U.S. maintains Ryder Cup lead
Three-point cushion entering Sunday singles
chaska, minn.» Patrick Reed took over his match with putting and passion, and the rest of the Americans followed suit Saturday afternoon in a pivotal fourballs session that left them on the verge — again — of winning back the Ryder Cup.
Reed and his bullish attitude was at his best, starting with a wedge shot he holed out for an eagle. That was the centerpiece of a four-hole stretch that carried Reed and Jordan Spieth to a 2-and-1 victory in the final match of another raucous and at times rude afternoon at Hazeltine.
The Americans have a 9½-6½ lead over Europe. They need to win only five of 12 singles matches to reclaim the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2008, and only the third time over the last two decades.
Europe’s players trudged off the course with only recent history on their side.
Europe trailed by a slightly larger margin, 10-6, four years ago at Medinah with Davis Love III at the helm of the U.S. team, then put together a staggering display of putting to produce the largest comeback by a visiting team in Ryder Cup history.
“We’re going to have to play Sunday, as we’ve done before from a worse deficit,” said Europe captain Darren Clarke.
Most painful for Clarke was watching his best friend and captain’s pick, Lee Westwood, miss crucial short putts on the back nine in the only match that reached the 18th hole. Westwood and Masters champion Danny Willett never trailed until they made bogeys on the par-3 17th.
Westwood missed a 5-foot par putt to stay all square. Then with an opportunity to earn a half point for Europe, he badly missed a 2-foot birdie putt on the final hole to give Team USA’s J.B. Holmes and Ryan Moore a 1-up victory.
Phil Mickelson, playing in his 11th consecutive Ryder Cup, showed he can deliver on the golf course as well as he can run a task force meeting. Lefty produced timely wedges and key putts down the stretch as he and Matt Kuchar combined for nine birdies in a 2-and-1 victory over Europe’s Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer.
The final hour turned solid red on the scoreboard, enough to overcome the undefeated Europe tandem of Rory McIlroy and Thomas Pieters. They won all three matches, and were never more dynamic than fourballs when they were 11-underpar through 17 holes. Pieters drove the par-4 fifth green and made an eagle, and McIlroy stared down the hostile American crowd with every birdie that left Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka no chance.
“It’s a tough environment for us to come and play in. We expect that,” McIlroy said.