ESPN 2007 Presidents Cup

MONTREAL -- A show of hands, please, for anyone who has ever played "foursomes" during a round of golf. Yep, that's what we thought. Most people, especially Americans, are not plunking down big bucks to watch someone else hit a shot for them.

That is what makes the format so interesting when it pops up every year at the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup. Rarely is the game played in this manner -- and you can bet that Tiger Woods isn't hanging around at Iselworth on the weekends playing friendly alternate shot matches.

It has been particularly perplexing for Americans at the Ryder Cup, but you'd think they had been playing it all their lives by the way they have performed at Royal Montreal Golf Club.

The Americans swept the Internationals 5-0-0 Saturday morning at the Presidents Cup and took a total of 10½ out of 11 points in the two foursomes sessions. Only Phil Mickelson and Woody Austin failed to win their matches on the opening day against Vijay Singh and Mike Weir -- and that was the match that ended in a tie after Singh had a testy 4-foot putt conceded to him.

What gives?

The format that has absolutely stumped the Americans at the Ryder Cup has threatened to make Sunday's play at the Presidents Cup a friendly Canadian stroll as the U.S. took a 12-5 lead into the afternoon fourballs.

"Pretty unbelievable, really," U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus said. "Not what I would have expected. After [losing 4½ of a possible six points on Friday], the guys turned it right around and played great."

But foursomes? The Americans managed just three points out of eight in the format at last year's Ryder Cup in Ireland.

"We've tried all different things through the years from personalities to like distances off the tees to the same golf balls, tried all different things," said Woods, who teamed with Jim Furyk to defeat Ernie Els and Adam Scott, 4 and 3. "Basically, what it boils down to is two guys playing well."

And yet, there is more. With conceded putts and the order of play jumbled, a player can sometimes go a long time between hitting a meaningful iron shot or putt. On the first day, Charles Howell III recalled how he stood over a short putt on the back nine and realized he hadn't had one all day.

Rhythm is thrown off. Players can be put in some awkward positions. Even the brand and type of golf ball being used by the top players in the world can have impact, depending on their preferences.

"It's a bloody English invention -- for old ladies in golf clubs," is how five-time British Open champion Peter Thomson once described the game.

But Saturday morning, the Americans mastered it. Just one of the five matches made it to the 18th hole, a 2-up victory for Steve Stricker and Hunter Mahan over Trevor Immelman and Rory Sabbatini.

Phil Mickelson and Woody Austin -- who had never played the format in his life before this week -- had the biggest rout, a 5 and 4 victory over Retief Goosen and Stuart Appleby. The Americans never trailed on the back nine of any match.

"Yeah, it's nice to see," Stricker said. "We needed to come out today and put a little pressure back on them and I think we came out and made a little bit of a statement."

Here's betting that Paul Azinger, the U.S. Ryder Cup captain next year in Louisville, is hoping to see just a fraction of the success he's witnessed here. The Americans have gone 5-15-4 in the last three Ryder Cups in foursomes, digging themselves a huge hole.

Here, the format has given them a huge advantage.

Bob Harig is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached at BobHarig@gmail.com.