By now, even the most casual reader of the sports pages has heard that the United States won the President’s Cup over the weekend. It was an exciting exhibition of golf that was everything that last year’s Ryder Cup was not. What I appreciated most was that in every match, the players looked as though they truly cared about the outcome.

The best example of this, of course, was Chris Dimarco, a fierce competitior who won 4 and a half points for the American side. It was only fitting that his 12 foot putt on the 18th was the shot that earned the victory for the American team.

And although they lost, the European International team still can hold their heads high. They gave the American team a terrific fight and had a chance to win down to the very end.

The weekend also was notable for the team spirit that the Americans showed. Tiger, I think, worked particularly hard to dispel the notion that he is not a team player. In shot after shot, the tv coverage showed Tiger and Jim Furyk discussing shots and helping each other line up putts—just as a team should do. And Tiger was the second one after Jack Nicklaus to rush out and embrace DiMarco after his game winning ball dropped.

And it bodes well for next year’s Ryder Cup that many of these players seem to have found good partners. The Mickelson-DiMarco pairing was deadly.

Fred Couples redeemed himself in winning his singles match against world number two Vijay Singh. Couples had said in an interview afterwards that he wanted to prove that Nicklaus had not made a mistake in choosing him with a Captain’s pick. Given that kind of internal pressure, I think it’s remarkable that he was able to battle to his victory.

But then, if he needed any extra incentive, opponent Vijay Sinh provided it. Before teeing off, Vijay remarked that they should have a cart ready to bring Fred back after 12 holes.

Now, Couples says that going to play a lot this next year in an attempt to make the Ryder Cup on his own merits. Perhaps this tournament will signal a renaissance for Couples before he looks forward to the Champions Tour in just five years.

Finally, no analysis of the last day would be complete without mentioning the look on Lefty’s face when he discovered that his match with Angel Cabrerra had been extended. Had just begun shaking hands after tying it all up when an official informed him that he had to go back to the first tee. That look was priceless.

The Kabul Open was played on Sunday for the first time since the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

No word on who won.

Update: If you’re looking for a full explanation of match play and its scoring, try here.

In an article on the President’s Cup yesterday, I wrote that when Love picked up the ball, the penalty was technically one stroke, but that because he thought Weir said “its good,” no penalty was assessed.

Now, I’ve received a bunch of emails from people telling me that I don’t know the rules—that the penalty is loss of hole.

No. I do know the rules. And the penalty is one stroke, unless is was truly a mistake, in which case there is no penalty:

From the USGA rules book:

2-4/3 Player Lifts Ball in Mistaken Belief That Next Stroke Conceded
Q. In a match between A and B, B made a statement which A interpreted to mean that his (A’s) next stroke was conceded. Accordingly, A lifted his ball. B then said that he had not conceded A’s next stroke. What is the ruling?
A. If B’s statement could reasonably have led A to think his next stroke had been conceded, in equity (Rule 1-4) A should replace his ball as near as possible to where it lay, without penalty.
Otherwise, A would incur a penalty stroke for lifting his ball without marking its position — Rule 20-1 — and he must replace his ball as near as possible to where it lay.

The Golf Blogger is correct. Tom Meeks ruling on the course was correct.

My critics need to get their own copy of the rules.

I just finished watching Day 2 of the President’s Cup on Tivo and thought that it was a lot of fun.

The most exciting performance came from the team of Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco, who were two down with four to go. They ended up halving the match, after Michael Campbell first had a shot rebouind off the flagstick on 18, then watched his chip circle the cup and roll away.

In the interview after the match, Phil lavished praise on DiMarco for his shots that got them back into the match. DiMarco was clearly moved, strain and emotion showing on his face. It was a nice moment.

The team of Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods won, despite sore ribs and a strained back, giving Tiger his first point. I hope Nicklaus keeps the two of them together.

The Funk/Cink - Singh/Clark match was another nailbiter as Fred and Stewart were 1 up as late as the 16th hole. Vijay had a chance to win it all on 18, but missed a 15 footer. The match ended with a half.

The other matches were not so interesting. Couples and Toms really were never in it versus Scott and Goosen; neither were Love and Perry against Lonard and O’Hearn.

So far, I think that the biggest disappointment has been Captain’s pick Fred Couples, who simply hasn’t looked sharp.

Overall, I think it’s turned out to be a lot better than last year’s Ryder Cup.

In spite of his recent heart scare, David Toms says that he’s ready for this week’s President’s Cup.

Here are the tv times for next week’s President’s Cup matches.

Thursday, Sept. 22: Foursome Matches, 1 - 6 p.m. ET, TNT
Friday, Sept. 23: Four-ball Matches, 12 - 6 p.m. ET, TNT
Saturday, Sept. 24: Foursomes & Four-ball Matches, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. ET, NBC
Sunday, Sept. 25: Singles Matches, 12 - 6 p.m. ET, NBC

As noted in an earlier post, Paula Creamer pulled a Joe Namath and guaranteed a victory in this past weekend’s Solheim Cup.

Like Broadway Joe, she held up her end, and her team won over the Europeans 15 1/2 - 12 1/2 .

A couple of interesting notes, if you missed them on tv.

In one match, both of the players—Laura Diaz and Iben Tinning of Denmark—are pregnant.

42-year-old Meg Mallon was hospitalized after collapsing during the closing ceremonies. Her heart rate reportedly was at 266 beats a minute. Earlier in the day Sunday, Mallon had defeated Karen Stupples to choke off a European charge.

The three American rookies, Paula Creamer (age 19), Christina Kim (21) and Natalie Gulbis (22) went a combined 8-3-2.

Gulbis still hasn’t won on the LPGA tour and has taken her share of criticism for her cheesecake calendar. Her performance in the Solheim Cup shows that it’s only a matter of time until she breaks through. She’s a player.

At the last Solheim Cup—as a fan—Creamer carried Julie Inkster’s bag for one hole during a practice round. This time around, she played with Inkster in an alternate shot match.

Creamer was the youngest player in Solheim Cup history. She set records for most birdies (seven) in a singles match and best front-nine score (30).

And finally, a thought: new LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens has an unprecedented opportunity to make the LPGA the first women’s sport to grab our national attention (mud wrestling and the WNBA not withstanding). She absolutely has to capitalize on the bright young faces to promote the sport. These girls should have their smiling faces plastered everywhere a golf fan might dwell.

As a high school girls golf coach, I can’t think of anything more inspiring for our young players.