Europe lead USA by 3, as five out of six pairings win
Europe lead the USA by 9½ to 6½ in the Ryder Cup, after three of Monty's four pairings in this afternoon's fourballs won their matches, a remarkable five of the European partnerships winning altogether today - with the remaining sixth pair salvaging half a point.
Despite Padraig Harrington's status as something of a passenger this afternoon, his partner Ross Fisher was playing with enough assurance to pull the Dubliner's fat out of the fire, Fisher doing the lion's share to retain the pairing's lead from yesterday over opponent's Dustin Johnson and Jim Furyk - with a little help from the US duo.
Furyk's $7million win at the FedEx Cup last week might account for the 40-year-old's somewhat indifferent form this week - the American is presumably wondering what he's doing in windswept Wales a week after making the biggest score of his career. And Johnson's similarly underwhelming play would seem to back up the belief that the young American reacts poorly to pressure - see that final day collapse at the US Open earlier this year for further proof.
Whatever, it fell to Fisher to win the match on the 17th with a 15 ft putt, and the Englishman obliged, Europe winning 2&1 as the normally diffident Fisher gave it plenty of celebratory fist-pumping.
Peter Hanson and Miguel Angel Jimenez's match against Jeff Overton and Bubba Watson had seesawed all day, Overton growing understandably animated after he made an eagle early on to reduce the Europeans lead to just 1up.
But the US pair were unable to build on that early boost until the 14th, when Hanson failed to knock in a long putt to halve the hole, meaning the score was squared. After staying level with the US on the 15th thanks to a Hanson birdie, on the 16th Jimenez made a fine putt to take Europe 1up once again, after Overton, faced with an easier putt, failed to deliver.
Each team made par on the 17th, and on the 18th both Overton and Bubba failed to make putts to claim a half point, leaving the Spanish-Swedish partnership to take the spoils 2up.
Ian Poulter and Martin Kaymer had started in impressive fashion, the Englishman knocking in a birdie putt on the 5th to go 3up against Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler. But the German half of the partnership didn't seem to be entirely at the races today, and having been 3down early on, Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler had fought their way back into the game to make it all square by the 13th, where Mickelson made a birdie putt.
But first Kaymer and then Poulter won the next two holes to go 2up before the PGA Championship winner putted to within inches of the cup on the 17th, a shot that was enough to see the US concede, giving Europe, remarkably, their fifth victory of the day.
That left those battling Molinari brothers. Playing Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar, the Italians had led up to the 9th, but the US fought their way back to make things all square and then go 1up. Some weak putting from the Italians as the afternoon progressed didn't exactly augur well for a turnaround, but with the match going all the way to the 18th, Francesco hit a wonderful pitch to within four feet of the hole and then followed it up with a solid putt to make it all square.
Earlier this afternoon Lee Westwood and Luke Donald had comfortably won their foursomes match against Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods 6&5, while Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell also triumphed against Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan 3&1.
Rain delayed play on the Twenty Ten course earlier this morning, meaning that for the first time in the history of the competition the tournament will conclude on a Monday.
That means the singles matches originally scheduled for today have been postponed til tomorrow, teeing off at 9.05 - and though Europe hold the advantage now, the USA have historically proven stronger in singles competition. Let's hope Colin Montgomerie's team can buck that trend.
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