Updated 18.24
RORY MCILROY AND Thomas Pieters found an answer to everything Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler could throw at them to win the first available point in today’s Ryder Cup foursomes in Hazeltine to help Europe close Team USA’s lead to just 6 1/2 to 5 1/2.
However, it was the performance of Rafael Cabrero Bello and Sergio Garcia which felt like a seismic blow to the hosts as they claimed an unlikely half point against Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed.
The American duo, in searing form so far this weekend, had control of the match from the second hole and led by four holes with six to play.
Even when the Spanish pair clawed back a point, the match looked to be a formality for Spieth and Reed. Yet when Spieth sank to his knees after seeing his putt on the 17th hole narrowly miss, he knew the door was open for Europe.
Cabrero Bello stepped up and drained the 20-foot putt to earn a third straight point and make the match all square going to the 18th. And the teams were not to be separated on the closing hole.
McIlroy and Pieters won their match 4 and 2. In a contest characterised by some sublime responses from the Belgian and the Northern Irishman, the first hole was typical: Rickie Fowler ignited the crowd by brilliantly draining a long birdie putt. Yet Pieters held his nerve to silence the crowd with an equally excellent finisher of his own to halve the hole.
That seemed to deflate the American duo, as Europe carried on their momentum by winning three of the next four holes. The three-hole lead was sustained until the ninth hole, when Team USA rallied to put back-to-back holes together and pulled back to within one.
With Mickelson wayward off the tee though, the wind soon went out of their sails and the European pair won four more points between the 11th and 16th.
Team USA’s lead was cut to just a single point for the first time at 5 – 4, but Brendt Snedeker and Brooks Koepka finished strong against Henrik Stenson and Matt Fitzpatrick to win 3 and 2.
For long stretches, the gap between the teams looked set to remain at two points going into tonight’s four-balls. Justin Rose and Chris Wood held off a comeback from Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson to win their match by one while the Spanish duo were making the back nine misery for Spieth and Reed.
In this evening’s four-balls, starting from 18.30 Irish time, Darren Clarke has pitched McIlroy back in to face Dustin Johnson who was rested for the morning session.
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