Molinaris making a hash of the foursomes at Celtic Manor
Halfway through today's foursomes session at Celtic Manor, it's the USA who seem to be in the ascendancy at this year's Ryder Cup - as a heavy downpour of rain threatens to download proceedings once again.
For the time being, though, play continues; perhaps unfortunately, at least as far as Edoardo and Francesco Molinari are concerned. The brothers trail Americans Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan by two holes, having playing nine.
The Italian duo had got off to a slightly less than ideal start, officials apparently deciding to change the placing of the pin on the first hole without relaying that information to the brothers via the tournament sheet - though one would hope that the continental pair would, you know, weigh up their shots by actually looking at the green.
Whatever, the brothers seem way short on the form that saw them win the World Cup in China last November, both Francesco and Edoardo each missing relatively simple putts on the 9th, thus gifting Mahan and Johnson the hole and seeing the US pair go 2up as they enter the back nine.
Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer were 1up in their match against Jim Furyk and Rickie Fowler, having played eight, though that's due in part to the 21-year-old Fowler's inexperience, the Californian dropping the wrong ball on the 4th to forfeit the hole.
Padraig Harrington and Ross Fisher were playing Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, but if the Irishman was hoping to revitalise his play in the foursomes he started in the worse possible fashion, his shot from the bunker on the 1st hitting the lip and bouncing straight back to his feet (not that Fisher helped his partner by finding the sand in the first place). But after seven holes this match is all square, the Europeans winning two holes in a row on the 3rd and 4th.
The Northern Ireland pairing of Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy were again pitted against their earlier adversaries, Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar, and are all square after five. Likewise Luke Donald and Ian Poulter, also level with opponents Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton.
Earlier, Poulter had approached the tee to the sound of football fan style chants from the crowd, a section of supporters greeting the cocky Englishman with the 'one Ian Poulter' chant beloved of the terraces.
Miguel Angel Jimenez and Peter Hanson are taking on Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker, and after seven holes, the Americans are two up, thanks largely to an efficient Stricker, though ominously, Woods appears to be regaining some of his old confidence too.
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