The rainbow at Celtic Manor's Twenty Ten course this afternoon could just point to a pot (well, trophy) of gold for Europe, after Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy bested Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan 3&1 in their foursomes match to level the score for Europe, 6-6 with the USA.
Johnson had initially come out of the traps in fine style, making a 35ft putt on his opening hole, the 8th, to chip away at Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell's lead to 2up. And on the next hole McIlroy's putting, widely recognised as the weakest element of the 21-year-old's game, let him down again when a decent chance set up by McDowell fell well short, though McIlroy would birdie the 10th to go 3up once again.
Since then it's been Mahan whose putting has been awry, the American missing several reachable putts to allow the two Macs to dominate the match. That despite McDowell's pitiful tee shot on the short 13th, that saw his ball snugly ensconced in a bunker - unfortunately, Mahan appeared to be playing the golfing equivalent of Simon Says, pretty much aping the shot. That gave McIlroy the chance to recover, and the 21-year-old didn't disappoint.
On the 15th, though, it was McDowell who was showing his expertise on the dancefloor, putting from 15 feet out to retain that 3up lead and guaranteeing Europe at least a half-point in their match. And on the 16th McIlroy almost put away a fine pitch that ended up just inches from the cup.
Instead the Ulstermen's lead fell to 2up, Zach Johnson having putted for a birdie. But on the next hole McIlroy had a lengthy putt to win the match, and this time he made no mistake.
Earlier this afternoon, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald had defeated Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods 6&5 in the days other foursomes match to score Europe's first point of the afternoon.
In the fourballs, meanwhile, Ian Poulter and Martin Kaymer are two-up against Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler, while both pairings of Padraig Harrington and Ross Fisher and Peter Hanson and Miguel Angel Jimenez are both 1-up in their matches, with the Molinari brothers all-square in their match against Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar. Plenty of time for those scores to change of course.
The Ryder Cup will be decided tomorrow in singles matches, the competition finishing on a Monday for the first time in its 83-year history after driving rain delayed play earlier this morning.
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