Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim led the way as Presidents Cup holder the United States fended off a bright start by the Internationals to lead by 3-½ points to 2-½ after Thursday's opening foursomes. At one point, the Americans trailed in four of the six alternate-shot encounters before gathering momentum over the closing stretch at Harding Park Golf Course. The Internationals have generally struggled in the foursomes playing format and the home team, seeking their sixth victory in the Cup's eighth edition, ended the day in control. However, a two-point advantage appeared likely for the US until Jim Furyk and Justin Leonard lost the final two holes of their match against South African Retief Goosen and South Korean Yang Yong-eun to finish all square. Mickelson and rookie Kim, one down to Canadian Mike Weir and South African Tim Clark after 12 holes in the top match, rallied in spectacular fashion with four successive birdies to draw first blood with a 3&2 win. A superb wedge approach by Kim to three feet at the par-four 13th sparked the late surge by the Americans in mainly overcast and cool conditions at Harding Park. “We just needed one thing to go our way,” Mickelson said in a greenside interview. “We needed something to ignite us and that wedge shot by Anthony to three feet sure did the trick.” The biggest galleries watched the fifth match where world number one Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker crushed Australian Geoff Ogilvy and Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa 6&4. The American duo charged three up with four birdies in the first six holes and never relinquished their grip before sealing victory at the par-three 14th where Woods rolled in a 15-footer for birdie. The Internationals registered their first point when Australian Adam Scott and South African Ernie Els beat Hunter Mahan and Sean O'Hair 2&1 in a match where they never trailed. Fijian Vijay Singh and Robert Allenby of Australia birdied the last two holes to edge Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink one up before Kenny Perry and Zach Johnson beat Masters champion Angel Cabrera of Argentina and Colombian Camilo Villegas two up. In a wildly fluctuating bottom match, Furyk and Leonard finished all square with Goosen and Yang after Leonard missed a birdie putt from inside three feet on the 18th green. Quiros leads In Madrid, Spaniard Manuel Quiros unleashed a spectacular flurry of birdies to take a two-shot lead on 10 under par after the opening round of the Madrid Masters Thursday. The 30-year-old from Marbella in southern Spain, ranked 1,076 in the world, nailed 10 birdies at the Centro Nacional de Golf, including six on the return nine holes, for a sensational score of 62. Compatriot Sergio Garcia made a blistering start to his bid for a first win this year, the world No. 8 ending the day on eight-under in second place, one shot ahead of Britain's Oliver Fisher. There were five players on six under –Britons Danny Willett, David Horsey, Ross McGowan, Anthony Wall and David Drysdale. Garcia, 29, had a chance to rise above Tiger Woods to the top of the world rankings earlier this season but has had a winless year and has not even managed a top
