U.S. has tall task ahead today
Americans trail 10-6 in Ryder Cup entering final session
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood walked down the fairway after delivering another big point in the Ryder Cup, side by side with their arms around each other’s shoulder.
Here came “Moliwood” at Le Golf National, the latest Ryder Cup sensation and the first European tandem to win all four matches since the current format began in 1979. Even more satisfying was that three of those points came at the expense of Tiger Woods.
But this was no time to celebrate.
“We came here to do a job, and it wasn’t to go in the record books or anything like that,” Molinari said.
And now they have to do it by themselves.
Everything points to Europe taking back the precious gold trophy today, starting from a 10-6 lead that requires Europe to win only 4½ points from the 12 singles matches on the final day.
Woods hasn’t won any of his three matches. Phil Mickelson didn’t even play Saturday.
Europe filled the board with its blue scores right from the start, winning three of the four matches in fourballs for an 8-4 lead, its largest after three sessions in 14 years. It held on in foursomes, with Henrik Stenson delivering clutch putts in the only match that was close.
But the score should sound familiar, and it was enough to make them cautious.
That’s the same deficit Europe faced in 2012 at Medinah when it produced the largest comeback on foreign soil. The Americans have never made up that much ground away from home, though they were the first to win after trailing 10-6, at Brookline in 1999 when they frontloaded the Sunday lineup with their biggest stars.
And that was on the mind of Europe captain Thomas Bjorn, even as he was drowned out by thousands of fans using what was left of their voices to sing, “Ole, ole, ole, ole,” the European anthem for these matches that Americans have heard far too often.
“We go ahead tomorrow and focus on what’s ahead and not what’s done,” Bjorn said. “We are so well aware of what’s standing across on the other side — the greatest players in the world. … I would never get ahead of myself in this.
“History will show me and everybody on this team that it’s not over.”
Even so, he couldn’t contain a smile.
If not for Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, the Americans might really be in trouble. They pulled ahead in a tight fourballs match to beat Ian Poulter and Jon Rahm for the lone American point in the morning that prevented Europe from a second straight sweep of a team session.
SCORE: Europe 10, United States 6.
FOURBALLS: Europe won the session, 3-1.
FOURSOMES: Both teams each won two matches.
AT STAKE: 12 singles matches today. Europe needs to win 4½ points to win back the Ryder Cup.
MATCH OF THE DAY: Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood did not make a bogey in foursomes in a 5-and-4 victory over Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau.
BIGGEST SHOT: With a fourballs match all square, Molinari’s shot on the par-3 11th rolled by the cup and set up a birdie to regain the lead for good. BIGGEST PUTT: Henrik Stenson made an 8-foot par putt on the 16th hole for his side to stay 1 up.
ON THE BENCH: Phil Mickelson and Thorbjorn Olesen did not play Saturday. For Mickelson, it was the second straight time in Europe he sat out an entire day.
BLANKED: Tiger Woods is 0-3 in team matches for his second straight Ryder Cup. He now has gone seven straight matches without winning.
WORTH NOTING: The Americans in 1999 and Europeans in 2012 rallied from a 10-6 deficit to win the Ryder Cup. WORTH QUOTING: “History will show me and everybody on this team that it’s not over.” — European captain Thomas Bjorn.