Americans win three of four better-ball matches, lead by 3
Captain Love says team ‘not looking at past records’ after collapse in 2012
CHASKA, MINN. — It was golf, and it was played in Minnesota. But to Phil Mickelson, very much a man in full — and loving it — it was just like basketball in the Bay Area.
He had holed a long birdie putt when the United States zoomed into the Ryder Cup lead at Hazeltine National Golf Club, and Mickelson, after doing a shimmy — at age 46, no less — had a hoops analogy.
“You can’t orchestrate something like that,” Mickelson said of the reaction. “It just kind of comes out. You watch Steph Curry do it. I think we stepped it up another notch.”
Swish. Swoosh. Plunk, into the cup. The afternoon belonged to Mickelson. And to Patrick Reed. And to J.B. Holmes, who had seven birdies in the better-ball format. And most of all to the U.S. team, which, burdened by history, won three of the four better-ball matches to power to a 91⁄2-6 1⁄2 lead after the first two days of the 41st Ryder Cup.
An alarmist would point out the last time the Cup was held on American soil, at Medinah Country Club near Chicago in 2012, the United States had a 10-6 lead after two days and got trampled, losing most of the 12 singles matches and once more ending up behind Europe.
But very much like a football coach, Davis Love III, captain of the American team this time, as he was in 2012, wants nothing to do with a terrible past that includes defeats in the last three Cups (including 2012, of course) and 10 of the past 12.
“This team never played together before,” Love said, dismissing comparison with that 2012 collapse. “This is a new 12. We’re not looking at past records.”
Mickelson was on that team. He’s been on 12 straight Ryder Cup teams. He’s seen it all, experienced it all and has opinions on everything.
After Saturday, Mickelson mostly wanted to talk about joining Kuchar in a 2 and 1 victory over Martin Kaymer and Sergio Garcia in which the Americans never trailed.
“I had a blast with Matt,” said Mickelson, whose previous two rounds, including a loss in the morning in foursomes, alternate shot, were with Rickie Fowler, a California pal of many years.
“I had wanted to play with him for a long time,” said Mickelson of Kuchar, “but he’s so easy to play with, all the guys on the team, if we have an odd pairing, we just put Matt with them. He brings out the best in me by being so funny and lighthearted, cracking jokes.”
The Ryder Cup brings out the best in Reed, the onetime problem child who left Georgia — under duress — and transferred to Augusta State. Testy and terrific, and now settled at age 26, Reed, joining wunderkind Jordan Spieth, is excellent at match play, whatever the format; alternate shot, individual or better ball.
He had a 3-0-1 overall record in the only Ryder Cup for which he was eligible, 2014 at Gleneagles, Scotland. He’s 2-1-1 this time. His eagle three on the par-five sixth in the afternoon boosted him and Spieth into the lead of a match they would win, 2 and 1, over Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson.
“It was just one of those days,” Reed said. “The eagle was huge. I’m in a bunker [in two shots] and I say to Jordan, ‘What do you want me to do here?’ He goes, ‘You can hit over the bunkers.’ I hit it perfect yardage and knocked it in and just went nuts.”
Rory McIlroy, who started playing like Rory McIlroy about a month ago and took last weekend’s Tour Championship, won both his matches Saturday and is 3-1 so far. In the morning he teamed with Thomas Pieters to beat Mickelson and Fowler, 4 and 2. It was landmark for McIlroy.
“That was my fourth time up against Phil in the Ryder Cup,” a gleeful McIlroy said, “and he’s beaten me three times. Thankfully I was able to get one back on him.”
A United States team would like to make the same statement about Europe.