Leonard: American Shot Maker

SAN FRANCISCO -- The greatest shots in Presidents Cup history? No, not a chance. All the same, Justin Leonard played them perfectly.

Let's talk shot making.

He drained them.

"It was knowing I needed to come out and play well today," he said.

Leonard teamed with Phil Mickelson for Friday's Presidents Cup second round and played top shelf. He birdied the first hole to get the American twosome going in the best-ball competition. He kept pounding until finally rolling in a 12-footer at No. 16 to finish off the International team of Retief Goosen and Adam Scott 3 and 2.

It was a performance instrumental in allowing the United State to lead 6½-5½ going into Saturday's third round.

Leonard all but glided off the golf course.

One day earlier, a similar walk had not been nearly as enjoyable. On Thursday Leonard missed a three-foot putt on the final hole that would have won his match. Adding to the bad putt was frustration about getting confused by whether Goosen was or was not conceding the putt.

The double blunder sent Leonard into a slow burn.

"I was pretty mad at myself," he said.

It was one of those sobering little things in golf that can easily finish a player for the week. A funk takes hold and won't let up. When the mind is not there, the game usually leaves, too.

Not this time. Not if Leonard could help it.

Anyone in the U.S. team circle worrying about Leonard's ability to shake off the stumble got their answer in high-octane fashion.

After sufficient time spent on the putting green exorcising Thursday's demons, a window plenty long enough for the American contingent to have gathered, Leonard asked caddie Mike "Fluff'' Cowan to head for the clubhouse bar to line up five shot glasses and a beer. Oh, and another part of Leonard's instructions, and, we're whispering here, make sure they are filled to the top -- with water.

"I went in and slammed the door, threw my stuff down and walked straight over to the bar and took those five shots like they were nothing," Leonard said. "Then slammed the beer. The beer was real and that tasted good."

Not to say the performance was a break from the monotone image Leonard carries, but John Daly is going to ask for strokes.

"I think a few of the girls were a little nervous for me when I was doing that, but my wife, she was just rolling her eyes," Leonard said. "She knew exactly what I was doing. I was disappointed. I just wanted to show everybody that I was good."

Mission accomplished. Leonard was good to go Friday -- a designated driver and able performer of other various golf shots.

"He came back the way he wanted to," Mickelson said. "On the very first hole, making a critical putt getting us off to a good start. When we had a chance on 14 to take control of the match, he rolled that putt right in the back. And when he had a chance to finish it he did. He showed a lot of heart."

Mickelson wasn't bad either. Lefty contributed six birdies in the best-ball format, five times stiffing wedge shots inside five feet.

Good thing. The Americans needed everything they could get.

At the end of a day, after momentum shifted like the wind, the two teams played to a standoff -- each winning three of the six matches.

Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker beat Geoff Ogilvy 5 and 3 and Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan topped Robert Allenby and Camilo Villegas 2 for the other U.S. victories.

International wins were by Ernie Els and Mike Weir, 2 up over Jim Furyk and Anthony Kim; Vijay Singh and Tim Clark, 1 up over Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink; and Y.E. Yang and Ryo Ishikawa 4 and 3 over Kenny Perry and Sean O'Hair.

"I think at one point we were up in five matches, so we are probably wishing we would have got another point or so out of it," Leonard said. "But still, it was a solid afternoon and we got a lot of guys that are playing well.

"I think we're all looking at (Saturday) obviously as a big day. So, hopefully, we have a good day and have a cushion going into Sunday."

Drink up.