Europe fight back
American lead cut to one
Morning Foursomes
US 1 ½ Europe 2 ½
Darren Clarke wanted Rory McIlroy and Thomas Pieters to take the fight to the Americans and they certainly obliged. Pieters set the tone by raising a finger to his lips after holing out at the first, and as Fowler struggled they took full advantage. Phil Mickelson was even forced to play a righthanded shot after a poor Rickie Fowler drive, and the senior man on the US team holed a 50-foot putt to stop his pair going four holes down after eight. Tensions between the teams were rising, but the European duo raised their game to finish the match with successive birdies.
Matt Fitzpatrick was making his debut alongside Open champion Henrik Stenson, but they swiftly went two holes down after a pair of bogeys. That, though, was cancelled out by two birdies on the 7th and the 11th – the latter a superb chip to within inches by Fitzpatrick. The vital moment came on the 12th as Brooks Koepka’s second shot seemed destined for the water only to hit a tree as the hole was halved. The home pair made the most of that stroke of luck with birdies on the next four holes, with the game up when Fitzpatrick found the water on 16.
One of the tightest matches of the opening two days, with Europe only taking the lead thanks to Chris Wood’s nerveless eight-foot birdie putt at the seventh, with Justin Rose’s brilliant approach shot at the 10th helping them to double their lead. The American pair were far from finished, though, with Rose hardly helping his side’s cause by inexplicably deciding to go for the 16th green in two rather than taking an extra shot for safety. The Olympic champion found the water and the lead was down to one – but two pars proved enough to secure a vital point.
The top US pair made four birdies in five to go three up, though Europe made an excellent half on the fifth after Sergio García’s tee shot ended up in a marshal’s pocket. When García missed an 18-inch putt at the 11th Europe were four down and in deep trouble. But out of nowhere Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth suffered a dramatic collapse while the Europeans found their form to wipe out that lead in four holes, with Rafa Cabrera-Bello’s chip-in on the 17th bringing them level. Nervy pars at the last ensured Europe secured a half that felt very much like a victory.