FOURBALLS
Stewart Cink and J.J. Henry (U.S.) vs. Paul Casey and Robert Karlsson (Europe), halved

These two teams also met Friday morning, and the match was eerily similar. Casey and Karlsson got off to a strong start with birdies on the second and fourth holes to build a 2-up lead, and they stayed in control the rest of the front nine. Cink made a birdie on the par-5 10th to tighten the match, and the next five holes were halves with pars to set up a dramatic conclusion. Moments after the afternoon pairings were announced – with Henry benched again – Henry hit a hybrid club to 18 feet and made eagle on the 16th to square the match, then spun a wedge back to 2 feet for birdie and the Americans’ first lead. Henry reached the 18th in two, about 70 feet away above the hole, and his putt ran 10 feet by. Casey hit the front of the green, 30 feet away and ran his eagle putt 6 feet by. Cink from 15 feet and Henry both lipped out their birdie putts, and Casey made his to earn a half-point.

Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal (Europe) def. Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco (U.S.), 3 and 2

After a quick exchange of birdies, this match was a rout. Olazabal gave Europe the lead for good with a birdie on the par-5 fourth, and the Spaniards took turns making birdie to close out the front nine with a 3-up lead. Then came another birdie from Olazabal on the 10th, and the countdown was on. It raised questions about U.S. captain Tom Lehman’s decision to leave this team intact, especially since neither was playing well. Mickelson looked listless, and DiMarco couldn’t keep the ball in play. And the Spaniards were brilliant, with Garcia extending his unbeaten streak to eight matches in the Ryder Cup.

Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood (Europe) def. Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk (U.S.), 3 and 2

The United States’ best was at its worst. Westwood and Furyk matched birdies on the opening hole, but Europe soon took control. Clarke hit a wedge into 5 feet for birdie on the fourth, and they never looked

back. Woods continued to miss short putts, couldn’t find the fairway and failed to make a single birdie. The Americans didn’t win a hole until the 15th. Any thoughts of a rally were snuffed out when Clarke chipped in for birdie from behind the 16th green.

Zach Johnson and Scott Verplank (U.S.), def. Henrik Stenson and Padraig Harrington (Europe), 2 and 1

Johnson made three straight birdies to cap off his debut Friday evening, then continued his amazing play to give the Americans a lead they never lost. Johnson birdied four of the first five holes, including 10-footers that halved the fourth and fifth holes. Europe squared the match when Johnson flubbed a chip and Verplank missed the fairway. Johnson’s biggest birdie might have been a 15-footer at the 15th, halving the hole after Harrington chipped in. Europe tried to make a late run when Harrington went for the 16th green from the rough and made birdie, cutting the lead to 1 up. Johnson was behind the 17th green when he chipped in for his seventh birdie of the round, and the lone U.S. victory in fourballs.

FOURSOMES
Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald (Europe) def. David Toms and Phil Mickelson (U.S.), 3 and 2.

U.S. captain Tom Lehman broke up the ineffective Mickelson-Chris DiMarco team and replaced it with Mickelson-Toms, a successful partnership at The Belfry in 2002. It didn’t matter. The first five holes were halved. Then Europe went ahead when Mickelson flew the seventh green and Toms muffed a chip, leading to double bogey. Donald set up a birdie on the ninth for a 2-up lead, but Toms tried to bring the Americans back. He holed a 12-foot birdie on the 12th and another from 15 feet on the 13th to square the match. Both teams three-putted for bogey on the 14th, and Toms then hit his tee shot into the water on No. 15 to give Europe a 1-up lead. It looked like the Americans would tie the match when Garcia drove poorly and Donald pitched out into a muddy lie. But Garcia hit a beautiful shot over the water to a front pin, Donald holed the birdie putt and Mickelson blasted out strong from the bunker leading to par.

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Chad Campbell and Vaughn Taylor (U.S.) halved with Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood (Europe).

This match was pivotal for momentum in the afternoon, and it swung both ways. Both teams traded birdies and mistakes along the front nine, and it was all square at the turn. The Americans won the 10th with a par, and Westwood struck back by making a 15-foot birdie on the par 3 12th. The turning point came on the 15th when Taylor, making his Ryder Cup debut, hit his tee shot in the water to give Europe a 1-up lead. Taylor was poised to square the match until badly missing a 10-foot birdie on the next hole. Westwood went long on the 17th, leading to a bogey that again squared the match. On the par-5 18th, both teams reached the green in two and missed eagle putts.

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Paul Casey and David Howell (Europe) def. Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson (U.S.), 5 and 4:

Neither American played well, and it probably would not have mattered. After both teams opened with a sloppy bogey, Europe ran off three straight birdies, then won its fourth straight hole with a par at No. 5 for a 4-up lead. The Americans never got any closer, with Johnson unable to make putts like he did in earlier rounds. It was the largest victory by either side in team matches, but this one got all the attention for the way it ended. Casey made a hole-in-one from 213 yards with a 4-iron, a walkoff ace in golf vernacular. Strangely enough, he conceded the ace to Cink, who got a “1” – and a loss – on his card.

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Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk (U.S.) def. Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley (Europe), 3 and 2:

Still smarting from their second consecutive morning fourball loss, Woods and Furyk found enough of their game to dispatch the Irishmen, who put up a gritty fight. Both teams made birdie on the par-3 third. The Americans took control when Woods set up a birdie on the par-5 fourth, and the Europeans took double bogey on the next hole. McGinley made all the key putts, including one from 12 feet for birdie on the eighth, but that hole was given back when Harrington flew the ninth green. Europe again cut the lead to one hole with a birdie on the 12th, only to throw it away with another mistake on the 13th. Furyk holed a 15-foot birdie putt at No. 15 to go 3 up with three holes to play, and the Europeans couldn’t do better than par on the par-5 16th.

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