Gildenbeschreibung » take away that in the short ice in a two-on-one, he

DUBLIN, Ohio -- Fred Couples, the coolest guy in golf, never really looked that way until he stood on the edge of the 18th fairway Sunday and saw everything going his way. The Americans needed only one more point to win the Presidents Cup. And there was Tiger Woods, who has a history of delivering the winning point, in the middle of the fairway at Muirfield Village, where he has won a record five times. The Presidents Cup ended just the way it always does. Woods found the green and two-putted for par and a 1-up victory over Richard Sterne, the third straight time he has won the clinching point in the Presidents Cup. The Americans won for the fifth straight time -- and eighth time in 10 tries -- against an International side that showed some fight when it was too late to matter. The Americans, who finished strong Sunday morning in the rain-delayed foursomes for a 14-8 lead, only needed to win four singles matches. It took longer than anyone expected. "I must have asked 500 times, How are we getting this fourth point? Where is the fourth point coming from?" said Couples, a three-time winner as U.S. captain. "Youre nervous. Not for the players -- the players know what theyre doing. But we knew we needed 18 points, and we got them. It was a very, very good match today. And the matches were all close. At no given time was I a nervous wreck. But it was nice when Tiger two-putted that last green to get the 18th point." The final score -- United States 18 1/2, International 15 1/2 -- and whether the matches would beat the rain was really the only suspense on Sunday. "People say it was close. Jack (Nicklaus) said it was close," International captain Nick Price said. "You tell me. We were behind the 8-ball all day. If we pulled it off, it would have been miraculous." Not that his team of seven rookies didnt give it a shot. Zach Johnson closed out Branden Grace, 4 and 2, to give the Americans 17 points and assure them a tie. But it took more than an hour to get that last point. Weyburn, Sask., native Graham DeLaet holed out for birdie for the second time Sunday on the 18th hole, this time from a bunker to beat 20-year-old Jordan Spieth. Ernie Els found his putting touch and beat Steve Stricker. Marc Leishman rolled in a 15-foot par putt from the back fringe of the 18th green to beat Matt Kuchar. Adam Scott and Charl Schwartzel won their matches. The International teams fleeting hopes ended when Woods, despite suffering back spasms again in the final hour of his match, didnt make a birdie on the back nine and still won. Sterne helped him by hitting his tee shot off the corporate tents behind the 16th green and making bogey. "It was a team effort this whole week," said Woods, who went 4-1 for the best record of any player. "We really played well to give ourselves a nice lead." Rain interrupted the matches all week and made Muirfield Village so soft that it was mere target practice for the best players from every continent but Europe. It was a long, tiring week of leaving the course at darkness and completing matches the next morning when it was just as dark. The Americans might have won this Presidents Cup on Sunday morning. Returning to finish off the foursomes session, the Americans picked up a win and a halve in matches they had trailed by three holes. Phil Mickelson hit one of many exquisite shots this week -- a 7-iron he had to hook with the ball slightly below his feet, around a tree to about 10 feet. Keegan Bradley had to make the birdie putt for a half-point after DeLaet chipped in for birdie. Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel played the last six holes in 5-over par -- three bogeys and a ball out-of-bounds for double bogey in losing to Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker. "It was a tall order, but they gave it their best shot. These guys played their tails off," Price said. "Were a real hodge-podge of a team that came together from four corners of the planet. And they gave the might of America a run for their money." The closing ceremony was moved indoors because of approaching rain, and it led to an awkward moment as the International team watched the Americans pass around the gold trophy and pose for the pictures before quietly filing out of the room. Since that famous tie in South Africa in 2003, the Americans have won by at least three points every time. Only one of them, in 2005, was close. International players talked about the importance of making a contest out of this exhibition, and only a 7 1/2-4 1/2win in singles made it feel that way at the end. "We kept it very interesting today," Scott said. "We gave it a good shake." Mickelson and Angel Cabrera were the last match on the course, and it was comical at times. Mickelson hit one shot that ricocheted off a tree to the left, skipped out of the water and into the rough, and he pitched that to 5 feet -- and then missed the putt to lose the hole. On the final hole, Cabrera had 3 feet for par to win the match. Instead of conceding, Mickelson first knocked in his 5-foot bogey putt, and then conceded. All in good fun, which is how the day felt. "There was no intensity. We played and enjoyed the day and the people here in Columbus," Mickelson said after four bogeys in the last five holes. "I thought it was going to be closed out early. On 12 or 13, they said, Your match is going to count. What? We ended up winning. Thats all that matters." Even with the captains able to control the pairings, the singles lineup was dull. Woods has played Els in South Africa, Greg Norman in Australia, Mike Weir in Canada and Y.E. Yang the same year the South Korean beat him in the PGA Championship. This time, he was up against Sterne. "I did my pairings to try to win the cup," Price said. It might not have mattered against a U.S. team so strong that every player was among the top 30 in the world. "They played golf that was incredible to watch," Price said. "But for this team, I would be honoured if they ever asked me to be captain of this team again. I dont care where it is." The next Presidents Cup is in South Korea in 2015 on another Jack Nicklaus design. Wholesale Jerseys NFL . But Paul Osbaldiston, Hamiltons assistant special teams and kicking coach, said the team still relished the championship game workout. Wholesale NFL Store . It took five games, but the Celtics finally helped Stevens earn his first NBA victory. "Im going to celebrate for a whole 12 minutes, and then Im going to start watching Orlando and trying to figure them out," the first-year Celtics coach said after Boston beat the Utah Jazz, one of the leagues other winless teams, 97-87 on Wednesday night. http://www.jerseyschinanfl.com/ . Cain departed in the fourth inning of a 10-5 loss to the Pirates on Thursday. X-rays on Cains bruised forearm were negative. He was hit when Sanchez led off the fourth with a groundout. Cheap NFL Jerseys Factory . Fans can also watch the game on the newly launched TSN GO (currently available to Bell TV and Rogers customers), which gives TSN subscribers the freedom to live stream the networks programming from their smartphones, tablets, and computers at no additional charge – just as they would watch Canadas Sports Leader on TV at home. The following week, MLS ON TSN is at BMO Field in Toronto to deliver live coverage of TFCs home opener vs. D.C. United on Saturday, March 22 at 4:30 p. Cheap NFL Jerseys China Online . The 36-year-old said a few months ago he would hang up his boots at the end of the season, but has since changed his mind. "Its a pity the season is ending now, as I am in good physical shape and enjoying myself," Di Natale said. TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning are gaining momentum entering the stretch run. Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat both had a goal and an assist to lead the Lightning past the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Monday night. Valtteri Filppula and Tom Pyatt also scored for the Lightning, who moved into a second-place tie with Montreal -- with one game at hand -- in the Atlantic Division after completing a 3-1-2 homestand. Ben Bishop extended his single-season team record with his 32nd win. "Great homestand, especially after you drop the first one," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "Its not how you get there, you just need the points." Vancouver, 10th in the Western Conference, is 3-6-1 in its last 10 games. Alexandre Burrows scored two goals, and Jannik Hansen added a short-handed tally for the Canucks. "We know we still have a chance, but obviously we need to string wins together, and not just three, four or five," Hansen said. "We need to start winning games and a lot of them." Burrows had an assist on Hansens goal for a three-point game. He had a goal and two assists in Sundays 4-3 shootout win at Florida. After Pyatt scored midway through the third period, the Canucks got within one on goals by Burrows at 11:44 and Hansen at 15:16. "Weve still got to fix some things," Stamkos said. "You take a lead into the third we know, especially teams that are fighting for their playoff lives, theyre going to throw everything at us. We have to be a little smarter." Stamkos put the Lightning up 1-0 with a power-play goal from the low slot 17:56 into the game. Palat, who assisted on the goal, has five assists and nine points during a five-game point streak. Bishop made in-cllose rebound saves on Alexander Edler and Shawn Matthias late in the first.dddddddddddd After Eddie Lack stopped eight shots early in the second, Tampa Bay went ahead 2-0 when Palats pass went off sliding Canucks defenceman Ryan Stanton and into the net at 6:54. Filppula made it 3-0 with 9 seconds left in the second when his pass deflected off Stanton and past Lack. The centre has two goals and eight points during a five-game point streak. "The first one, hes in the middle of the ice, taking ice away," Canucks coach John Tortorella said. "If hes going to go down and try to take away that in the short ice in a two-on-one, hes got to be more off to the post so it cant happen that way. "The second one that goes in, its just a tough break. A little bit of puck luck there, but it doesnt matter. We didnt get points, and we need points." Burrows ended Bishops bid for a second consecutive shutout on a power-play rebound goal 5:44 into the third. Bishop got his fifth shutout this season in a 3-0 victory over New Jersey on Saturday. "You look at the checks and balances at the end of the day, it is who won and who lost. And we won," Cooper said. NOTES: The Lightning held a pregame ceremony honouring the 2004 Stanley Cup championship team. Tortorella coached Tampa Bay in 2004 and walked to centre ice to a loud ovation when he was introduced. He had dinner with his former players Sunday night. "Im not a big reminiscent-type guy, but when I sat with the guys last night and had that opportunity, it was truly a nice moment for me to be with them," Tortorella said. ... Stamkos has two goals in six games since he returned from a broken right shin. ... Filppulas goal was his 300th NHL point. ' ' '