The U.S., loser of six of the past eight Ryder Cup competitions, holds a 5-3 lead heading into today’s second day of matches at golf’s premier international team event.
The Americans won three of four afternoon fourball matches yesterday after the two sides split the morning’s foursomes matches 2-2. The pairing of Ryder Cup rookie Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson, a Golf Hall of Fame member, led the U.S. with two victories at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago.
“Everybody played real well and hung in there and had a lot of fun,” U.S. Captain Davis Love III said after yesterday’s matches. “Seemed like as the sun came out, we just got better and better.”
Mickelson, a four-time major tournament winner, closed out the second match with a 7-iron shot to about two feet on the 17th hole. Bradley, 26, hugged Mickelson as they walked to the green with their arms over each other’s shoulders.
“It’s the greatest shot I’ve ever seen,” Bradley, the 2011 PGA Championship winner, said. “It never left the flagstick. We were running down the fairway, we had our arms around each other, we were screaming. It was just a moment that I’ll obviously never forget the rest of my life.”
Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker, paired together for both of the day’s matches, suffered two defeats, falling to Lee Westwood and Nicolas Colsaerts in the afternoon after losing to Englishmen Ian Poulter and Justin Rose in the morning.
Colsaerts, 29, of Belgium, playing in his first Ryder Cup, had eight birdies and an eagle in the fourballs win against Woods and Stricker to give Europe its only victory of the day’s second session.
[h=2]‘Made Everything’[/h]“Nicolas probably had one of the greatest putting rounds I’ve ever seen,” Woods, who missed a chance to tie the match when his 15-foot putt missed on the final green, said after his second loss. “We ran into a guy who made everything.”
The win prevented an afternoon sweep by the U.S.
“It’s a massive point,” Westwood said. “If we would have lost, it would have been difficult to come back. We’ve still got our backs against the wall, but two down after the first day, it could have been worse.”
For this morning’s foursomes, Love kept Bradley and Mickelson together for a third straight match. The duo will face Englishmen Westwood and Luke Donald in the second match after Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson open play for the U.S. against Rose and Poulter. Colsaerts will partner this morning with Sergio Garcia of Spain in a match against Americans Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson. In the final morning match, Northern Irishmen Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell will face Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker.
[h=2]Changing Momentum[/h]“We have to change the momentum,” European captain Jose Maria Olazabal told reporters. “We need to have a great day, both morning and afternoon sessions. That’s what we are aiming for.”
The two sides will then play four more fourball matches in the afternoon.
In yesterday’s other afternoon fourballs, Watson and Simpson defeated Paul Lawrie of Scotland and Peter Hanson of Sweden, and Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar beat Rose and Martin Kaymer of Germany.
In fourballs, each golfer in the two-man teams plays his own ball with the lowest individual score winning the hole for the team.
In the morning foursomes session, in which two-man teams alternate shots with the same ball, Dufner and Johnson joined Mickelson and Bradley with a victory for the host team, while the European duos of McIlroy and McDowell and Poulter and Rose won for the visitors.
[h=2]Morning Matches[/h]Mickelson and Bradley gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead to start the day when they defeated Donald and Garcia. It was the first time Donald or Garcia had lost a foursomes match.
McIlroy and McDowell tied the matches at 1-1 by defeating Furyk and Snedeker with a par on the final hole.
Dufner and Johnson put the U.S. back on top with a win over Westwood and Francisco Molinari of Italy before Europe tied it again when Poulter and Rose beat Woods and Stricker to end the morning session.
The U.S. team features five of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, while four of the European golfers are ranked among the top five.
Europe has won three of the past four editions of the Ryder Cup, including a one-point victory in 2010 at Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales.
After today’s play, the competition will end with 12 singles matches tomorrow. The U.S. needs 14 1/2 of the possible 28 points to win back the cup, while Europe needs 14 points to retain it.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mike Buteau in Atlanta at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at [email protected]
The Americans won three of four afternoon fourball matches yesterday after the two sides split the morning’s foursomes matches 2-2. The pairing of Ryder Cup rookie Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson, a Golf Hall of Fame member, led the U.S. with two victories at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago.
“Everybody played real well and hung in there and had a lot of fun,” U.S. Captain Davis Love III said after yesterday’s matches. “Seemed like as the sun came out, we just got better and better.”
Mickelson, a four-time major tournament winner, closed out the second match with a 7-iron shot to about two feet on the 17th hole. Bradley, 26, hugged Mickelson as they walked to the green with their arms over each other’s shoulders.
“It’s the greatest shot I’ve ever seen,” Bradley, the 2011 PGA Championship winner, said. “It never left the flagstick. We were running down the fairway, we had our arms around each other, we were screaming. It was just a moment that I’ll obviously never forget the rest of my life.”
Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker, paired together for both of the day’s matches, suffered two defeats, falling to Lee Westwood and Nicolas Colsaerts in the afternoon after losing to Englishmen Ian Poulter and Justin Rose in the morning.
Colsaerts, 29, of Belgium, playing in his first Ryder Cup, had eight birdies and an eagle in the fourballs win against Woods and Stricker to give Europe its only victory of the day’s second session.
[h=2]‘Made Everything’[/h]“Nicolas probably had one of the greatest putting rounds I’ve ever seen,” Woods, who missed a chance to tie the match when his 15-foot putt missed on the final green, said after his second loss. “We ran into a guy who made everything.”
The win prevented an afternoon sweep by the U.S.
“It’s a massive point,” Westwood said. “If we would have lost, it would have been difficult to come back. We’ve still got our backs against the wall, but two down after the first day, it could have been worse.”
For this morning’s foursomes, Love kept Bradley and Mickelson together for a third straight match. The duo will face Englishmen Westwood and Luke Donald in the second match after Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson open play for the U.S. against Rose and Poulter. Colsaerts will partner this morning with Sergio Garcia of Spain in a match against Americans Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson. In the final morning match, Northern Irishmen Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell will face Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker.
[h=2]Changing Momentum[/h]“We have to change the momentum,” European captain Jose Maria Olazabal told reporters. “We need to have a great day, both morning and afternoon sessions. That’s what we are aiming for.”
The two sides will then play four more fourball matches in the afternoon.
In yesterday’s other afternoon fourballs, Watson and Simpson defeated Paul Lawrie of Scotland and Peter Hanson of Sweden, and Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar beat Rose and Martin Kaymer of Germany.
In fourballs, each golfer in the two-man teams plays his own ball with the lowest individual score winning the hole for the team.
In the morning foursomes session, in which two-man teams alternate shots with the same ball, Dufner and Johnson joined Mickelson and Bradley with a victory for the host team, while the European duos of McIlroy and McDowell and Poulter and Rose won for the visitors.
[h=2]Morning Matches[/h]Mickelson and Bradley gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead to start the day when they defeated Donald and Garcia. It was the first time Donald or Garcia had lost a foursomes match.
McIlroy and McDowell tied the matches at 1-1 by defeating Furyk and Snedeker with a par on the final hole.
Dufner and Johnson put the U.S. back on top with a win over Westwood and Francisco Molinari of Italy before Europe tied it again when Poulter and Rose beat Woods and Stricker to end the morning session.
The U.S. team features five of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, while four of the European golfers are ranked among the top five.
Europe has won three of the past four editions of the Ryder Cup, including a one-point victory in 2010 at Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales.
After today’s play, the competition will end with 12 singles matches tomorrow. The U.S. needs 14 1/2 of the possible 28 points to win back the cup, while Europe needs 14 points to retain it.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mike Buteau in Atlanta at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at [email protected]