Ryder Cup: Match-by-match summary of Saturday's fourballs
Sunday 2 October 2016 01:33, UK
Team USA repelled a Rory McIlroy-inspired fightback to open up a three-point lead over Europe heading into Sunday's singles at the Ryder Cup. Here's a look at how the drama unfolded match-by-match during the afternoon fourballs...
After being whitewashed in Friday's opening session, Darren Clarke's side hit back to win three of the afternoon fourballs and they maintained that momentum on Saturday to win two-and-a half-points from the morning foursomes.
But the Americans will hold the advantage going into Sunday's singles matches following a crucial missed putt at the final hole by Lee Westwood, leaving the scores at 9.5 to 6.5.
The competition concludes with 12 singles matches. Europe need 14 points overall to retain the trophy while the US team need 14.5 points to win.
Here, we take a look at how the drama unfolded in Minnesota.
Saturday's fourballs
Match 1
Rory McIlroy and Thomas Pieters beat Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson 3&1
The Europeans owned the early edge with McIlroy and Pieters taking a 2-up lead to the 6th hole. Northern Irishman McIlroy continued his brilliant form with a 30ft birdie putt at the second and when Pieters drove the green at the 312-yard fifth and holed for eagle, things were looking very good for Europe.
Young Belgian Pieters put them three up at the eighth and another McIlroy birdie saw Europe turn four ahead, although a missed four-footer for birdie at the 11th and back-to-back Johnson's birdies cut the lead by half.
Pieters' back-to-back birdies made it dormie four but Johnson and Koepka birdies kept things alive until the 17th when Pieters' two finally finished them off.
Hard to believe
What happened on the fifth hole was hard to believe.
Koepka hit a drive off the tee that strayed to the left into the rough, bounced once and onto the back of a spectator standing just inside the ropes. The ball astoundingly stayed lodged between the man's back and the top of his backpack. The story got stranger from there. The man's identity? None other than the father of Pieters, according to NBC.
Koepka had to take a drop, and the Americans were able to make birdie on the par-4.
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Emotions running high
Asked about his emotional reaction to the crowd, McIlroy said: "It's a tough environment but we expect that. You have to keep your concentration out there and it's been a long day and sometimes emotions run high.
"It fuelled me a lot. The more they shouted, the better we played, so I hope they shout at us all day tomorrow."
Match 2
JB Holmes and Ryan Moore beat Danny Willett and Lee Westwood 1 up
This contest could not have been any tighter. Willett was fired up early on as he flopped one in for a birdie and a half at the second and then sank a 15-footer for birdie and a half at the next.
Westwood's run of three successive birdies from the fifth helped Europe go one up and although JB Holmes cancelled that out at the ninth Westwood celebrated wildly when his long birdie effort dropped at the next.
Holmes' birdie two at the 13th levelled things up again and inexcusably Europe lost the short 17th to a par.
It came to the crunch with Darren Clarke's side given two chances to win the last and halve the match but Willett missed from 10 feet before Westwood did the same, but this time from just two to sum up his woeful weekend.
Oh Danny boy!
Having matched JB Holmes' birdie at the second, Masters champion Willett stepped things up after sinking a magical 12-footer by chipping in at the next for a half.
Westwood blunder
The most experienced player on the European team, playing in his 10th Ryder Cup, had a chance to redeem himself on the final green and having hit a mid-iron, Westwood's major strength, to two feet he missed the putt, his major weakness, for a birdie which would have given Europe half a point.
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Match 3
Phil Mickelson and Matt Kuchar beat Martin Kaymer and Sergio Garcia 2&1
The successful Spanish pairing of Garcia and Rafa Cabrera Bello was split up by captain Darren Clarke with former world No 1 Kaymer coming in.
The German made a birdie the first but the two-time major winner did not make another until the 15th, which by that stage was only good enough to halve the hole and remain three down.
Garcia managed six birdies, including on the 16th and 17th as he battled to keep the match alive, but Mickelson followed him in on the 17th to seal the win.
Putt of the day
Kuchar delivered a crushing blow to Kaymer and Garcia's hopes with a monster 50-foot putt of epic proportions at the 14th and celebrated by dancing with his partner Mickelson.
Match 4
Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed beat Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson 2&1
Reed and Spieth played together for the fourth time this week and raced to an early three-hole lead thanks largely
to three birdies and an eagle in four holes from Reed.
The European pair birdied the 12th and 13th to close the deficit, but Reed won the 14th and 15th with more
birdies and it took Stenson chipping in for an eagle on the 17th to keep the match alive.
But Reed's stellar performance meant that Europe faced a three-point deficit heading into the singles.
