Lefty battles for a half

Comeback sets USA on their way

Last updated: 20th September 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Lefty battles for a half

Mickelson: stunning recovery play

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Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim battled back from three down with six holes to play to earn a half against Ireland's Padraig Harrington and Swede Robert Karlsson.

World number two Mickelson somehow kept his team in the game despite a desperately poor showing from his rookie partner and the half will have felt like a win for the USA - and vice versa for Europe.

Mickelson seemeed to be getting Kim out of trouble on every hole and a magnificent bunker shot at the ninth from the left-hander meant they turned all square.

But Harrington holed a four-foot birdie putt at the 10th to put Europe ahead and two more pars stretched the lead to three after the 12th.

A poor wedge shot from the fairway by Karlsson led to a bogey at 13 and the lead was cut to two.

At 14 Mickelson fired a magnificent pitch shot to a foot to again get his partner out of trouble and a European bogey meant they were just one up.

Mickelson was in overdrive by now and when he holed from 16 feet for birdie at 15, the roars could be heard all over the course.

Kim finally made an impact at 16 as he chipped to two feet, but Harrington holed a 15-footer for par to keep the match all square.

Both pairs will feel they should have won the par five 18th and the match.

Both drives found sand and neither second shot finished on the green, but after Kim left his pitch in the greenside bunker, Harrington had a 10-footer to win the match.

It rolled agonisingly past and Kim's relief was evident after he made a five-foot par putt for the half.