Ryder Cup 2018: Team Europe fight back in the foursomes to reverse America's winning start
The bitter taste of the morning evaporated in this corner of France as Europe stormed to a whitewash victory in the afternoon session
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Your support makes all the difference.Around half an hour after the USA had beaten Europe 3-1 in the morning foursomes, Justin Rose was already heading back out for more.
The Englishman had suffered defeat playing with Jon Rahm earlier, the in-form duo falling victims to some inspired performances and fortuitous bounces from Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau, the latter bouncing a ball off a wooden joist that supports the water hazard on the 16th hole and onto the green to completely change the complexion of their match-up. Knock on wood? It was the sort of lucky shot that would be impossible to reproduce in ten thousand attempts.
Knowing he had played well, Rose had 30 minutes to dust himself off and reunite with Henrik Stenson, an old friend with whom he had enjoyed success at previous Ryder Cups. In the Team Europe locker room, Rose bumped into Rory McIlroy, similarly disappointed but not disheartened after defeat in the morning.
“Put some blue on the board, Rosey,” said McIlroy. “Give me and [Ian] Poulter something to chase.”
From there, Europe did not look back. Rose and Stenson never trailed in match one, leading by five holes at one point before sealing a 3&2 victory over the formidable pairing of Rickie Fowler and world No1 Dustin Johnson, who had crushed McIlroy and Thorbjorn Olesen earlier in the day.
McIlroy and Poulter quickly fell two down but fought back to be two up at the turn. Then they kicked on, winning 4&2 and ramping up the volume around Le Golf National.
“We played well together at Medinah. We played well together at Gleneagles,” said McIlroy, of his Ryder Cup pedigree alongside Poulter. “It was nice to get back out there with them and deliver another point for Europe.”
“I left Rory a couple of testers today,” said Poulter. “I left him a couple of like seven-foot [putts] and he managed to roll them in. It was a good match, and to put another point on the board, and the board looking so strong this afternoon, that's key.
“The team have really come out this afternoon. They have done what they do best and that's be resilient and it's awesome.”
When life gives you lemons, make 7-Up.
The bitter taste of the morning evaporated in this corner of France as Europe continued to rampage with Sergio Garcia and Alex Noren’s comfortable win over Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson in match three seeing them seven holes ahead with nine to play. Had they held on at seven up, it would have been the biggest foursomes victory in Ryder Cup history. That was the size of this blue wave.
All that was left was for Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari, Europe’s only victorious pairing from the fourballs, to do their thing.
“We were walking down the sixth and we said, sounds a little bit better this afternoon,” joked Fleetwood. “The energy that comes off those guys going in front, I don't really know how to describe it.”
He and Molinari, Europe’s odd but brilliant couple, never trailed even when confronted with Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
The American duo made just one birdie all round before they conceded at the 14th green, a barely believable turnaround from the morning performances of Spieth but entirely in-keeping with how Team USA seemed to struggle playing alternate shots.
Indeed, after 36 holes combined, the Americans had made just a single birdie among them. A team containing six of the world’s top 10 players by ranking, with all bar Mickelson in the top 17, managed to go under par on just a single hole of those 36 and even after a little resurgence they only found eight in the 60 holes they could keep Europe out on the course for.
Should they continue in that vein then they stand no chance of retaining the Ryder Cup but it seems hard to imagine that happening. This was one of those special afternoons where, as Fleetwood observed, the energy changes and supernatural forces appear to take over.
Alex Noren, who picked up a point in his first Ryder Cup match-up, could barely describe what it felt like to be out on the course with a boisterous, well-lubricated crowd roaring on every shot.
“I’ve never been this nervous throughout the round,” he said. “You know, it's so special. I didn't know how special it was going to be until you step on the first tee.”
Now they know, and the tough task will be maintaining this level. Europe head into Saturday ahead but only by a slim margin. It is very much a case of game on.
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