GEORGE, South Africa – The Americans were good from start to finish Friday, winning seven of 10 matches to build a 91/2-61/2 lead in the Presidents Cup.

Tiger Woods, Justin Leonard, Jerry Kelly made sure there was no repeat of the disastrous opening session, when the International team rallied on the final three holes of the final three matches to take the lead.

Woods provided a few anxious moments. Playing for the third straight time with Charles Howell III, Woods missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 16th in the alternate-shot format, and their 4-up lead with five holes to play was down to 1-up.

Retief Goosen hit a beautiful second shot into 15 feet on the par-5 18th, but Tim Clark’s eagle putt to halve the match turned away.

Howell chipped to 4 feet, and Woods needed this one to win the match. He studied it hard, and buried the putt.

“I don’t know if I could have lived that one down if I missed that one,” Woods said.

The other three American victories in alternate-shot weren’t even close.

Justin Leonard, who had not won a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup match since 1996, won his second of the day by teaming with Jim Furyk in a rout, 5 and 4, over Masters champion Mike Weir and Vijay Singh.

Kenny Perry won his third match – the only undefeated American – teaming with Kelly for a 2-and-1 victory over K.J. Choi and Peter Lonard.

David Toms and Fred Funk had an easy time with Robert Allenby and Stephen Leaney, an Aussie duo that failed to make a single birdie.

The only International victory in the afternoon came from South Africa’s biggest star, Ernie Els, who remained unbeaten on the Links Course at Fancourt in dramatic fashion.

Els and Adam Scott also let a big lead slip away against Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco, and were 1-up on the final hole.

DiMarco hit his second shot into 15 feet, while Els faced a chip from behind the green in thick grass that covered most of the ball. The chip landed softly and dropped for eagle to secure the victory.

In the better-ball matches Friday morning, Woods was dealt his worst defeat in cup competition in the format that gives him fits.

The rest of the Americans fared just fine, winning three of those five matches.

At day’s end, the Americans had a three-point lead heading into Saturday’s session of six better-ball matches, with momentum on their side.

U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus chided his players about finishing the job in a meeting Thursday night, and they got the message.

“That bugged a lot of us yesterday,” Leonard said. “I think the guys came out and played a little angry.”

Woods only looked that way in his better-ball match Friday morning against Els and Clark.

The world’s No. 1 player has lost nine of his last 10 better-ball matches in the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, and this was his worst defeat in any match – 5 and 3.

Nicklaus said he noticed some flaws in Woods’ swing, which he said were smoothed out by the end of the morning match. Woods is 2-9 in better-ball matches since he first started playing in these competitions at the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama.

Nicklaus was aware of his record, not that it mattered.

“Tiger would be the logical one to be sitting this morning because his fourball record has not been particularly good,” Nicklaus said. “But if I sat Tiger, not only would he shoot me, but everyone in South Africa would shoot me, too.”

ADT Championship

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – England’s Laura Davies shot a 3-under 69 and Meg Mallon had a 71 to share the second-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s season-ending ADT Championship. Winless on the LPGA Tour this year, Mallon and Davies put themselves in position to break through at just the right time, finishing at 2-under 142 at Trump International.

UBS Cup

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -Nick Faldo and Tony Jacklin beat Arnold Palmer and Rocco Mediate 1-up, helping the Rest of the World take a 31/2-21/2 lead over the United States in the UBS Cup.

After Jacklin beat fellow captain Palmer, Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie gave the world team a 2-0 lead by defeating Raymond Floyd and Hale Irwin 5 and 3 in alternate-shot play.

Champions Tour

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -Zimbabwe’s Mark McNulty won the Champions Tour qualifying tournament, beating former European Ryder Cup captain Mark James by three strokes.

Dunlop Phoenix

MIYAZAKI, Japan -Spain’s Sergio Garcia shot a 6-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead over Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn and Japan’s Daisuke Maruyama in the Dunlop Phoenix.

Garcia had an 11-under 131 total.

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He had only three looks at birdie on the front nine in his better-ball match, none from closer than 20 feet. He pulled wedges into bunkers and hit drives into the rough.

“Sometimes when you’re playing for yourself, you can concentrate and focus because there’s nobody else to back you up,” Nicklaus said.

“I’m speaking more for myself. He may be having the same problem.”

By the end of the day, Woods had no problem making a putt that really mattered.

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