US rides to early lead
Leonard, Mahan driving forces in 5 1/2-2 1/2 advantage
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As the embarrassing defeats piled up - three in a row, five of six - the Americans searched for an answer to the European Ryder Cup juggernaut.
The secret was never in the United States. It was in Europe all along - Nick Faldo.
Impeccable in the way he prepared to win six major championships, the British icon has had folks scratching their heads leading up to this 37th Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club. And last night, the Americans were left celebrating their finest start since 1979, a 5 1/2-2 1/2 lead.
Having weeks ago denied spots on the team to Ryder Cup stalwarts Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke, Faldo added to his mystifying leadership by benching the heart and soul of his team for this morning's foursomes, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood. Curious stuff, because Westwood is riding a 7-0-3 stretch of Ryder Cup play that dates to 2002, and Garcia has never missed a match in his Cup career.
"Obviously," said Faldo, "we are down in points, but we are up in spirit."
One can only wonder if he made that assessment before or after his players got a look at this morning's lineup, for while Garcia and Westwood - who combine for a 28-13-8 Ryder Cup record - will drive around in golf carts, Oliver Wilson will make his debut, and it will be left to Miguel Angel Jimenez and Graeme McDowell to put a halt to Hunter Mahan and Justin Leonard, who steamrolled to two wins yesterday.
"They played exceptional golf," said Faldo, singling out Mahan and Leonard, who had never won a Ryder Cup match before yesterday, though the European captain widened his praise. "All America, all the guys played exceptional golf."
The Americans shined despite the fact that the quick start they wanted never materialized. Europe won the first hole three times in the four foursomes. If it felt like a case of deja vu, reminiscent of Ireland '06, or Oakland Hills '04, or The Belfry '02, it's for good reason. The Americans came into the day knowing they hadn't led after the first session or first day since 1991.
"Every five minutes was an emotional roller coaster," said US captain Paul Azinger. Rallies came at every turn of the head - from 3 down through 12, Mickelson and Anthony Kim earned a halve with Padraig Harrington and Robert Karlsson; after losing the first two holes, Leonard and Mahan blitzed Henrik Stenson and Paul Casey, 3 and 2; Stewart Cink and Chad Campbell spotted Justin Rose and Ian Poulter a 3-up lead through seven, then stormed back to win, 1 up.
Even the only lowlight - Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk finished bogey, bogey to throw away their 2-up lead through 16 - wasn't much of one, because it meant that Garcia had failed to win a foursomes match for the first time. Paired with Westwood, they formed Europe's best morning team, so Azinger and the US saluted the half-point and 3-1 lead.
Employing a staple to European success - that is, hot teams stay together - Azinger watched Leonard and Mahan make eight birdies in 15 holes to put a 4-and-3 beating on Garcia and Jimenez in the afternoon four-ball matches. Mahan birdied the island-green, par-4 13th and Garcia shockingly hit a wedge well short and into the water, providing the Americans a 3-up lead.
That hole moments earlier had provided the defining moment of the Mickelson-Kim match against Harrington and McDowell. It was an approach stuffed to within 4 feet by Mickelson that squared things, and when Kim followed with a birdie at the par-3 14th, the American duo had their first lead of the day on their 32d hole.
"He held me up when I wasn't playing so well," said Kim, who indeed had played scratchy at various points earlier in the day.
But after McDowell birdied the 15th to square things again, Kim didn't have to do a thing, except to watch Mickelson slam-dunk a 20-foot birdie at the par-4 17th to give his team a lead it would hang on to.
Coupled with the work by Leonard and Mahan, it more than offset the only European victory of the day - Poulter and Rose overwhelmed Steve Stricker and Ben Curtis, 4 and 2 - and cleared the stage for the lone match left for the tens of thousands of fans.
Westwood and unheralded Soren Hansen went 2 up through five on Boo Weekley and local favorite J.B. Holmes. Weekley's steady play kept the Americans in it, despite Holmes's outrageous wildness, but it was the country boy's antics that caught Westwood's attention.
"Well, you walk a fine line when you start doing that sort of thing," said Westwood, a reference to Weekley's arm-waving to get the crowd riled up.
"Thought I was at a football game," said Weekley, who did it to the crowd as early as the par-5 seventh, when all he did was hit a second shot onto the green, though what came out of it all were matching birdies. The Euros remained 2 up, but Holmes birdied the ninth, Weekley the 10th, and things were tied. At the par-4 12th, Weekley rolled in an improbable 35-foot putt from off the green to get his team 1 up, but it was his arm-waving and fist-pumping that again rankled the Englishman.
"I've still got a putt for a halve," Westwood said. "There's no need to do it between the shots."
Said Weekley: "It's about the fans. That's what we're here for. That's what they want to see - us play well."
Consider it mission accomplished. Having stuffed his approach to 2 feet at the 16th, Weekley figured he had a birdie putt to go dormie, only Hansen made a brilliant pitch-in from behind the green to halve the hole. Then, after Holmes slammed his approach to kick-in range thanks to a 371-yard drive at the 17th, Westwood calmly stood over an 8-foot putt and matched the birdie to give his team a chance.
The Americans then opened the door to more than a chance - they went right into water twice, so instead of a loss and a 6-2 deficit, the Europeans won the hole to get a halve and head to the hotel with a 3-point deficit.
"A great, great last hour of golf," said Faldo. "To get a half-point in the very last match was really great for team morale." 