The Ryder Cup has made golf come alive this weekend as Team Europe faces Team USA at Gleneagles. Tom Watson, captain for the second time after that painful loss at Medinah two years ago, is hoping for retribution, this time facing Paul McGinlay's Europe team. Both teams are hoping to secure the 14 1/2 points necessary for victory. The first morning saw a strong start for the USA, who claimed a one point lead by the end of the morning four balls, despite a convincing 5&4 win by Rose and Stenson in the first match. This victory was perhaps surprisingly matched by US rookies Spieth and Reid who beat the pairing of debutant Gallacher and Poulter.
Prior to this match, Ian Poulter had won an amazing 11 out of a possible 12 points in his last Ryder Cup matches. The afternoon though belonged to Europe, who won 31/2 out of a possible 4 points. The result saw another victory for Rose and Stenson, together with wins for Donaldson and Westwood and Dubuisson and McDowell. The only half point gained by the US would have felt almost like a defeat as Walker and Fowler were 2 holes up with 2 to play before McIlroy and Garcia produced some magic to salvage a half, including a stunning 40ft putt for birdie by World Number 1 Rory McIlroy on the 17th hole. The Europeans therefore took a 5-3 lead overnight. A new day brought a change of fortunes and USA reduced the deficit to one point with a 21/2-11/2 victory in the four-balls.
There was a point apiece for the form pairings of Rose and Stenson for the Europeans, and Speith and Reid for the USA. However Furyk and Mahan secured a convincing 4&3 win, and McIlroy and Poulter could only finish all square with Walker and Fowler. The afternoon foursomes again threw up an excellent afternoon for the Europeans.
A 31/2point to1/2 point swing meant that the Europeans will take a four point lead into tomorrow's singles. There were wins for Dubuisson and McDowell, Donaldson and Westwood and Garcia and McIlroy with only one match going to the final hole. That match crucially handed initiative to Europe as Justin Rose holed a putt to halve the match, leaving Europe undefeated in this session.
The halfway result is the mirror image of Medinah, with this time Europe holding a 10-6 advantage. As we have seen so often, the Ryder Cup is never won until the singles are over. Tom Watson will know this only too well and the memories are probably still too raw. Leading 10-6 and playing in front of a home crowd, what is now affectionately known in European circuits as "The Miracle of Medinah" saw perhaps the greatest comeback by the Europeans. Not only did they retain the cup but they actually won it outright, with the final score 141/2-131/2. The Europeans actually won the session 81/2-31/2, with Francesco Molianari securing the final half point against Tiger Woods. With one day to go, what is guaranteed is that the last day will provide some compelling drama as it will pitch players against each other, where every match, hole and putt will matter.
Both sides will be looking for the "mo" word - momentum and hoping that the players will feed off the results of each other. There is nothing more motivating than seeing the scoreboard significantly change colour - either to blue of Europe or red of the USA. The crowd can also play their part as the players look for any inspiration to make a difference. It will be an afternoon of nerves and finger-nail biting as spectators follow their teams. As their favourites stand over their putt, listeners will stop everything and hold their breath in the hope that it will drop. With its match play nature, the Ryder Cup gives golf global appeal. It remains to be seen whether Europe can bring back the Cup for a remarkable sixth time in seven attempts, but it is as yet too early to predict the outcome.
For three days, Europeans can forget their borders and all root for the same team. There is no better example of sport bringing nations together. Perhaps it could be argued that it is the greatest team sport event there is. Will Europe be able to hold onto their 10-6 lead? The result will unfold tomorrow - let's see who can hold their nerve.
