Presidents Cup day two: I hope Nick Faldo's watching

That must have been some team talk Gary Player gave his men Friday morning. I imagine he pointed out how close Thursday’s encounters had actually been and how easily things might have tipped the other way, for all they ended in a near US whitewash. A few rousing ‘up and at ‘em’ words to finish and bingo, we’ve got a heavyweight contest on our hands.

Maybe the Americans were also a bit cocky going into Friday’s matches. Luck, or ill luck, also played its part of course - I think I would be plenty miffed if, like Phil Mickelson, I eagled a hole and still lost it. There’s certainly no room for American over-confidence Saturday, even though they retain a 2-point lead.

The Internationals have the momentum and the buzz - they are the ones “in the zone". The emphatic manner in which Vijay Singh and Stuart Appleby inflicted the worst defeat Tiger Woods has endured in professional matchplay should echo through the weekend. Not bad for someone who suggests, as Vijay did, that he might have had a drink too many as the Internationals drowned their sorrows at Thursday’s dinner. Then there’s the fact that Stuart Appleby won his first match since 2003.

And of course, the Mike Weir local hero card is playing out unexpectedly well. He may not have quite the emotional range of Darren Clarke but, like the Irishman’s inclusion in the Ryder Cup last year, he is increasingly looking a masterful pick by Player. That’s something the beleaguered Nick Faldo, ducking brickbats for failing to pick an Irishman for the Seve Trophy event in Ireland this week, might like to heed before next year. He might not be able to pick a local hero for his side in America but he should still have something inspirational up his sleeve.

Meanwhile, down at the Viking Classic, we seem to be as far away from identifying a winner as ever. Briny Baird duly crashed down the rankings, his place taken by David Branshaw, not a name that crosses my path too regularly. A shot back, Bill Haas has no course form but did come 10th last week, while I was impressed by the way Cameron Beckman fought back with three straight birdies after a good round looked to be spiralling out of control around the turn.

There’s several players two or three shots off the pace who look distinct threats: Boo Weekley, who scored an ace to get within three shots of the lead; Jeff Overton, who has had a couple of decent results recently; Charley Hoffman, fifth last week and a surprise winner already this season; John Senden leading the Aussie charge; and the latest “wunderkind” Nick Flanagan, setting the fairways alight in just his second match since making the great leap from the Nationwide Tour.

Maybe we shouldn’t discount good old Fred Funk either after banging home a couple of solid 69s. His problem, though, is finding greens, which seems to be this week’s key ingredient along with the usual putting. The average ranking for the two disciplines among the top three on the leaderboard is fifth.