nerko, who is a free agent, is taking time to consider whether he

DUBLIN, Ohio -- Another rain delay cut short some exceptional golf Friday in the Presidents Cup. Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley shot 30 on the front nine at Muirfield Village, an astounding performance in foursomes. Only some sloppy play allowed the match to go 15 holes in a 4-and-3 win over Jason Day and Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask. "We were down but, boy, on 5 we just turned it on and played some of our best golf," Mickelson said. Right behind them, Brendon de Jonge began to emerge as a star of the International team. He teamed with Ernie Els and they never trailed in a 4-and-3 win over Hunter Mahan and Bill Hass, going 8 under when the match ended at the 15th. "This guy, he played beautiful and we both played well today," Els said. The Americans had a 4 1/2-3 1/2 lead, though four matches were still in progress when darkness descended on Muirfield Village. For the second straight day, storms interrupted play and left a bleak outlook for finishing Sunday. Heavy rain -- and the time it took to get small pools of water out of the bunkers and fairways -- led to a delay of nearly three hours. The other four matches -- the Americans were up in two, the International led the other two -- were to resume Saturday morning. Tiger Woods and Matt Kuchar were 6 under through eight holes and still only had a 1-up lead over Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel. Oosthuizen missed a short par putt on the ninth to lose another hole, and the former British Open champion made an even greater blunder on the par-3 12th. After Woods went long of the green, Oosthuizens 7-iron leaked to the right and hopped into the water. The Americans won with a bogey and were 3 up with six holes to play when they stopped. Steve Stricker and 20-year-old Jordan Spieth finally seized control of their match when Spieth made a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eighth, and the Texan made another key birdie on the 12th. They were 3 up with four holes remaining. What looked to be the decisive match of the foursomes session was Angel Cabrera and Marc Leishman, who overcame an early deficit and were 1 up with five holes remaining against Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker. The International team had control of the other match. Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott lost only one hole and were 4 up with seven holes remaining against Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner. Saturday is the busiest day for the Presidents Cup, with five fourballs matches early and five foursomes matches late. It concludes with 12 singles matches Sunday, though the forecast is not any better, especially for Sunday. One thing was becoming clear through the relentless appearance of clouds -- the course Jack Nicklaus built has been groomed for birdies. Nicklaus stood at the back of the press centre peering at the scoreboard, and he couldnt believe the scores he saw from both sides. "They say this golf course is tough," Nicklaus said, although he knows better. The greens are among the most pure on the PGA Tour, and they are soft because of the rain. In match play, with 24 of the best players from every continent except Europe, Muirfield Village doesnt stand much of a chance. "They are not protecting the course like they might do on a Sunday of the Memorial," Els said. "So they are setting up the course where you can make some birdies if you play properly." It was a big change from two years ago at fast, fiery and frightening Royal Melbourne. In 80 holes on Friday, there were 51 birdies and two eagles. Thats good for the fourballs format -- rarely for alternate shot. "People want to see birdies," Mickelson said. "We dont want to be playing defence. We want to be playing offence. And when you do that, youre winning holes because of great shots, not because of others mistakes. And I think thats exactly the way it should be in these team events." Mickelson and Bradley, coming off their first loss in four matches as a team, fell behind early and needed a pair of big putts from Bradley to keep from falling further behind. It took a 15-foot eagle putt by Mickelson just to square the match on the par-5 fifth. But there was no stopping them from there. They followed with three straight birdies and won three straight holes on the back nine with pars. Mickelson tried to hole out a pitch just short of the 13th green -- an up-and-down was all he needed -- and it hit the hole and spun 4 feet away. Bradley missed the par putt, bungled the 14th for another bogey and they halved the 15th with birdies. Even so, they made six birdies and an eagle in 15 holes of alternate shot. "I just think that when Phil and I get rolling in this alternate shot, we complement each other so well," Bradley said. "I think that we both really enjoy kind of showing off in front of each other." De Jonge and Els opened with two quick birdies through three holes and never gave Mahan and Haas much of a chance. They didnt lose a single hole. "Brendon played awesome," Els said. "He played great yesterday. Actually, he even played better today." The Zimbabwean, in his first Presidents Cup, said Els contributed in his own way. "Dont let Ernie give me all the credit," de Jonge said. "Hes by far the most calming influence Ive ever been on the golf course with. Its nice to play with a Hall of Famer who hits it in the middle of the fairway and middle of the green. He makes it very easy." The conclusion of the second session could be pivotal for captain Nick Price and his International team, which has lost the last seven foursomes sessions in this event. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . Lisicki beat South African Chanelle Scheepers by a 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) margin. Next up for the Wimbledon runner-up will be Slovenian Polona Hercog, who outlasted Czech Petra Cetkovska 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. 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Morgenstern has moved to a rehabilitation clinic in Klagenfurt for further recovery.CHICAGO -- Cuban slugger Jose Abreu couldnt pass up the chance to play alongside his countrymen on the Chicago White Sox. Abreu officially finalized a six-year, $68-million deal with the White Sox on Tuesday, about a week-and-a-half after the sides reached an agreement on the largest contract in franchise history. He is the organizations 17th Cuban player and the third currently on the roster, joining shortstop Alexei Ramirez and outfielder Dayan Viciedo. "I know there were other teams interested but the support that I would have from Cuban players like Alexei and Dayan and from the beginning, they were interested and showed their interest," Abreu said through a translator. "When it came down to where it will be, it was pretty simple to pick the White Sox." Abreus agent Barry Praver said as many as eight teams were seriously involved before the list was narrowed to five finalists. All five final offers were at least $60 million. The 26-year-old Abreu will receive a signing bonus of $10 million, with $6 million payable upon approval by Major League Baseball and $4 million due Nov. 14, 2014. He will get salaries of $7 million in each of the next two seasons, $10 million in 2016, $10.5 million in 2017, $11.5 million in 2018 and $12 million in 2019. Praver said Abreu also has the right to opt out of the contract when he becomes arbitration eligible, though he would still be under White Sox control through arbitration. Praver described the negotiations as lengthy and competitive, which lasted two weeks from when teams were asked to submit their initial offers. "Hes A-plus in terms as far as dealing with a person," Praver said. "Very humble, very professional." Abreu, who defected last summer, batted .360 (9 for 25) with three home runs and nine RBIs at the World Baseball Classic last March. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Abreu is expected to play either first base or fill the designated hitter role. "Hes solid on balls in the dirt which is obviously important at first base," general manager Rick Hahn said. "We think he can he can be a solid everyday defensive contributor. Again, the plus-plus tools are the power and the hit tool. But we do view the defence and the throwing as solid/average." Abreu can help bolster a White Sox offence that scored the fewest runs in the American League and hit only 148 homme runs, tied for third fewest in the AL, en route to a 63-99 record one year after finishing second in the AL Central.dddddddddddd The White Sox envision Abreu hitting in the middle of the lineup, though Hahn didnt give any statistical expectations for Abreus first season, citing an adjustment period to a new country and league. "I just want to see him have the ability to maintain physically where he needs to be and mentally where he needs to be and then let the talent take over," Hahn said. During his 2013 season with Cienfuegos in the top-level league in Cuba, Abreu hit .316 with 19 home runs and 60 RBIs in 83 games. White Sox manager Robin Ventura envisions Abreu experiencing similar success to that of fellow Cubans, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig and Oakland Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. "So much has been said about my power and the home runs Ive hit, but more than hitting home runs, my mindset at the plate is whatever my team needs, thats my strategy," Abreu said. The addition of Abreu potentially makes first baseman Paul Konerko the odd-man out with slugger Adam Dunn set to return and owed $15 million in the final year of his contract. Konerko, who is a free agent, is taking time to consider whether he wants to retire or continue playing. Despite coming off a season in which he hit .244 with 12 home runs and 54 RBIs, Ventura said the 37-year-old Konerko deserves some time to think about his future. "I cant sit here and say how exactly itd work," Ventura said. "But if theyre on the roster you figure out a way to keep them sharp and playing." Hahn said he spoke to Konerko to inform him the White Sox were interested in Abreu and again to notify him of the signing. Hahn would not rule out Konerko returning but would not comment on specifics. "Hes going through his process and I think hes currently on vacation with his family," Hahn said. "When he gets back well set up a time to get together." Hahn didnt rule out more off-season moves but acknowledged it will be costly to add through free agency. "Its probably more likely that trades are next, but at the same time we havent even hit true domestic free agency yet so its not anything were ruling out until we do our similar due diligence on some of the players that are available there," Hahn said. ' ' '