The US, led by Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley, snatched a 5-3 lead over Europe on a gripping first day of the 39th Ryder Cup on Friday.
Inspired by their brilliant young rookies, the US won three of the four afternoon fourball matches to seize control after Tiger Woods lost both his matches with his playing partner Steve Stricker.
US captain Davis Love III then announced Woods would be rested for yesterday morning’s foursome matches, marking the first time in his seven Ryder Cup appearances that he has been benched.
Photo: Reuters
“I think Tiger needs a rest, Steve needs a rest,” Love told reporters after yesterday’s pairings were announced. “We just don’t want guys to be worn out. We need Tiger and Steve in the afternoon [for the fourball matches].”
A fired-up Mickelson and an in-form Bradley won both their matches together, while Northern Irish world No. 1 Rory McIlroy split his two matches for Europe.
Bubba Watson and first-timer Webb Simpson set the tone for the US with a dazzling display of shot-making and clutch putts, piling up 10 birdies together to pummel Scotland’s Paul Lawrie and Sweden’s Peter Hanson 5-and-4.
Cup veteran Mickelson and rookie Bradley followed suit with a 2-and-1 victory over McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, before Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar defeated Englishman Justin Rose and Germany’s Martin Kaymer 3-and-2.
In the bottom match, Belgian rookie Nicolas Colsaerts kept holing lengthy putts as he and Britain’s Lee Westwood held off a late birdie flurry by Woods to win 1-up.
“We played as a team today and I think that’s all we wanted,” Love said. “We got off to a great start. It took Bubba and Webb to get them going right out of the gate in the afternoon. That really started the ball rolling.”
Love has set up Medinah’s No. 3 course with virtually no rough to create a birdie fest this week and after both teams took advantage in the first session, it was mainly the US and Colsaerts who feasted in the afternoon.
Masters champion Watson and US Open winner Simpson, held back for the morning’s foursomes, came out all guns blazing, before sealing a commanding win at the par-five 14th, the biggest victory margin for the US in a team match since 1995.
“We ran into a bit of a wall,” Hanson said after the European duo’s total of six birdies was swept aside. “They were nine-under through the first 10 holes and we just couldn’t jump on the train.”
Four-time major winner Mickelson and last year’s PGA champion Bradley birdied their first three holes to take control against McIlroy and his fellow Northern Irishman McDowell.
Though the Europeans came from four down after eight holes to trail by just two, Mickelson secured victory with a stunning seven-iron to within two feet at the par-three 17th.
Mickelson and Bradley, who had outplayed his more experienced partner with a personal haul of six birdies, hugged each other in celebration as the crowd erupted with deafening cheers.
“I’m just having such a blast playing with Phil,” said a jubilant Bradley, who has been mentored by Mickelson since he made his debut on the USPGA Tour last year. “That was the best shot I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I’m just happy to be a part of it. It could be the best day of my life. It was so much fun.”
The long-hitting Colsaerts, also making his Ryder Cup debut, produced astonishing form in his first match for Europe, racking up eight birdies and an eagle for a 10-under 62 on his ball.
Woods, who had struggled badly in the morning, made five birdies in the last nine holes to give the US a faint chance of winning, but he narrowly missed a 15-footer at the last to hand the Europeans their only point of the afternoon.
“Nicolas [Colsaerts] probably had one of the greatest putting rounds I’ve ever seen,” Woods said. “We ran into a guy who made everything today. He was like seven-under through 10. I quit counting after that.”
Bidding to win the Ryder Cup for only the second time in six editions, the US had trailed in all four of the morning’s foursomes, before fighting back to split the session.
Europe, under the captaincy of Jose Maria Olazabal, field one of their strongest ever lineups, but face a challenging task to retain the trophy with the US having lost only three times on home soil since the matches began in 1927.
“Obviously not the day we were expecting, especially in the afternoon,” Spaniard Olazabal said. “We do have to change the momentum. We need to have a great day tomorrow, both morning and afternoon sessions.”
Nottingham Forest FC are to go into the Europa League play-off round after a 4-0 win over Ferencvaros TC on Thursday, while Celtic FC secured their place in the knockout phase with a victory over FC Utrecht. Aston Villa FC finished second in the league phase after recovering from two goals down to beat FC Red Bull Salzburg 3-2 with their spot in the last 16 already assured. Forest stood an outside chance of climbing into the top eight going into the final round of matches, but needed to beat Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros and rely on other results going their way. Sean Dyche’s
HEATED RIVALRY: The pair had met 14 times previously, with Sabalenka winning eight of the encounters and entering the final as the favorite to take the title Elena Rybakina took revenge over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to win a nail-biting Australian Open final yesterday and clinch her second Grand Slam title. The big-serving Kazakh fifth seed held her nerve to pull through 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne in 2 hours, 18 minutes. It was payback after the Belarusian Sabalenka won the 2023 final between two of the hardest hitters in women’s tennis. The ice-cool Rybakina, 26, who was born in Moscow, adds her Melbourne triumph to her Wimbledon win in 2022. It was more disappointment in a major final for Sabalenka, who won the US Open
Denver superstar Nikola Jokic returned from a 16-game injury absence to post a 31-point, 12-rebound double-double on Friday and propel the Nuggets to a 122-109 NBA victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic had not played since suffering a bone bruise in the left knee he hyperextended in a game against Miami on Dec. 29 last year. The Serbian big man did not miss a beat. He led all scorers, connecting on eight of 11 shots from the field, and also handed out five assists with three steals while playing just 24 minutes, 32 seconds as the
BATTERED AND BRUISED: Alcaraz suffered a cramp in the third set, but was allowed treatment despite Zverev’s protests, and continued on to win in five-and-a-half hours An ailing Carlos Alcaraz battled past Alexander Zverev yesterday in five epic sets to reach his first Australian Open final and move within a match of becoming the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam. The world No. 1 outlasted the German third seed 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-7 (4/7), 7-5 over a titanic 5 hours, 27 minutes in hot conditions to head to tomorrow’s title match. He only narrowly avoided crashing out after a huge fright at 4-4 in the third set when he pulled up in pain with what appeared to be cramp. He was allowed to have treatment
RSS