Golf superstars struggle at Royal Melbourne

Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson has experienced most things in golf but he was left bewildered by the torrid playing conditions the Presidents Cup offered at Royal Melbourne on Friday. Captain Fred Couples described conditions as brutal as the US and International teams split the six fourball matches and the Americans' lead was held to 7-5 with two days left in the teams event. Royal Melbourne, rated one of world golf's classic sandbelt courses, bared its teeth as hot blustery winds buffeted the players, making for arduous shot-making, and made birdies redundant on the glassy greens. Renown putter Mickelson, who tamed Augusta for three Masters jackets in 2004, 2006 and last year, was amazed as Royal Melbourne turned nasty. "It was awesome. We'll never see something like this in an everyday golf course. We rarely see it in a major," he said, after remaining unbeaten with Jim Furyk in their second win this week. "To have green speeds over 14 with wind blowing 15, 25 miles an hour, that was incredible and to have to read the wind of a putt more so than the break. That's pretty cool." Mickelson was relieved that it was match play on Friday rather than regular tournament stroke play. "Providing that your score really doesn't count, which it doesn't here, because it's match play, it was why it was so much fun," he said. "If you have that situation in a US Open or a British Open, we would probably curse, but it was so much fun today because you've got a partner that you can rely on in best ball (fourball) format and I thought we had a good time." Couples described the conditions as brutal for both teams as matches spilled over to almost seven hours in duration. "It was a very exciting day. I'm proud of all 24 players as a witness to this," he said. "It was not much fun out there, I'm sure, for any of them. Obviously both teams had wins on each side, so they had fun, but it was brutal." Couples, who won the 1992 Masters in his only major, said a lack of birdies contributed to the long day on the course. "The feedback was it was a long day," he said. "The rounds took a long time because there were very few holes won with birdies. "And when you have four guys playing and you've got three, 4 and 5 footers for par every hole, it takes a long time to get through the round. "There would not be many scores under par today. There just were not many birdies made and that's the kind of course it is. "It's in perfect shape. But it was just a long, hard day."