Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy earn the opening point for the European team in the Ryder Cup
The two Northern Irishmen, Graeme McDowell and the world number one, Rory McIlroy, paired in the Friday morning Foursomes and earned the opening point for the European Ryder Cup team.
The pair defeated their American counterparts, Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker, in a neck wrecking match at the Medinah Country Club.
McIlroy, who won two of the four PGA Tour Playoffs events, prior to entering the biennial event, was among the hot favourites to earn points for his team in the team tournament.
That was the major reason behind his selection for the opening match in the event this year. The European pair got off to a slow start, as they lost a point on the second hole, after carding a bogey four.
However, they bounced back quickly with birdies on the fourth and the sixth hole. Standing on the ninth tee, both the pairs had two points each registered against their names.
That was a time when McDowell and McIlroy made a strong charge on the scorecard by earning three shots in a row. The Americans then responded by defeating their opponents three times on the next five holes.
On the 18th tees, both the pairs were all-squared. Snedeker was the first one to go out for the tee shot.
However, his drive went 50 yards to the right of the fairway bunker in the trees. The very next moment, McIlroy’s drive bounced back after hitting a tree.
Afterwards, Furyk made a shot out of the trees to the side of the fairway and McDowell’s chip shot landed in the greenside bunker.
Snedeker and McIlroy then flew the ball to the green, giving their team mates a chance to make the winning point.
However, Furyk’s attempt for the par putt slipped past the cup. In the meantime, McDowell turned in the ball for a par and gave the European team a one-point advantage over the United States team.
“To me, that match summed up the Ryder Cup,” McDowell said. “Rory and I played some great golf to go three-up, and then we found ourselves playing against two very gutsy players who clawed their way back level coming into the final two holes. I wanted Rory
hitting the tee-shot at the last and our strategy paid off”.
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