Recapping Saturday’s Ryder Cup foursome matches
Here’s a recap of Saturday’s Ryder Cup matches at Medinah Country Club, with Team USA taking an 11-5 lead heading into the final 12 singles matches today. The United States needs to win 14½ points to capture the trophy.
Saturday morning foursomes
Result: U.S. wins session 3-1
Match 9
USA: Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson
EUROPE: Ian Poulter and Justin Rose
Result: Europe wins 1 up
Recap: Watson and Simpson were 1 up through eight, but lost the next two holes. There was still hope for the U.S. to halve the match after Watson stuck his second shot on 18 to 6 feet, but Simpson couldn’t convert the birdie putt.
Poulter: on revving the crowd up on first tee box, like Watson did the day before, “I knew he was going to do it again today, so why not enjoy the fun of what it was. I mean, my heart rate went from I would say 100 to 180 pretty quickly. It was a great buzz.”
Match 10
USA: Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson
EUROPE: Lee Westwood and Luke Donald
Result: U.S. wins 7&6
Recap: This match was over before the morning dew left the grass. After Mickelson hit a wedge to a foot away on No. 1 for an easy birdie, and Westwood bounced one into the water on No. 2, the U.S. power duo picked up a head of steam that never stopped. Mickelson and Bradley had an incredible 6 birdies in just 12 holes and tied the Ryder Cup record for largest margin of victory.
Mickelson: “The crowd has provided so much energy, and it’s brought our best golf out.”
Match 11
USA: Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson
EUROPE: Nicolas Colsaerts and Sergio Garcia
Result: U.S. wins 2&1
Recap: Garcia buried a long birdie putt on the 16th hole to trim Europe’s deficit to 1 down, but Colsaerts put his drive in the water on the par-3 17th and that ended the rally.
Johnson: “We just know each others’ games well. If he has a question, I kind of know when it’s going to come. If I have a question or concern, I can go to him. We think the same, our mentalities are the same, I would say our games are very similar.”
Match 12
USA: Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker
EUROPE: Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell
Result: U.S. wins 1 up
Recap: McIlroy and McDowell recorded 13 straight pars until finally carding a birdie on No. 14. Amazingly, they were only 2 down after 15 holes. McIlroy then drained a birdie on 16 to cut the deficit to 1 down, but he couldn’t sink a tricky 35-footer on 18 to halve the match.
Saturday afternoon fourballs
Match 13
USA: Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar
EUROPE: Nicolas Colsaerts and Paul Lawrie
Result: USA wins 1 up
Recap: Kuchar made opened with three birdies in five holes as the Americans took a 2-up lead and never trailed. They never had it easy, either. Colsaerts made everything from every distance in fourballs Friday, and this time it seemed as though he caught every lip. On the 17th, Johnson rolled in a 20-foot putt for the loudest roar of the week and a 1-up lead. Colsaerts hit wedge on the 18th hole that spun back and lipped out — again — and he missed a 10-foot putt that would have halved the match.
Match 14
USA: Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson
EUROPE: Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari
Result: USA wins 5&4
Recap: Simpson must have been irritated for missing all those short putts in the morning foursomes. In this match, it didn’t seem as though he missed anything at all. Simpson made birdie on the third hole for a 1-up lead, and the Americans never looked back. Watson made it 2 up on the par-5 seventh, and then Simpson took over from there by running off four straight birdies.
Match 15
USA: Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker
EUROPE: Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald
Result: Europe wins 1 up
Recap: Not many could have seen this coming. A stirring match between these four players, none of whom had won a point all week. Garcia ran off three birdies in five holes as Europe jumped out to the lead, and Donald birdied the eighth and ninth holes to extend the lead to 4 up. That’s when Woods woke up. His birdie on the 10th, and Stricker’s 8-foot birdie putt on the 12th cut the lead in half. Woods hit his tee shot to 3 feet on the 13th and the Americans were 1 down. But they could never catch up. Stricker had an 8-foot birdie on the final hole to halve the match, but it caught the left lip and spun out.
Match 16
USA: Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson
EUROPE: Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter
Result: Europe wins 1 up
Recap:The sleeper American pairing won the first two holes, were 2 up at the turn and appeared to be in control of the match. Everything changed on the par-3 13th hole, when McIlroy holed a 15-foot sliding putt for birdie. Poulter made a 6-foot birdie on the 14th to halve the hole. In a peculiar move, Johnson teed off first on the 15th and hit driver into the water. That forced Dufner to lay up, and Poulter made birdie with a delicate blast out of the sand to 2 feet. The match was all square, and Poulter came to life. He holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 16th to go 1 up. Johnson hit his tee shot to 4 feet on the 17th, and with McIlroy missing the green, Poulter made a 7-foot birdie putt for Europe to stay 1 up. Dufner hit an approach to 4 feet on the 18th hole and made the birdie putt, leaving Poulter a 12-footer for birdie to halve the hole and win the match. He made it for his fifth straight birdie.