Americans trail in Warburg Cup

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C., Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Japan's Isao Aoki eagled the par-4 12th hole Friday and the team of Stewart Ginn-Jose Maria Canizares rallied from a two-hole deficit with five to play to capture their match and spur a collection of international players to a 4 1/2-1 1/2 lead over the United States at the inaugural Warburg Cup.

The Ryder Cup-style event has brought together some of the best players in the history of the game with Arnold Palmer serving as captain for the United States and Gary Player leading a team officially called the Rest of the World.

Friday's action involved six foursomes matches. Six fourball matches will be played Saturday with 12 singles matches scheduled for Sunday. The Rest of the World needs eight points from the remaining 18 matches to win the event.

Aoki, partnering Nick Faldo, holed his 9-iron second shot from 125 yards at the 414-yard 12th to put his side 1-up en route to a 2 & 1 victory over Hale Irwin and Mark Calcavecchia. Both Irwin and Calcavecchia played in the 1991 Ryder Cup when it was held at the site of this week's competition -- the Ocean Course at Kiwiah Island.

"That was as good golf in a team match play contest as I've played in a long time," said Faldo. "I think we made six birdies in total and of course the eagle from Isao was the icing on the cake. But we knitted well together all day.

"When I saw the draw I thought playing Hale and Mark was the toughest pairing on the U.S. team and to beat them was like getting two points."

Canizares, from Spain, and Ginn, an Australian, appeared headed for defeat before winning three of the final five holes to defeat Loren Roberts and Tom Watson, 1-up. Watson missed a three-foot par putt at the 16th, allowing Canizares and Ginn to even the match.

In the other matches, Frank Nobilo of New Zealand and Bernhard Langer of Germany defeated Scott Hoch and John Cook, 2 & 1; Player and Des Smyth of Ireland won over Palmer and Mark O'Meara, 3 & 2; Ray Floyd and Dana Quigley beat Australian Ian Stanley and Englishman Denis Durnian, 1-up; and Curtis Strange teamed with Larry Nelson to halve Scotland's Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam of Wales.

Each team in this competition must have six players between the ages of 40 and 49 along with six players over 50.