Tiger, US favorites for the Presidents Cup before action mixed things up

The Presidents Cup is officially underway in Australia and, for the first time in the past 14 years, the American team is not in the lead after Day 1. The International Team, led by captain Ernie Els, got off to a great start to set the pace, but there is still time left. Going into the competition, Tiger Woods and the U.S. team were favored to come out on top, and they still have plenty of opportunities.

The Internationals took Day 1, 4-1, never losing their command in three of the matches. Tiger Woods could be thanked for the one victory, as he went birdie-birdie while his partner, Justin Thomas, couldn’t find his groove. Woods showed why he is still one of the best golfers in the world on the 11th hole, chipping an amazing shot out of the sand and watching as it rolls to a stop right in front of the cup in the first match.

Woods ended the match with six birdies, while Thomas only penciled in one. After that, though, the rest of the U.S. team couldn’t keep things going and the Internationals barreled through. It’s not over yet, and Tiger told the Golf Channel, “We have to go out and earn the cup. We’re not done, we’re not out of it yet. It’s a long week.”

The results aren’t what oddsmakers had expected. The line, according to FanDuel, was at -240 on the U.S. team winning outright, with their rivals looking at +280. Given that the U.S. team has won seven consecutive times, the odds seemed to be indicative of past performances more than of current ability.