Europe stun Americans
OPENING DAY: THRILLING START TO RYDER CUP AS HOST GRAB 5-3 LEAD
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
Ryder Cup veterans Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter starred as Europe claimed a history-making foursomes whitewash in a stunning fightback to seize a 5-3 lead over the United States yesterday.
Trailing by two points after the opening-morning fourballs at Le Golf National, home captain Thomas Bjorn brought wildcard picks Poulter, Garcia and Henrik Stenson into the action and the decision paid off in style.
Europe roared back at the Americans to the delight of raucous crowds at the first Ryder Cup to be played in France.
It was the first foursomes clean sweep for the hosts in Ryder Cup history, gaining revenge for the 4-0 foursomes defeat they suffered on the first day of the US’s win at Hazeltine two years ago.
Stenson and Justin Rose reprised their partnership of Ryder Cups gone by to see off Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson 3 and 2, while Garcia teamed up with Swedish rookie Alex Noren to crush Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau 5 and 4.
The experienced duo of Poulter and four-time major winner Rory McIlroy battled back from 2-down to beat Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson 4 and 2.
Molinari and Fleetwood grabbed their second win of the day with a 5 and 4 thumping of Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, as all the American pairings finished their rounds over par.
All four matches saw dominant triumphs for Europe, and finished within an hour of each other.
FedEx Cup winner Rose – who had slumped to defeat by Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau earlier in the day alongside Jon Rahm – put in a solid performance with Stenson which saw them storm 5-up after 11 holes and leave Johnson and Fowler with too much to do.
Rose and Stenson have now won five of seven Ryder Cup matches as a partnership.
McIlroy had struggled badly in the fourballs, failing to make a birdie or win a hole as he and Danish debutant Thorbjorn Olesen lost to Johnson and Fowler.
But, despite taking a two-hole advantage after three, Simpson and Watson reeled off five bogeys in just six holes to throw the match away.
The talismanic Poulter all but ended the encounter as a contest with a dead-eyed birdie putt on the 13th, after an incredible recovery shot from McIlroy out of thick rough.
“It’s been a long time since I played a Ryder Cup,” said Poulter, who was a vice-captain in the loss at Hazeltine in 2016. “Four years is a long wait but the second I got going this morning, I felt good.”
The 38-year-old Garcia had been a controversial pick by Bjorn after a poor season, but he and Noren raced into a 7-up lead over the misfiring Mickelson and DeChambeau on the front nine.
Garcia has won 23.5 points since making his Ryder Cup debut as a teenager in 1999, and needs two more to pass all-time record-holder Nick Faldo’s mark of 25.
Spieth and Thomas were magnificent in their thrilling 1-up fourballs win over Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton, but off-colour against Molinari and Fleetwood.
British Open champion Molinari, as he did in the win over Woods and Reed, made the winning putt. –