Planet Golf — 27 September 2014 by GW staff and news services
Ryder Cup: How Europe did it

Overall score (Europe 16, U.S. 11)

Day 3 singles (Europeans 7, U.S. 5)

Graeme McDowell def. Jordan Spieth, 2 and 1: Trailing by three holes at the turn, McDowell ran off five wins in a six-hole stretch to stun the young American and put the first point on the board for Europe.

Patrick Reed def. Henrik Stenson, 1 up: Riling up the crowd with his demonstrative celebrations, Reed made a two-putt birdie on 18 while Stenson missed a 4-footer on the last. The full-point win improved the Ryder Cup rookie’s record to 3-0-1.

Rory McIlroy def. Rickie Fowler, 5 and 4: The close friends had a few duels this summer, but McIlroy burst out of the gates with a 3-3-3-3-3-2 start to take a 5-up lead through six holes that he wouldn’t relinquish.

Justin Rose vs. Hunter Mahan, halved: Assured of a half point, Mahan thinned his pitch shot over the green on 18 that squandered a chance for a crucial full point.

Phil Mickelson def. Stephen Gallacher, 3 and 1: Motivated after being benched all day Saturday, Mickelson was 6 under (including the usual concessions), and won the last three holes, to defeat Scotland’s native son.

Martin Kaymer def. Bubba Watson, 4 and 2: Kaymer won three holes in a row early (Nos. 3-5) to seize a huge lead early. He lost only one hole the rest of the way, on 15.

Matt Kuchar def. Thomas Bjorn, 4 and 3: One of the biggest disappointments on the U.S. side, Kuchar wins Nos. 5, 7, 8 and 10 to grab a 4-up lead. He improved to 1-3 this week.

Jamie Donaldson def. Keegan Bradley, 4 and 3: Delivering the clinching point for the Europeans, the Ryder Cup rookie won Nos. 11 and 12 to build an insurmountable lead, then put an exclamation point on the matches with a stiffed approach shot on 15.

Sergio Garcia def. Jim Furyk, 1 up: In a rematch of one of the most critical 2012 singles matches, Garcia ran off four birdies and an eagle in the last seven holes to hand Furyk his record 20th loss in this competition.

Ian Poulter vs. Webb Simpson, halved: Playing his first match since Friday morning, Simpson did well to erase a 2-down deficit at the turn, but a par on 18 wasn’t enough to earn a full point.

Jimmy Walker def. Lee Westwood, 3 and 2: The Ryder Cup rookie was gassed during a loss Saturday afternoon, but he dropped only one hole and never trailed against Westwood

SATURDAY FOUR-BALL HIGHLIGHTS

Match 9: Rose/Stenson, Europe vs. Watson/Kuchar, USA … EUROPE WINS 3 & 2 – Kuchar rolls in a 12-foot birdie putt to win the first hole – The United States misses two birdie putts, and Rose birdies the par-5 second to square the match – Watson birdies the par-4 third, U.S. regains lead – Kuchar’s nice tee shot at par-3 sixth sets up fourth American birdie in first six holes – After Rose misses his short birdie putt, Stenson makes his to win seventh hole – Rose’s lengthy birdie putt squares the match after eight holes – Another long Rose biride putt at the 10th is followed by a shorter Watson birdie putt and a massive celebration by Bubba – Both teams birdie the 11th hole – that’s 14 combined birdies in the first 11 holes – Stenson’s 20-foot birdie putt wins 12th hole, gives Europe the lead. Europe has birdied its last five holes – Rose’s birdie wins par-4 13th – Stenson’s approach at the 15th is inside 2 feet and conceded for birdie. But Kuchar rolls in a 30-footer for birdie to halve the hole. – Rose’s terrific third shot sets up conceded birdie to win match at par-5 16th. Europe ends the match birdieing its last 10 holes. Match stats: Holes won – Europe 6, USA 3. Birdies – Rose 7, Stenson 5, Kuchar 5, Watson 4.

Match 10: Donaldson/Westwood, Europe vs. Furyk/Mahan, USA … USA WINS 4 & 3 – Mahan holes in a putt of approximately 12 feet to win No. 1 – Mahan and Westwood each birdie the par-5 second – Furyk’s birdie at the par-4 third put U.S. 2 up – Mahn posts his third birdie of day at par-4 seventh to win hole – Both teams birdie Nos. 8, 9 and 11 to halve the holes – Great drive by Mahan on drivable par-4 14th leads to eagle. USA wins match with halve at 15th Match stats: Holes won – USA 4, Europe 0. Birdies made – Mahan 5 (plus 1 eagle), Furyk 2, Westwood 3, Donaldson 2

Match 11: Bjorn/Kaymer, Europe vs. Reed/Spieth, USA … USA WINS 5 & 3 – Kaymer hits his approach shot to No. 1 stiff and makes birdie to win the hole – Lengthy birdie putt by Bjorn wins par-4 third hole – Bjorn’s bogey best Europe can do on fifth hole; Americans win with par – Spieth’s birdie at the par-3 sixth from 15 feet squares the match – Spieth wins par-4 ninth with a birdie – Spieth also birdies the 10th from about 12 feet to win the hole – Reed’s 15-foot birdie putt wins 13th hole – Another Reed birdie wins the 14th and Spieth closes it out with a birdie at the 15th Match stats: USA 7, Europe 2. Birdies made: Spieth 5, Reed 3, Kaymer2, Bjorn 2

Match 12: McIlroy/Poulter, Europe vs. Walker/Fowler, USA … MATCH HALVED
– Poulter hits his approach shot to 1 foot on No. 1. All four groups won No. 1 with birdie: two by Europe and two by the USA.  – Walker’s great approach sets up birdie at par-4 fifth  – After McIlroy holes longish birdie putt, Fowler replies with a similar putt to halved the sixth hole.  – McIlroy makes another lengthy birdie putt at eighth hole; neither Fowler nor Walker can convert their birdie chances  – McIlroy wins par-5 ninth with birdie
– Fowler holes bunker shot at par-3 10th to win hole  – Walker’s birdie putt conceded at 11th as U.S. squares match
– Walker’s birdie at par-4 13th gives USA its first lead  – Walker and McIlroy each birdie the 14th to halve the hole
– An ineffective Poulter finally contributes by pitching in from off the green at 15th for birdie, but Fowler matches it with a 3-footer  – Poulter rolls in 10-footer for birdie at 16th to win hole and square the match
– Fowler’s clutch 8-foot par putt halves 17th  – Great third shots by Poulter, then McIlroy set up European birdie at 18th. Americans counter with terrific bunker shot from Walker to set up birdie. Fowler can’t convert eagle chance and match is halved.

SATURDAY FOURSOMES HIGHLIGHTS

Donaldson/Westwood, Europe vs. Johnson/Kuchar, USA  … EUROPE WINS 2 & 1 – Americans get early jump with Kuchar rolling in birdie putt on opening hole – Johnson finds water with his second shot on par-5 second; Europeans win hole with birdie – Europeans bogey fourth hole as Americans regain lead – Europeans boune back with birdie to win fifth hole – Kuchar misses 8-foot par putt for bogey at par-3 sixth – Kuchar’s birdie putt at eighth hole squares the match – Americans fail to birdie par-5 ninth, Europe takes lead – Donaldson’s 6-foot par putt wins par-3 10th hole for Europe – Both players drive the par-4 14th. Johnson makes the eagle putt to win the hole – Westwood makes a 6-footer for birdie at No. 16 to go 2 up with two remaining – Kuchar misses 30-footer for birdie at No. 17. Donaldson chips to 2 feet after getting relief from an embedded lie and the par is conceded so Europe wins.

Garcia/McIlroy, Europe vs. Furyk/Mahan, USA … EUROPE WINS 3 & 2 – U.S. bogeys first two holes – Europe gives one back with bogey at third hole – Mahan drives well right at the 14th while McIlroy finds greenside bunker. Fuyrk eventually makes 10-footer to save but McIlroy makes 4-footer for birdie to go 2 up – Furyk’s birdie chip goes 10 feet by and Mahan misses for par. So they concede Garcia’s 8-foot birdie and the win

Kaymer/Rose, Europe vs. Spieth/Reed, USA … MATCH HALVED – Americans bogey the third hole – U.S. bounces back with birdie at fourth while Europe bogeys – U.S. wins sixth hole with par – Spieth pours in birdie putt to win seventh hole for U.S. – Reed misses a 6-foot birdie putt as Europe moves to 1 down – Spieth makes a mid-range birdie bid to put the U.S. 2 up through 10 – U.S. makes bogey at No. 12 so the lead is back to 1 up – Kaymer misses 8-footer for par at No. 13 that would have squared the matchKaymer misses another putt inside 10 feet that would have evened the proceedings – Kaymer finally squares the match at No. 15 with a par after the U.S. team scambles in the rough and Reed misses the par-saver – Kaymer pulls 6-footer for par at the 16th. Reed’s 2-footer horseshoes out so the match remains All Square – The U.S. wins the 17th without having to putt its birdie try after Rose misses the green and an eventual par putt – Spieth misses 20-footer for birdie while Rose makes his from 8 feet to win the hole and halve the match
Dubuisson/McDowell, Europe vs. Walker/Fowler, USA … EUROPE WINS 5 & 4 – Europe birdies while USA bogeys the par-5 second – Europe birdies while USA bogeys the par-4 fourth – Third bogey in four holes for Americans loses the fifth hole – Europe pushes its lead to 4 up through 6 – Fowler lips out a birdie bid on No. 7. The hole is halved – Americans make a mess out of the eighth hole. U.S. 5 down. – Two great shots at the 10th hole yield 2-footers. Good. Good. – Fowler makes a birdie putt at No. 11 to cut into the lead. U.S. is 4 down – Walker misses 4-footer to at No. 13 save par. Europe is 5 up and dormie – Dubuisson drives the 14th green, Fowler goes over. McDowell putts 30-footer to 12 inches and the winning birdie is conceded.

 

FRIDAY FOURSOMES MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Match 1: Watson/Simpson, USA vs. Stenson/Rose, Europe … EUROPE WINS 5 & 4 – Stenson birdies par-5 2nd. Watson finds green in two but misses 4-footer for birdie. – Rose has terrific tee shot at par-3 fourth, thrusts his fist in air after winning hole with a birdie – Stenson has his second birdie of the day on a par 5, this time at the ninth, to win the hole. No birdies for either American on front nine – Long birdie putt for Rose wins par-3 10th. Europe rolling; Americans reeling – Rose closes out match with birdie; neither Watson nor Simpson was able to produce a single birdie Match stats: Europe wins 5 holes; U.S. wins 0 holes. Birdies made: Rose 3, Stenson 2.

Match 2: Fowler/Walker, USA vs. Bjorn/Kaymer, Europe … MATCH HALVED – Kaymer’s brilliant approach on first hole is conceded for a birdie. Walker’s birdie attempt from close range slides by to the right. Europe draws first blood – Bjorn birdies par-5 second; Americans can only manage par – Kaymer with a 12-foot birdie on the par-3 fourth – Fowler with a short birdie putt at the par-4 fifth – Walker produces the day’s first eagle, holing out from greenside bunker at par-5 ninth to counter Bjorn’s birdie – Another hole-out wins a hole, this time Bjorn chipping in at 13 – Walker with his second hole-out, this one off the green to win 16th hole – Walker holes an 8-foot birdie putt to win 18 and get a half-point for the United States, which never led the match. Match stats: Europe wins 4 holes; U.S. wins 4 holes. Birdies made: Bjorn 3, Kaymer 2. Walker 2 and 1 eagle, Fowler 1.

Match 3: Spieth/Reed, USA vs. Gallacher/Poulter, Europe … USA WINS 5 & 4 – Europe off to rocky start with a bogey on opening hole, Poulter missing 4-footer. Spieth/Reed win the first hole they’ve ever played in Ryder Cup – Reed’s short birdie putt at par-3 sixth wins hole – Spieth follows with a birdie at the seventh as the rookies go 3 up – Reed’s birdie at the par-5 ninth hole puts the rookies 4 up at the turn – U.S. wins a second consecutive hole when Spieth makes 10-footer for birdie on par-3 10th – Reed hits wedge shot to 15 feet on No. 11 and holes the birdie putt to give U.S. a 6-up lead – Americans bogey the 12th, Europe wins its first hole of match – Poulter comes up short on birdie putt at 14th; hole is halved and Americans win. Match stats: U.S. wins 6 holes; Europe wins 1 hole. Birdies made: Reed 4, Spieth 2, Gallacher 1. Quotes: “It feels incredible. Very quiet around our group today and that’s what we were looking for.” — Jordan Spieth

Match 4: Mickelson/Bradley, USA vs. McIlroy/Garcia, Europe  … USA WINS 1 UP – Mickelson with great approach shot to set up birdie, but McIlroy rolls in 15-footer to halve the first hole – After all four players miss the green with their tee shots at the par-3 fourth, Garcia holes out from the greenside bunker for birdie – Garcia misses short par putt, Bradley makes his to win seventh hole – Mickelson nearly holes his bunker shot on par-5 ninth, makes birdie to give U.S. its first lead – Bradley holes a 15-foot birdie putt. Back-to-back wins put USA 2 up through 10. – Garcia wins 11th hole with par – Garcia wins 13th hole with par to square match – Mickelson misses a 4-foot par putt to give Europe a 1-up lead through 15 – Bradley returns the match to all square with his 8-foot eagle putt on the par-5 16th – Mickelson gets up-and-down from the greenside bunker, hitting his shot to 2 feet for birdie and the win.

 Match 5: Furyk/Kuchar, USA vs. Donaldson/Westwood, Europe … EUROPE WINS 2 UP – Americans win par-4 third with a par – Westwood with nice curving birdie putt to win par-3 sixth – Americans find trouble on par-4 seventh, Europe wins with par – Furyk short on birdie attempt, Westwood makes his to win par-4 11th – Clutch birdie putt by Donaldson at par-4 14th. Kuchar follows with short birdie after brilliant approach from Furyk – U.S. wins par-5 16th with birdie – Needing a birdie to halve the match, Kuchar’s pitch shot fails to find the green and Americans eventually concede hole and match Match stats: Holes won – Europe 4, USA 2. Birdies made: Europe 5. USA 3

Match 6: Mahan/Johnson, USA vs. Rose/Stenson, Europe … EUROPE WINS 2 & 1 – After Stenson hits approach shot in tight, Rose converts birdie putt at first hole – Rose with another short birdie putt to win the par-3 sixth – Solid approach by Mahan at par-4 seventh sets up winning birdie putt – Europe finds trouble at par-4 eighth, loses hole with bogey – Rose rolls in 25-foot putt at 11th to win hole – Rose halves 12th hole with lengthy par putt – Johnson nice approach at 14th hole sets up Mahan birdie putt – Mahan can’t convert up-and-down opportunity, U.S. loses 15th hole with bogey – Mahan runs a birdie putt 5 feet past the pin at 17 and Johnson can’t convert the par putt to keep the match alive Match stats: Holes won – Europe 5, USA 3. Birdies made: Europe 6, USA 5

Match 7: Walker/Fowler, USA vs. McIlroy/Garcia, Europe … MATCH HALVED – U.S. bogeys par-4 third, Europeans win hole with par – U.S. bogeys par-4 fifth but wins the hole when Europe double-bogeys after Garcia hits it out of bounds – Garcia redeems himself by rolling in long birdie putt to win par-3 sixth – Another wayward Garcia drive results in bogey, as U.S. again squares match with par – McIlroy rolls in downhill right-to-left putt for birdie at par-4 eighth, but Walker counters with a shorter birdie putt to halve hole – Fowler’s 7-foot birdie putt wins 11th hole – Garcia misses medium-length par putt to lose 12th hole – Terrific fairway bunker shot from McIlroy at 13th leads to winning par – Poor tee shot by Garcia at 15th leads to bogey and lost hole – McIlroy keeps match alive at par-3 17th with a lengthy right-to-left birdie putt to win hole – Terrific second shot from Garcia finds green and sets up two-putt birdie. Meanwhile, Fowler, facing a tough lie, finds bunker with his second shot and Walker’s bunker shot comes up short. Fowler’s birdie attempt veers left to lose the hole Match stats: Holes won – Europe 5, USA 5. Birdies made – Europe 6, USA 4

Match 8: Mickelson/Bradley, USA vs. McDowell/Dubuisson, Europe … Europe wins 3 & 2 – U.S. fails to birdie par-5 second — only pairing not to birdie the hole among all afternoon matches – Mickelson misses short par putt at fourth hole, giving Europe the hole – Poor chip from Bradley followed by Mickelson’s 9-footer that lips out at fifth hole results in second consecutive bogey – McDowell misses par putt, Europe loses eighth hole with bogey – U.S. wins par-5 ninth with birdie but finds trouble at par-3 10th and loses hole with bogey – U.S. suffers its fourth bogey of match at 12th to lose the hole.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States Match time Europe
Bubba Watson/Webb Simpson 7:35 a.m. Justin Rose/Henrik Stenson
Rickie Fowler/Jimmy Walker 7:50 a.m. Thomas Bjorn/Martin Kaymer
Jordan Spieth/Patrick Reed 8:05 a.m. Stephen Gallacher/Ian Poulter
Keegan Bradley/Phil Mickelson 8:20 a.m. Sergio Garcia/Rory McIlroy

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