- December 3, 2024
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Team USA pops bottles of champagne to celebrate winning the first-ever World Champions Cup, held at The Concession Golf Club.
Photo by Ryan KohnSteve Stricker, Billy Andrade and Andrade's caddy, Mark Zyons, celebrate with champagne following Team USA's win at the first-ever World Champions Cup, held at The Concession Golf Club.
Photo by Ryan KohnJerry Kelly wipes champagne from his eyes via Steve Stricker's American flag as Stricker laughs. The pair helped Team USA win the first-ever World Champions Cup, held at The Concession Golf Club.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam USA (Jerry Kelly, Billy Andrade, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard, Brett Quigley and David Toms) poses with the World Champions Cup trophy after winning the event, held at The Concession Golf Club, by two points over Team International.
Photo by Ryan KohnSteve Stricker, Jerry Kelly, Billy Andrade, Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard, Brett Quigley and David Toms hold the World Champions Cup trophy aloft after winning it as Team USA.
Photo by Ryan KohnBilly Andrade, Steve Stricker, Jerry Kelly, Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard, Brett Quigley and David Toms pose with the World Champions Cup trophy.
Photo by Ryan KohnDavid Toms takes a drink of champagne from the World Champions Cup after Team USA's win at The Concession Golf Club.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam USA's Jerry Kelly smiles after a slick chip shot on the No. 5 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Kelly earned the most points of any player in the competition throughout the week (61).
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam Europe's Robert Karlsson, known as "The Scientist," is perplexed by his putt on the No. 5 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Karlsson would par the hole to earn one point.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam Europe's Miguel Angel Jimenez takes a puff of a cigar while walking down the No. 9 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam International's Ernie Els hits a shot from the cart path on the No. 6 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Els would save par on the hole to earn one point.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam Europe's Robert Karlsson hits his second shot on the No. 7 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Karlsson would par the hole and earn one point.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam USA's Brett Quigley his his second shot on the No. 7 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Quigley would par the hole, earning one point in the process.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam USA's Billy Andrade hits his second shot on the No. 9 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Andrade would eventually par the hole to earn 1.5 points.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam USA's Brett Quigley putts on the No. 5 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Quigley would par the hole to earn one point.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam International's Vijay Singh hits his third shot on the No. 9 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Singh would bogey the hole to earn zero points.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam Europe's Alex Cejka hits his second shot on the No. 1 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Cejka would par the hole and earn one point.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam International's K.J. Choi hits his second shot on the No. 1 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Choi would par the hole and earn one point.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam Europe's Miguel Angel Jimenez stares down a putt on the No. 9 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Jimenez would par the hole to earn 1.5 points.
Photo by Ryan KohnBilly Andrade pumps his first after sinking a putt on the No. 9 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Andrade's putt was for par and helped Team USA earn 1.5 points.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam USA's Justin Leonard hits his first shot on the No. 2 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Leonard would par the hole, but earn zero points.
Photo by Ryan KohnThe crowd at the No. 3 hole at The Concession Golf Club watches action from the final day of the World Champions Cup.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam International's Stephen Ames watches his second shot on the No. 4 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Ames would par the hole to earn one point.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam Europe's Darren Clarke putts on the No. 4 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Clarke would bogey the hole to earn zero points.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam Europe's Alex Cejka analyzes a putt on the No. 1 hole at The Concession Golf Club on the final day of the World Champions Cup. Cejka would par the hole and earn one point.
Photo by Ryan KohnTeam Europe led after the first day.
Team International led after the second day.
But in the final holes of the first World Champions Cup at The Concession in the Lakewood Ranch area on Sunday, it was Team USA that forged into the lead and prevailed.
The Americans (221 points) came back to defeat Team International (219) at the PGA Tour Champions event, which was held Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
Team USA used a strong afternoon session of singles matches to take the victory, but even then, it took a lot of effort — and some mistakes by opponents.
The Americans were 2 1/2 points behind headed into the final holes, but Team USA rallied.
Team USA's David Toms, playing in the final group, birdied the No. 8 hole (second to last hole) to earn two points while Team International's Retief Goosen, playing in the same group, earned only a half-point. That put Team USA in the lead by a half point.
Then on the final hole, Goosen hit his drive near the edge of a bunker, which gave him a difficult stance. Instead of being conservative and pitching up in front the green, he tried to hit a full shot, and ended up hitting a poor shot far to the right, and into the water. Goosen would end up with a double bogey, allowing Toms, who flew his iron shot over the green, to clinch the match with just a bogey.
Team USA's Billy Andrade, in the second-to-last group, helped his team late as well, making par on the No. 9 hole while Team International's Vijay Singh bogeyed.
"These guys just fought, and I mean fought hard," Team USA captain Jim Furyk said. "(I'm) just so happy for them. It was a pleasure to be their captain. It was a pleasure to work with them all week. We're good buddies every week of the year, but to get together as a team is cool."
Andrade, who never played in a Ryder's Cup or President's Cup event as a PGA Tour member, was only playing in the event because of Furyk's lingering back injury. He turned out to be an important piece of the victory.
"I wanted to contribute as much as I could," Andrade said. "(I) played great players today and I thought I needed to make the putt on the last hole.
"Every single player up here lifted all of us up. Saying something (like), 'Go get 'em' or a fist pump or whatever. We were truly together, truly a team. Great teams like this win. I'm just absolutely floored to be a part of this."
Team USA's Jerry Kelly led all players in points earned throughout the week with 61. He, too, dismissed any personal accolades, turning the attention back to the team.
"These guys are my family," Kelly said. 'The points that I made were our points, they weren't my points. So what we did as a team trumps everything that any individual had going on. I love (these) guys. I mean, it just feels so great to be on a team."
The golfers also had compliments about the event itself and how it was run by the PGA Tour Champions and The Concession.
"From the moment we arrived, every 'I' was crossed, every 'T' was dotted — I'm from Texas, that's how we say it," Team USA's Justin Leonard said. "To get on property and to play practice rounds. I mean, just the dinners. Having dinner with these guys and their wives and their families and kids. It's just been a great, great week. A great atmosphere. The bonus of all of it — it was a great week regardless — the bonus is that we're getting to sit up here as the inaugural champions of the World Champions Cup."
