Fearsome in the foursomes
Europe dominates afternoon play, takes 5-3 lead after one day of Ryder Cup
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — Three matches in the books, three red points on the board, and Tiger Woods was still on the golf course.
This was exactly the start the Americans wanted in the Ryder Cup.
And then Europe finished even better.
Four hours later, the cheers at Le Golf National ramped up to a feverish pitch as Europe swept all four matches Friday afternoon for a 5-3 score. It was the first time Europe swept a session since 1989, and the first time ever at the Ryder Cup in foursomes.
“We didn’t come here to win the foursomes,” Francesco Molinari said. “We came here to win something else.”
Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood were the only Europeans to play both matches, and they won them both. They combined for five birdies over their last seven holes to polish off Woods and Patrick Reed and salvage something from a morning that belonged to the Americans. They took down Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in the afternoon.
“It was a bit of a roller-coaster ride,” European captain Thomas Bjorn said. “We know it’s a marathon, and we’re delighted with the way the day turned out because it was a fairly tough morning. We go home happy tonight, but we refocus and look forward to tomorrow.”
The change was noticeable in the body language.
The Americans walked tall and had reason to feel as though nothing could go wrong, especially Tony Finau. It was his amazing fortune that turned the tide in the morning. He and Brooks Koepka were 1 down to Justin Rose and Jon Rahm on the par-3 16th when Finau’s 8-iron appeared headed for the water. Instead, it landed on the 12-inch wide boards that frame the green, soared
into the air as the gallery gasped, and plopped down 3 feet from the hole.
They wound up winning on the 18th when Rose hit into the water, the only time Finau and Koepka led all match.
In the afternoon, the mood changed in the mild air and freshening wind. Spieth was shaking his head after all those putts that dropped in the morning slid by the edge of the cup in the afternoon. Ian Poulter’s eyes grew wider with each hole he won with Rory McIlroy in the afternoon.
“You see a change in body language,” U.S. captain Jim Furyk said. “I’m sure the Europeans’ body language significantly changed to all smiles and boisterous and hugs and high-fives, and I’m sure the looks on some of my players were not quite
the happiest, and dead opposite this morning.” Furyk tried to see the big picture. “It was four points out of 28 that we played for,” he said. “We are not happy with it. I think we use it as motivation tomorrow.”
The Americans are trying to end 25 years of losing the Ryder Cup in Europe. SCORE: Europe 5, United States 3. FOURBALLS: United States 3, Europe 1 FOURSOMES: Europe 4, United States 0.
MATCH OF THE DAY: Sergio Garcia and Alex Noren were 5-under 31 on the front nine in foursomes and built a 7-up lead at the turn over Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau. They wound up winning 5 and 4.
SHOT OF THE DAY: Rory McIlroy had to play a shot just inside the hazard line near the water on the 13th hole in foursomes. With the ball well below his feet in thick rough, he hit it out to 18 feet to set up a birdie putt by Ian Poulter. GOOD RECORD: Sergio Garcia tied Bernhard Langer’s record in the Ryder Cup by winning a foursomes match, giving him 11½ points. Phil Mickelson set the record by competing in his 12th straight Ryder Cup, and he tied Nick Faldo by playing in his 46th match. BAD RECORD: Mickelson set the American record for most losses in the Ryder Cup with 21. STAT OF THE DAY: The Americans made 19 bogeys in the foursomes session, compared with nine bogeys from the four European teams.