Golf - Latest: US PGA Championship, Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, New York (8-11 August)

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Ian Poulter and Nicolas Colsaerts are Ryder Cup wildcards

 

Ian Poulter and Nicolas Colsaerts have received the two wildcard picks as captain Jose Maria Olazabal completed his 2012 European Ryder Cup side.

 

England's Poulter, 36, will be winning his fourth cap, while Belgian Colsaerts, 29, will make his debut in Medinah, Chicago from 28-30 September.

 

The pair joined the 10 automatic picks from the rankings after Sunday's Johnnie Walker Championship.

 

Europe have beaten the United States in four of the last five Ryder Cups.

 

The players who made the team by right are Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Graeme McDowell, Paul Lawrie, Francesco Molinari, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Peter Hanson and Martin Kaymer.

 

The US-based Poulter, who struggled with pneumonia earlier this season, has built a reputation as a fearsome matchplay exponent. He was the highest points scorer for either side when selected as a wildcard for the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla and won three points out of four in Europe's 14½-13½ win at Celtic Manor two years ago.

 

Poulter, who made the first of his three previous appearances in the biennial event in 2004, could have overhauled the Germany's former world number one Kaymer with a 35th-place finish in Scotland, but opted to stay in America.

 

Colsaerts, who won the World Match Play Championship in May, could also have sealed an automatic place with a top-two finish at Gleneagles, but his share of 19th meant the out-of-form Kaymer held on to the final qualification place, despite also opting to miss the event.

 

The 29-year-old Colsaerts, the longest hitter on the European Tour, is the next man on the Ryder Cup rankings list and is considered the leading contender for the final spot.

 

Colsaerts will become the first Belgian to compete in the Ryder Cup and will also be the only rookie in this year's side, compared to the six that played in Wales.

 

Padraig Harrington, a six-time Ryder Cup veteran, was also in contention for a wildcard - but Olazabal said it would take "at least a win" at the Barclays tournament in New York for the Irishman to stand a chance, but he finished eight shots behind eventual winner Nick Watney.

 

The 10 automatic choices were made up of the top five from a list based on ranking points won in European Tour events, followed by the next five best on the world rankings.

 

Olazabal, who played in seven Ryder Cups from 1987-2006 and was a key partner of the late Seve Ballesteros, will have four vice-captains to assist him in Chicago.

 

The two-time Masters champion will be joined by Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke, Ireland's Paul McGinley, Denmark's Thomas Bjorn and Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez.

 

Eight players have already qualified for the US team: Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Phil Mickelson.

 

US captain Davis Love names his four wildcard choices on 3 September after the first two events of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup play-offs.

 

The 2012 Ryder Cup will take place from 28-30 September at Medinah Country Club in Illinois.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/19379504

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PGA Tour play-offs set to come of age

 

Since their inception in 2007 the PGA Tour play-offs have grown far stronger and more appealing.

 

When Tiger Woods became the inaugural FedEx Cup champion there was little drama. Woods ran away with the season ending Tour Championship and the $10m (£6.2m) bonus jackpot despite not even entering the first event in the play-off series.

 

A year later, Vijay Singh merely needed to remain upright at the closing tournament to take the abundant spoils.

 

Woods won again in 2009 thanks to a runner-up finish to Phil Mickelson in the grand finale and a year later a requisite par at the last was enough for to give Jim Furyk the biggest cheque in golf.

 

With each season the points system has been tweaked to ensure the Tour Championship's relevance and last year we witnessed a play-off to decide the tournament and the FedEx Cup.

It was the dream scenario for PGA Tour bosses other than it didn't feature the "A-listers" they would have wished to contest their extravagant dash for dosh.

 

The less than box office Bill Haas (the eventual champion) and Hunter Mahan were handed an award winning script but Haas blew his lines by not knowing that he had actually won the $10m.

 

The scenario this week looks significantly more attractive because the game's two biggest names head the standings going into the final play-off event.

 

In theory any one of the 30 players who have made it to Atlanta can win the $10m but it's Rory McIlroy who leads the way from Tiger Woods in the points standings.

 

A shoot-out between the newly crowned PGA champion and world number one, against the former top dog who has won three times this season, would provide a blockbusting finale.

 

And it is attracting public attention in a crowded sporting marketplace, which is so important for the future of the professional game.

 

Prize money levels in America at this time of the year are mind blowing. The Tour Championship is the fourth consecutive $8m event. Then there's the $35m (£21.6m) FedEx Cup bonus pool.

 

The spoils are divided between an ever dwindling number of survivors from the whittling effect of the play-off process. Furthermore, those that make it to East Lake gain significant exemptions for majors for the following year.

 

So a compelling format has been generated to dominate the September schedule. It is little wonder so many players of every nationality gravitate Stateside as soon as they are able.

 

It makes life all the tougher for the European Tour. Last week the Andalucia Masters fell victim to the lack of public funds in Southern Spain.

 

The Valderrama-based tournament was due to start on 18 October and was cancelled at an embarrassingly late stage.

 

Tour bosses are performing admirably in more favourable markets, adding the BMW Masters in Shanghai and the Perth International to the October roster.

 

But these do nothing to boost the European scene.

 

For regular Tour players losing an event like the Andalucia Masters is a big blow. It is one less tournament to earn Euros to bolster positions in the Race to Dubai.

 

In such circumstances it's worth recalling the comments of David Lynn in the wake of his second place behind McIlroy at the PGA Championship in August.

 

Lynn is such a European Tour stalwart that his amazing week at Kiawah Island was his first experience of American golf. His sensationally high finish provided the Englishman with an opportunity to take up a US Tour card for next season.

 

He doesn't bubble with enthusiasm at the prospect and clearly wishes more of his contemporaries felt the same. "It's not good for the Tour if guys all keep playing in America all the time," Lynn said.

 

"If guys just have that attitude, like 'I've got the right to go and play over there, I'm going to play over there' it seriously doesn't do a lot of good for the European Tour in the future."

 

Lynn puts a high premium on the Tour's famed camaraderie and lifestyle but notes: "It is a vicious circle where America keeps getting stronger and Europe keeps getting weaker."

 

There is no Madrid Masters, as was originally scheduled for this week, which also tells the story of the impact of the Eurozone crisis on the golfing calendar.

 

Meanwhile, Europe's biggest stars - McIlroy, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose - are destined to become even richer in Atlanta over the coming days.

 

Westwood will join the other four in becoming a full-time US resident next year but more immediately this quintet will be on duty for Europe in the Ryder Cup at Medinah.

 

Of course they shouldn't be criticised for chasing dollars by the fistful, but given the current economic climate they should make sure their duty to Europe runs deeper than just the Ryder Cup.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/iaincarter/2012/09/pga_tour_play-offs_set_to_come.html

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PGA Tour Championship: Brandt Snedeker wins in Atlanta

 

Brandt Snedeker held his nerve to comfortably win the PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta, and with it the FedEx Cup jackpot of $10m (£6.15m). :o

 

Snedeker, 32, shared the overnight lead with England's Justin Rose, and shot a two-under-par 68 for 10 under overall.

 

Rose (71) holed a long putt on the 18th for second, three shots behind, with compatriot Luke Donald (67) tied-third.

 

Snedeker was recently named as a USA wildcard pick for the Ryder Cup which starts on Friday at Medinah, Illinois. The American, who led this year's Open at the halfway mark before eventually taking a share of third place, was one of five players - along with Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and US trio Tiger Woods, Nick Watney and Phil Mickelson - who knew that victory in Atlanta could be enough to also win the FedEx Cup.

 

Snedeker's dreams were only briefly threatened during the final round, when he found the lake at the sixth hole, resulting in a double bogey.

 

But superb putts from 40 feet and 18 feet respectively at the eighth and 13th enhanced his reputation as one of the Tour's finest on the greens - he missed only one putt from inside eight feet all week.

 

And victory was all but sealed when he chipped in from just off the 17th green for birdie.

 

He said: "I had complete confidence in what I was doing. I don't know where it came from, but I hope to rekindle it in the future."

 

Rose managed to hole a fine putt of his own, from 14 feet, on the final green to wrap up second place. He said: "I think it's set up for a great Ryder Cup week [at Medinah, near Chicago]. Two great teams - all in the top 35 in the world - probably as strong as it's ever been between two teams.

 

"I didn't get the momentum going on the greens. I felt like I got a little tentative unfortunately.

 

"But I'm quite early down the track of what I've been working on with my putting."

 

After 11 successive rounds in the 60s, McIlroy - who won the Tour's two previous play-off events and took a decent lead into the PGA Tour Championship - closed with a 74 for a share of 10th place on one under. He still won a $3m bonus for finishing the season in second place however, with Woods picking up $2m for third.

 

Had Rose beaten Snedeker in Atlanta, though, it would have given his Ryder Cup team-mate McIlroy overall victory in the FedEx Cup. "I just said to Justin I wish he had done me a favour," the Northern Irishman joked.

 

"I have to stay positive. It's been a great year and I've had three wins, starting at the PGA Championship.

 

"I knew if I won this week I won the whole thing, but Brandt knew the same thing and he did what he needed to do. He played fantastic out there."

 

Former world number one Donald fired a second successive 67 to secure a share of third place in the Atlanta tournament with American Ryan Moore.

 

The Englishman said: "I've just been really close and it's nice to finally string a couple of good rounds together. I came up a little bit short for this week, but it was a good effort.

 

"I'm looking forward to this week. One, it's the Ryder Cup and some of my best moments in golf have been during that event, and obviously being in Chicago, the place I've lived the last 15 years."

 

But fellow Englishman Lee Westwood had a tournament to forget - his 74 left him bottom of the 30-man field on 15 over.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/19696842

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Ryder Cup 2012: Jose Maria Olazabal gives first pairing clues

 

The first significant clues to Europe's opening Ryder Cup pairings emerged amid Tuesday's first practice round at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago.

 

Captain Jose-Maria Olazabal teamed Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Justin Rose in the first group. Northern Irish pair Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell played alongside Paul Lawrie and Sergio Garcia in the second.

 

"You can pretty much predict our first eight players on Friday morning," said McDowell in his news conference. I'm looking forward to seeing how the next three days pan out in practice, but I can tell you that the first four guys are Poulter, Rose, Westwood and Donald, and myself and Rory are in the second group with Lawrie and Garcia. So there's your eight, the first two groups, fairly predictable."

 

The third European group to go out on Tuesday morning featured Germany's former world number one Martin Kaymer, Italian Francesco Molinari, Belgian rookie Nicolas Colsaerts with Swede Peter Hanson, with the bags of all 12 of Europe's players emblazoned with an image of the late Seve Ballesteros.

 

The US team also practised in three groups of four with Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson, Keegan Bradley and Webb Simpson going off first. They were followed by Jason Dufner, Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson and Zach Johnson with the fourball of Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker bringing up the rear.

 

The 39th Ryder Cup opens with four alternate-shot foursomes matches on Friday morning, followed by four fourballs in the afternoon. Donald and Garcia have won all four foursomes they have played together in previous Ryder Cups, but two years ago at Celtic Manor the Donald-Westwood partnership thrashed Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker 6&5 in foursomes to set the tone for the European victory that followed.

 

McDowell, the man who scored the winning point last time out, clinched one-and-a-half points from a possible three with current world number one McIlroy in Wales, while Poulter and Rose won two-and-a-half points from their three matches at Valhalla four years ago.

 

McDowell admitted afterwards that the unique pressures of the competition were already being felt in the visitors' camp. "I went to bed last night and I could barely sleep," he said.

 

"These are perhaps the best two teams that have ever been assembled at the Ryder Cup - it's going to be a big week and a titanic struggle. The big thing I've learned from the last couple of Ryder Cups is that being nervous and anxious is not really worth it. When the gun goes off on Friday you've just got to go out there and play aggressively, because if you don't shoot seven under or eight under you're going to lose. There's no room for anxiety about bad shots because bogeys and doubles are not going to matter this week - it's going to be the quality of your good shots that matters, holed putts and chip ins. Leave the nerves on the first tee. Get charged up - enjoy the atmosphere and enjoy the adrenaline that's going to course through your veins."

 

McDowell dismissed suggestions that the European players would struggle with the partisan, passionate galleries expected around the course this week. I think the crowds like the European golfers. They have embraced them as PGA players, and I think the days of hostility are gone," he said.

 

Seven of Europe's team have the experience of playing in a Ryder Cup match away from home, and with only one debutant in the ranks - Colsaerts - that familiarity could prove critical in the days to follow. Putts that drop in front of your home fans are like a bomb going off, and putts that go in this weekend will be like someone's got the silencer on," said McDowell.

 

"I remember Valhalla. The 14th was a very big natural amphitheatre and one of the most intimidating holes as a European. You knew when somebody birdied - you could hear it reverberating around the course. It's going to come down to the putting. You've got 24 great players, and I don't see any real stand-out advantage for either team, so it's going to boil down to who holes the most putts."

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/19721044

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[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csj2DjBQj_w]The Ryder Cup 2012 - Tiger Woods - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - YouTube[/ame]

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OUCH! Tiger Woods drills unlucky Ryder Cup fan in the noggin during morning matches at Medinah Country Club

 

Woods and partner Steve Sticker took on Ian Poulter and Justin Rose of Team Europe in the morning Foursome match.

 

Tiger Woods talks with a fan as he receives medical treatment after being drilled in the head with a ball hit by the Team USA star along the seventh hole during his morning match at Medinah Country Club on the opening day of the 2012 Ryder Cup.

 

Woods and partner Steve Sticker took on Ian Poulter and Justin Rose of Team Europe in the morning Foursome match.

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/ouch-tiger-woods-drills-unlucky-ryder-cup-fan-noggin-morning-matches-medinah-country-club-article-1.1170440

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I'm surprised he didn't hit more spectators, he was all over the place from the 1st tee to the 18th green

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USA and Europe share the points 2-2 after the opening foursomes in the 39th Ryder Cup at Medinah.

 

■Match score: USA 2-2 Europe

■Furyk/Sn'ker lose to McIlroy/McDowell 1up

■Mickelson/Bradley beat Donald/Garcia 4&3

■Dufner/Z Johnson beat W'wood/Molinari 3&2

■Woods/Stricker lose to Poulter/Rose 2&1

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Ryder Cup 2012: Mickelson and Bradley spark US charge

 

USA will take a 5-3 lead into the second morning of the Ryder Cup after dominating the afternoon fourballs at the Medinah Country Club.

 

Led by the brilliant partnership of Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley and an inspired Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson, the hosts took three of the four points on offer after lunch to open up a commanding advantage.

 

The two teams had been locked together at 2-2 after the morning foursomes, with the Northern Irish pairing of Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy picking up Europe's first point and Ian Poulter and Justin Rose providing the second.

 

But with Poulter controversially rested for the better-ball format, along with Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia, Davis Love's side accelerated away as the autumn shadows lengthened.

 

Watson and Simpson thrashed the unhappy pairing of Peter Hanson and Paul Lawrie 5&4, while McDowell and McIlroy were dismantled by the charging Mickelson and Bradley.

 

"Just everybody played real well and hung in there and had a lot of fun. Seemed like as the sun came out, we just got better and better," said US captain Love.

 

With eight more points on offer when the foursomes and fourball formats are repeated on Saturday and 12 during Sunday's singles, the contest is far from over.

 

But captain Jose Maria Olazabal's team will have to produce a major turnaround in order to claim the Cup for the fifth time in seven meetings.

 

"The afternoon was tough," conceded the Spaniard. "That last point [from Nicolas Colsaerts and Lee Westwood] was very important."

 

World number one McIlroy agreed with his team leader that the scoreline could have been worse for the Europeans.

 

"The afternoon session wasn't that bad a result, looking at the scoreboard early on in the afternoon," he said. "We're only two points behind with eight to play for on Saturday so we're still in a decent position. We're pretty strong on foursomes so if we get a good start in the morning and even things up that would be great.

 

"The atmosphere is incredible. You can feed off the energy but when people are cheering for the other guys you've just got to stay focused. It's definitely nothing like Celtic Manor was a couple of years ago."

 

Olazabal was grateful for the form of Belgian debutant Nicolas Colsaerts, whose wonderful touch with the putter saved his partner Lee Westwood's blushes and brought Europe's only point of the afternoon.

 

"He was amazing," said the Spaniard. "I've heard that's a record score for a rookie in the history of the Ryder Cup so it shows how special his round was."

 

Three years ago Colsaerts was outside the world's top 1,000, not just an outsider for this Ryder Cup but an unthinkable.

 

But eight birdies and an eagle singlehandedly kept his pairing alive, a nerveless 20-footer on the 17th keeping Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker at bay by just a single shot going to the 18th.

 

Woods had a 15-foot putt to win the hole and tie the match but missed it by the tiniest fraction to the left to keep European hopes alive.

 

"I didn't play my best but Nicolas Colsaerts was brilliant to watch," said Westwood, playing in his eighth Ryder Cup.

 

"I tried to support him whenever I could but it was one of those amazing days. We didn't just want the half, it was vital we got the win and the full point."

 

"Nicolas probably had one of the greatest putting rounds I've ever seen," added Woods after losing his first two games for the fourth time in his Ryder Cup career.

 

Watson and Simpson had grabbed their match by the scruff of the neck, going nine-under through the first 10 holes to be six up, and the struggling Lawrie and Hanson could barely dent that lead.

 

Mickelson and Bradley were three up after three against McIlroy and McDowell and went four up after eight, and although they were pegged back to just a two-shot lead on 17 Mickelson then sent his tee-shot on that par three over Lake Kadijah to three feet to seal the 2&1 win.

 

Rose was steady against Matt Kuchar and Dustin Johnson but his partner Martin Kaymer was unable to shake his poor run of form as the European pair went down 3&2 in the fourth fourball.

 

Kuchar and Johnson lost the first hole but produced birdies on every hole from four to seven to take control. With the dew still on the grass and the sun yet to fully rise all four European foursome pairs had briefly led until the fight-back began midway through the morning.

 

Garcia and Donald had won all four of their previous Ryder Cup matches in this format, which sees the players hit alternate shots with the same ball, and were one up after winning the fifth and sixth holes, but Bradley's eight-foot birdie putt on the ninth squared the match.

 

Both European players missed six-foot putts for halves on the 12th and 14th holes, while Mickelson and Bradley holed birdie putts on the 13th and 15th to win four holes on the trot and the first point of this year's competition.

 

McIlroy and McDowell were also one up after six holes and they moved to three up after 11 before Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker came back hard with a succession of birdies from 13.

 

It took a loose drive from FedEx Cup champion Snedeker on the 18th to open the door, and a nerveless nine-foot putt from McDowell did the rest.

 

Poulter and Rose took advantage of some poor play in the morning by Woods, who pushed and hooked all manner of shots, to be two up after six holes, despite carding only one birdie themselves.

 

Poulter holed from a greenside bunker on the 11th before knocking in a three-foot putt on the 12th to put the Europeans three up.

 

Woods and Stricker won two of the next three holes but when Stricker's birdie putt on the 17th stayed up and Rose's approach stopped six inches short, the match was conceded.

 

Westwood and Francesco Molinari had been disappointing in their 3&2 defeat to Jason Dufner and Zack Johnson, and veteran Westwood may count himself fortunate to be going back out on Saturday morning.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/19764635

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Europe getting a whupping at golf today. Unless its a sweep of the singles tomorrow, the Ryder cup could be over by lunchtime.

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Maybe not this time round, but fun nonetheless

 

<iframe src="http://telly.com/embed.php?guid=O3W7X&autoplay=0" title="Telly video player " class="twitvid-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="360" frameborder="0"></iframe>

[coldplaymom]

Ian Poulter was on fire, birdying the last 5 holes to give Europe a whole point. Tomorrow is still going to be very competitive. USA 10, Europe 6.

 

We only need 4 1/2 points to take the cup while Europe needs 8. Things are looking up for us. I'm sure USA can manage to win 5 out 12 matches.

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If the US putt like the did in the first two days, they'll smash through the 4 1/2 point target.

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Ryder Cup 2012: Europe seek miracle of Medinah against USA

 

It might take the Miracle of Medinah. But after being dogged for three-and-a-half sessions by the Curse of Chicago, Europe at last have slim hope.

 

After another pre-lunch pummelling, their grip on the Ryder Cup looked not just to be slipping but broken. Thanks to the indomitable, totemic Ian Poulter, they will go into Sunday's singles with a couple of fingers still hooked around the handles of the old gold pot.

 

With the scoreboard 10-6 in the USA's favour ahead of the 24-man finale, Jose Maria Olazabal's men require eight points from those 12 matches. Both for reasons of precedent and current form it is a daunting ask.

 

Only once have Europe ever scored that many on a final day, back in noble defeat in 1979. Only once has a 10-6 margin been overturned, and that by the US team on home soil at Brookline 13 years ago.

 

For this miracle to be worked, two things must change: Europe must find the putting mojo that has been the USA's sole possession for the first two days, and they must get off to the mother of all fliers.

 

Throughout Saturday morning's foursomes and for most of the afternoon's fourballs, the greens appeared to be a code for which only the home side had the cipher.

 

It wasn't just that they were fast; it was the lines and the undulations, the dips and the secret sliding slopes.

 

Double-cut and ironed to the texture of wet bathroom tiles, they foxed the European pairings so often that there was a horrible fatalism about the whole thing - a lack of European energy, a contrasting dynamism and delight about their opponents that fired up the enormous crowds.

 

With minimal rough and the Medinah oaks so well spaced that even wayward drives inevitably offered an approach to the pin, it played to the strengths of Davis Love III's team - just as he had intended, and just as he is allowed.

 

It meant Love's 12 good men were away and in front before Olazabal's knew what was happening. Only if the reverse happens on Sunday can belief take hold rather than merely flicker.

 

Europe's players had received an almighty rollicking from Olazabal overnight, what Rory McIlroy described as "the real Sir Alex Ferguson hairdryer treatment".

 

Out on the course in the first match of the day, further inspiration was on offer if his players looked up - the words "Do it for Seve, Europe" written across the pale-blue early morning skies by a high-flying aeroplane hired by a canny bookmaker.

 

Down below, Poulter was doing everything he could to lead from the front. Back in harness with Justin Rose, up against the US talisman of Bubba Watson and his foursomes partner Webb Simpson, sucking on an asthma inhaler while his caddy Terry Mundy smoked a fag, he sunk a birdie putt on the first and charged into the contest with a Ballesteros-like energy.

 

It all came back at him from the boozy, boisterous home support - shouts of "Get in the water!" from the galleries, "You suck, Poulter!" from a man in a white Masters caddy outfit, the puzzling "YOU CAN ONLY DO THIS IN AMERICA!" from a red-faced chap in Stars and Stripes trousers.

 

The dawn drinks were flowing - Bloody Marys in plastic cups, cans of lager, surreptitious hip-flasks. So too was the love for Bubba, a cartoon character of a golfer with a supersonic drive and a wide-eyed charisma that has made him Medinah's darling.

 

Chased down the fairways by the roars for Mickelson and Bradley on the hole behind, Watson and Simpson stormed back into a lead.

 

Bubba was the inspiration, Simpson - the fingers of his white glove flopping out of his back pocket like a cockscomb - the sickly passenger.

 

Poulter neither crumbled nor capitulated. Rose produced with the irons and wedges, his partner the putter, delivering on the ninth and 10th greens to turn one small slice of an otherwise all-red scoreboard blue.

 

It helped that one of their opponents was putting more like Wallace than Webb Simpson. But on a morning of otherwise total American domination, Poulter was a rare figure of European resistance, an object lesson for his team-mates in how they must fight the wildfires on Sunday afternoon.

 

It is hard to understate the pressure on the away team's players here. Around each green are thousands of whooping, baying fans; between each green and next tee the players must walk through a narrow tunnel of faces and fists, bombarded by shouts of encouragement for their rivals - "You got this Bubba!" "Knock it tight, baby!" "OH BABY! OH BABY!"

 

It is unrelenting. With Poulter and Rose trying to protect a narrow lead down the stretch, they looked up to see Michael Jordan striding in to join the US entourage. Across a few fairways, Presidents George and George W Bush were about to do the same.

 

Narrowly, the two Britons hung on at the death, Simpson's seven-foot putt to tie the match on the 18th green sliding past.

 

But luck had little to do with it. Poulter is now 4-1-0 in Ryder Cup foursomes. With his five-birdie charge over the last five holes of his late afternoon fourballs with McIlroy, he confirmed it again: something of the spirit of Seve is raging through his veins.

 

When the call comes, when the pressure mounts, he can step up. Now the rest of his team-mates need to do the same. It might take the Miracle of Medinah. But after being dogged for three-and-a-half sessions by the Curse of Chicago, Europe at last have slim hope.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/19776118

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Sunday's singles (USA first)

 

1703 BST: Watson v Donald

 

1714: Simpson v Poulter

 

1725: Bradley v McIlroy

 

1736: Mickelson v Rose

 

1747: Snedeker v Lawrie

 

1758: D Johnson v Colsaerts

 

1809: Z Johnson v McDowell

 

1820: Furyk v Garcia

 

1831: Dufner v Hanson

 

1842: Kuchar v Westwood

 

1853: Stricker v Kaymer

 

1704: Woods v Molinari

[coldplaymom]

Olazabal sends out his stars early to build a momentum. McDowell should have been the 5th match. 5 blue flags early and the Americans might start to panic. Rose/Michelson pairing is going to be very interesting.

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I don't think it'll make any difference, although I hope I'm wrong. I can see Poulter and Colsaerts getting a point but McIlroy, Lawrie and McDowell have been way below their best. My prediction: 17-11 USA.

[coldplaymom]

Never say never! Hubby and I were at Brookline 1999 and couldn't believe our eyes on Sunday. Granted it's hard to do on foreign soil though with 90% of the gallery against you.

[coldplaymom]

We're underway! Watson/Donald on the 1st tee.

[coldplaymom]

Geez! Rory was caught in traffic? He just arrived in a police car 10 min before his tee time. I wonder what happened?

[coldplaymom]

So Rory got confused by the time zone. He didn't realize that 12:25p ET is actually 11:25 CT which is Chicago time. Bizarre! Why isn't the team together for the Ryder Cup?

[coldplaymom]

Donald 1 up on Watson, 1 blue flag on the board.

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Rory's got three birdies in a row. Whatever made him late, they should all have done it!

[coldplaymom]

Just amazing!

[coldplaymom]

USA 10, Europe 7, Luke Donald wins his match 2&1. Bubba Watson gave him a scare in the last few holes.