SAN FRANCISCO — The United States took a 3½-2½ lead over the International team in the Presidents Cup Thursday, a good start that was tempered only in the final match when Justin Leonard missed a 3-foot putt that led to a tie.

Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker were dominant from the start, playing bogey-free in the difficult alternate-shot format for a 6-and-4 victory over Geoff Ogilvy and 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa. Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim came to life late, closing with four straight birdies for a 3-and-2 victory over Mike Weir and Tim Clark.

NEW YORK — NFL ratings are at their highest in 20 years.Through the first four weeks of the season, games are drawing their best average viewership since 1989 at 17.4 million, up 14 percent from the same point in 2008. The average was 18.1 million in 1989 through four weeks.Sunday doubleheader games starting at 4:15 EDT this year on CBS and Fox have averaged 22.3 million viewers, which ranks as television's most-watched show on a weekly basis.Monday night's Packers-Vikings matchup on ESPN was the most-watched show in cable TV history with 21.8 million viewers.

ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Blues honored Al MacInnis with a statue depicting the Hall of Fame defenseman loading up for a booming slap shot before their home opener Thursday.Despite rain, hundreds of fans attended the ceremony for MacInnis, who played for the Blues from 1994-2004 and now is vice president of hockey operations. The statue is located outside the Scottrade Center, next to one of fellow Hall of Famer Bernie Federko.