes and their hot form continued as the pair claimed their third point of the week by taking out Robert Allenby and Geoff Ogilvy.

Hunter Mahan and David Toms were hugely impressive 5&4 winners over Retief Goosen and Charl Schwartzel, while the pivotal match was the bottom foursomes, as Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk battled back to beat Aaron Baddeley and Jason Day.

The young Australians were two to the good at the turn but they found trouble on the 11th and their form unravelled as the weather got worse and Mickelson and Furyk won three consecutive holes on their way to a 2&1 win.

Couples sent Watson and Simpson out front in the afternoon fourballs, but they failed to add to their three victories as Schwartzel and Goosen claimed a 2&1 win. The South African duo started well, with Schwartzel making a birdie on the first. Goosen won the sixth and seventh to take them three to the good. A birdie from Schwartzel at the short par-four 11th moved them four ahead and they closed out the match on the 17th after squandering chances on 14 and 16.

Woods and Johnson were sent out together in the afternoon but they failed to build on their victory earlier in the day as YE Yang and KT Kim claimed a one-up win. The turning point came on the 15th, as Woods three putted after finding the surface in two while Kim drained a 30-foot birdie for the win.

Ogilvy and Choi were another pair to claim a narrow win - beating Steve Stricker and Kuchar.

The Americans ensured they would take a four-point lead into the singles as they took the closing two matches - Mahan and Haas beating Baddeley and Day, while Nick Watney and Furyk havled the final four holes to beat Scott and Els.

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