Woods, Stricker prove a perfect team

Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker were perfect as Presidents Cup partners, and they got enough help from everyone else Saturday in San Francisco to put the Americans in position to stay perfect on home soil.

With an improbable rally by Woods in the morning and pure putting by Stricker in the afternoon, they became the first partnership in the Presidents Cup -- and the first in 30 years of any team competition -- to go 4-0.

Phil Mickelson had a chance to join them with an undefeated record using different partners. Mickelson and Sean O’Hair, who won their match handily in the morning, each had a birdie putt inside 15 feet on the final hole for the win but had to settle for a halve.

The International team walked away from Harding Park the last two days with momentum from keeping close. But the deficit looked daunting with only 12 singles matches remaining today.

The Americans had a 12 1/2 -9 1/2 lead.

No team has rallied from three points behind on the final day to win the cup outright, and the Americans have lost only one singles session in the seven previous Presidents Cup matches.

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England’s Ross McGowan shot a 12-under 60 in the Madrid Masters to take a seven-stroke lead, the biggest 54-hole lead on the European tour this season.

TENNIS

Nadal defeated by Cilic in Beijing

Rafael Nadal lost in the semifinals of the China Open in Beijing, falling, 6-1, 6-3, to Marin Cilic.

The eighth-seeded Croat cruised past the Spaniard, setting up a final against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, who beat Sweden’s Robin Soderling, 6-3, 6-3.

In the women’s draw, Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Russian compatriot Nadia Petrova, 6-1, 6-3, to move into the final against 12th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, who downed France’s Marion Bartoli, 6-4, 6-3.

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Second-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France coasted into the final of the Japan Open with a 6-3, 6-3 win over compatriot Gael Monfils. Tsonga will face Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny in today’s final at Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo.

BASKETBALL

Suspension for Warriors’ Jackson

Golden State Warriors swingman Stephen Jackson has been suspended for two exhibition games for conduct detrimental to the team. The team said the suspension is for Jackson’s behavior Friday night against the Lakers. He picked up five fouls plus a technical foul in less than 10 minutes of action.

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Detroit Pistons forward Austin Daye and Milwaukee Bucks guard Carlos Delfino have each been suspended one game without pay for their roles in an altercation during Wednesday night’s exhibition game.

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Memphis has filed its appeal to the NCAA, criticizing the reasoning behind sanctions that stripped the Tigers of their 38 wins in the 2007-08 season, according to the Commercial Appeal newspaper.

TRIATHLON

Alexander wins again in Hawaii

Craig Alexander won the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, making a late surge in the heat to win for the second straight year. The 36-year-old Australian completed the 140.6-mile endurance test in 8 hours 20 minutes 21 seconds, beating California’s Chris Lieto by more than two minutes.

Britain’s Chrissie Wellington earned the women’s title in a course-record 8:54:02.

PASSINGS

Fishman, former owner of Bucks

Marvin Fishman, one of the original owners of the Milwaukee Bucks, died Friday at a southeast Wisconsin hospital after a stroke, his daughter said Saturday. He was 84. Fishman helped bring the Bucks to Milwaukee in 1968. The next year, the team drafted Lew Alcindor, who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Bucks won an NBA title in 1971.