The Perfect Pairing

SAN FRANCISCO -- Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods had just improved their Presidents Cup record together this week to 4-0 and were about to do the obligatory network interview Saturday evening when a leather-lunged voice from bleachers behind 16 green stopped everything.

"Wisconsin and Stanford in the Rose Bowl!!"

Sticker laughed out loud. Even Woods, who can ignore a marching band, turned to look into the stands, shook his head in disbelief and responded with a smile. Some things just are not going to happen, but this week at Harding Park Golf Club the loud guy was on the right track. Stricker, a big cheese in Wisconsin, and Woods, the Stanford dropout, are the granddaddy of all golf pairings.

---

---

A 4 and 2 afternoon best-ball victory over Y.E. Yang and Ryo Ishikawa combined with a 1 up alternate-shot win in the morning over Mike Weir and Tim Clark to make the American twosome perfect together.

Never in 10 combined previous Presidents and Ryder Cup appearances had Woods accounted for more than three points. As the United States goes into Sunday's singles play with a 12½-9½ lead, Woods and Stricker both will be seeking their fifth victory.

"That's a good thing," Sticker said.

Their golf has been even better.

"I think we approach the game the same way with the same mentality," Woods said. "We just play in differently. I hit the ball a little bit further. But our mentality and how we play and how we compete is exactly the same."

In simpler terms: "Got your back, dude."

In Saturday's morning alternate-shot match, with the Americans one down to Weir and Clark with two holes to play, Woods rolled in a lengthy birdie putt on 17 to square the match, followed by a lazer from 219-yards that set up an eagle to win the match.

In the afternoon best ball Stricker returned the favor by making seven birdies, including five in a row on the way to a 6 up lead through 12 holes. When Yang and Ishikawa refused to go quietly at the finish, Woods stuck his approach at 16 inside five feet for the closer.

"It's easy to play with the guy because we all know what a great player he is," Stricker said. "He putts it great. He get it up and down great. It takes a lot of pressure off me, I'll tell you that."

Great player, yes. Easy to play with, not everybody can agree.

For all his individual greatness, Woods' history in team events is far from what you would expect.

Appearing in five Ryder Cup teams, the world's best player is 7-12-1 when playing with a partner and 3-1-1 in singles. Before this week, his Presidents Cup results had been much the same: 10-9-1 playing with a teammate.

Nobody suggests Woods plays bad golf when in uniform, only that it has been difficult to find a running mate who didn't cause him to break stride.

There had been no shortage of assorted blends. Most memorable -- for its failure -- was Hal Sutton's Dream Team logic at the 2004 Ryder Cup. Pairing Woods and Phil Mickelson for the event's opening match, Sutton imagined setting the pace quickly. It did. Woods-Mickelson lost 2 and 1 to Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington in the first-day morning matches and 1 up to Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood in the afternoon. The Europeans went on to roll the U.S. 18½- 9½.

Presidents and Ryder Cups combined, 17 different golfers have now partnered with Woods. Jim Furyk had been the popular choice, joining Woods for nine matches -- 3-1-1 in Presidents play and 2-2 in the Ryder.

And for anyone keeping score at home, others to try include Fred Couples (1-2), Paul Azinger (0-1), Davis Love III (2-1) and Mark O'Meara (1-2-1).

Then along came Sticker with an idea hatched in fun. And a lot of mutual respect.

"It started kiddingly back in Montreal," Stricker said, recalling the Canadian Open in July. "I wanted to play with him then, and told him he dodged me there. Then I told him he faked his knee injury last year so he would not have to play with me at the Ryder Cup. We were always talking about it, and then it got more and more serious."

By the time The Barclays got the FedEx Cup started in August, the two were in U.S. captain Fred Couples' ear.

"They wanted to play together," U.S. captain Fred Couples said. "Stricker thought they would be a great best-ball team. Tiger thought they would be a great alternate-shot team.

"So when we got here, we were going to put them together. And obviously they won the first match, and then they won again."

And again and again.

"It was just a gas what we did these last four times out," Stricker said.

You might say they bowled them over.