Ernie Els: Tiger Woods crushed our Presidents Cup dream

MELBOURNE, Australia — It was a bitter defeat for Ernie Els. The captain of the International team had hoped his team would end the American dominance in the Presidents Cup.

But they saw a 10-8 lead erased in Sunday’s singles matches at Royal Melbourne Golf Club as the United States won eight of the 12 matchups to retain the Cup, 16-14.

Els said his team lost momentum after Tiger Woods defeated Abraham Ancer in the opening match 3 and 2. It began a streak of American wins that eventually overwhelmed the Internationals, who won only two of the 12 matches.

“I think the first match was the difference,” Els said. “After that match, it didn’t quite go our way. The Americans got some momentum. We were right there at the end, but a couple of matches didn’t go our way.”

Els was creative in his approach as captain, developing a new team logo and bringing his team from nine regions together so they could bond long before the Presidents Cup. He pointed to the 10 points the Internationals earned in team play as significant.

“We feel we came a long way as a team this week,” Els said. “We hadn’t really bonded well in the past. But we feel we made a big hit as a team. To get 10 points in team play is a start. We’re not quite there yet. But we’re getting there.”

Els’ best players didn’t come through for him. Hideki Matsuyama was 4-up at one point, but wound up tied with Tony Finau. Adam Scott lost to Xander Schauffele, 2 and 1, and Louis Oosthuizen was 3-up on Matt Kuchar before settling for a tie.

“I just love these guys,” Els said. “We spent all year together and they were buying into the stuff I came up with. They were 100 percent behind me and I was 100 percent behind them. It was a collective effort. We worked together. We didn’t get the result we wanted. But we got 10 points in team sessions and that meant our team goals were a success.”