Europe sweep afternoon foursomes to take lead over USA – Ryder Cup

Ryder Cup 2018

Europe 5-3 USA

Europe produced a barnstorming Ryder Cup comeback on Friday as they swept the foursomes in devastating style to take an overnight 5-3 lead after the United States has drawn first blood by taking the fourballs 3-1.

It was the first time Europe had won all four foursomes matches – having suffered a 4-0 reverse in the format en route to defeat in Hazeltine two years ago – and their first sweep in either format since 1989.

Morning Fourballs recap:

Rory McIlroy and Thorbjorn Olesen lost 4&2 to Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler

McIlroy’s wedge play and putting was never up to scratch and that placed a lot of pressure on rookie Olesen, who drove his opening tee shot into the water.

They were lucky Johnson missed a three-footer to win the hole. Europe made the first move when Olesen won the short eighth with a par-three but the Dane then found water again at the ninth and with McIlroy unable to advance his ball far from deep rough they dropped the first of four holes in five to go three down and the match was eventually conceded on the 16th when Johnson hit it close.

Justin Rose and Jon Rahm lost by 1 hole to Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau

Rose was given the task of playing the first match for the third Ryder Cup in succession and responded in a style befitting a man who birdied the 72nd hole of the Tour Championship on Sunday to win $10million. A superb approach to the first set up a tap-in birdie and although Finau chipped in for an eagle on the sixth, the American rookie drove out of bounds on the next before Rahm’s birdie on the eighth doubled the lead.

Koepka’s chip in on the 11th was immediately followed by an even better one from Rose, but Koepka’s birdie on the 13th was followed by a massive stroke of luck on the 16th, where Finau’s water-bound tee shot hit a wooden sleeper on the edge of the hazard and bounced to within three feet of the hole. Rose then found the water with his approach to the 18th and the American pair had pulled off an unlikely win.

Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton lost by 1 hole to Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas

The all-English pairing faced a daunting task against good friends Spieth and Thomas, two men who have both been ranked world number one, and Spieth made a flying start by almost holing his approach to the first.

The three-time major winner also added birdies on the third, fifth, sixth and seventh before Thomas got in on the act with a birdie on the par-five ninth. Casey birdied the ninth and 10th simply to limit the damage and made it four in a row on 11 and 12 to close the gap, before Hatton’s birdie on the 13th remarkably got them back on level terms.

However, Thomas birdied the daunting 15th to edge the Americans back in front and that proved decisive.

Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood won 3&1 against Patrick Reed and Tiger Woods

Much was made of Woods’ renaissance but his play was nowhere near the level which helped him win his first event in five years at the Tour Championship on Sunday.

It began badly for the USA when Reed dumped his approach at the first into water, and Molinari birdied from eight feet. Woods levelled things up without even having to attempt a short birdie putt with the Europeans both in the same bunker.

Sand trouble for the Americans at the fourth saw Fleetwood hit an eight-iron to four feet at the fourth to put them ahead again, but they lost the seventh after failing to make par.

The long ninth also went the way of the USA after Fleetwood and Molinari both criminally failed to make par. Reed’s chip-in birdie at the 10th put them two up before Molinari holed a 20-footer at the next to reduce the deficit.

At the 15th Molinari and Reed put their approaches into the water and with Woods having to lay up out of the rough, Fleetwood birdied from the fringe.

Reed flirted with the water at the next while Woods went in it and Fleetwood holed a monster putt across the green to go one up. With the American pair failing to find the 17th green in regulation, Open champion Molinari birdied from 15ft.

Score after morning session: Europe 1 United States 3 

Afternoon Foursomes recap:

Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose beat Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler 3&2

A pairing which won all three of their matches together at Gleneagles were reunited as Europe attempted to comeback from a morning deficit and they duly delivered another point against sub-par opponents.

The American pair were five over par for the first 11 holes and although a first birdie of the round on the 13th helped reduce the deficit, Stenson and Rose closed out a comfortable win.

Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter beat Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson 4&2

McIlroy made up for his morning disappointment, while Poulter bounced back from hitting his opening drive into the water to win Europe’s second point of the afternoon.

After losing another hole to a birdie at the par-five third, Northern Irishman McIlroy’s first birdie of the day from eight feet finally arrived at the sixth to get back to one down.

They were level when Simpson could not hole a 15-foot par putt at the seventh and when Simpson’s par putt lipped out at the short eighth and McIlroy holed from four feet, Europe were ahead.

Watson missed a six-foot par putt having made a mess of the long ninth and Poulter and McIlroy turned two up having won four in a row. They never relinquished that position and eventually sealed a 4&2 win.

Sergio Garcia and Alex Noren beat Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau 5&4

After sitting out the opening session, veteran Garcia was given the task of partnering rookie Alex Noren, albeit a rookie who won the French Open at Le Golf National earlier this season.

Par was enough to win the second hole and the European duo were gifted the next as well when Mickelson hooked his tee shot into the water, but the Swede and the Spaniard combined to birdie four of the next six holes to move seven up.

They lost the 10th after Noren drove into the water and also the 13th when Garcia did the same, but that was merely delaying the inevitable and victory was secured on the 14th.

Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood beat Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth 5&4

There was double success for the Molinari-Fleetwood partnership as they returned to the course to see off the USA’s top afternoon pair.

Fleetwood got things going with a birdie putt at the third and a 15-footer for par at the fifth was enough to extend their lead.

The Southport golfer found his touch on the green with a curling 12-footer at the sixth taking them three up, although he did miss a par putt at the eighth to hand a hole back.

They were four up through 10 only for Molinari to fire his tee shot into the crowd at the 11th leading to the loss of the hole. But Spieth found water at the 13th to put Europe four up and victory was secured with a Molinari birdie at the 14th.

Morning fourballs (Irish time):
07:10 Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia v Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau
07:25 Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton v Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler
07:40 Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood v Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed
07:55 Ian Poulter and Jon Rahm v Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth