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Europe extend lead to leave USA requiring its own miracle

Europe tightened its grip on the 2018 Ryder Cup after another dominant display at Le Golf National in Paris, winning five of the eight points on offer to extend the home side’s lead to four points going into the Sunday singles.

Thomas Bjorn’s side won the fourballs 3-1, to extend Europe’s run of unanswered points to eight, and then tied the foursomes 2-2, to leave Europe requiring just4.5 from the 12 singles matches to grab the trophy back off a dazed American team.

Tommy Fleetwood is only the second Ryder Cup rookie in history to win his first four matches
Tommy Fleetwood is only the second Ryder Cup rookie in history to win his first four matches

Jim Furyk’s out-of-sorts squad has no need to abandon all hope yet, with history having shown that four-point deficits have been clawed back, most recently by Europe at Medinah in 2012 and by USA in 1999, when Ben Crenshaw’s men came back from the same current scoreline to win 14.5-13.5 at Brookline. However, with so many of Furyk’s team appearing to be miles off their game this week, it will require a significant turnaround in fortunes for America to win its first away leg in 25 years.

Justin Thomas played in the French Open this summer and his course experience has proved invaluable
Justin Thomas played in the French Open this summer and his course experience has proved invaluable

The United States have lost both days 5-3, just as Europe did in Medinah, but where things differ is that the US performed nothing close to a miracle on Saturday afternoon, unless we consider avoiding a defeat in the foursomes to be one. And while the European team has played well, they too have not been at their brilliant best, and it has arguably been the golf course itself that has beaten the visitors, more than their opponents.

Poor shot selection off the tee, wild drives, errant approach play, and plenty of missed short putts have all added up to some hefty defeats, with very few matches getting as far as the showcase 18thhole, let alone the 17th.

A chill wind – some players wore bobble hats in the morning round – slow greens, thick rough, spectators set so far back that very few wayward drives find kind lies – all are against what the Americans do best and their instinct, which is to attack, simply isn’t the right approach, even in this format.

Pointless: Tiger Woods has yet to register a point for his team this week and goes up against in the singles
Pointless: Tiger Woods has yet to register a point for his team this week and goes up against Jon Rahm in the singles

It’s no coincidence that the all-conquering Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood – who have now been dubbed ‘MoliWood’ – were the only pairing to avoid a bogey in a foursomes session almost everyone else seemed to find difficult. Nor perhaps is it a coincidence that Justin Thomas, the sole American visitor to this summer’s French Open, has so far been their best player. Course experience has proved vital, with Europe’s combined 233 competitive rounds at Le Golf National, compared to America’s eight, making the world of difference.

Only a miracle seems to stand in the way of Europe regaining the cup it lost at Hazeltine two years ago, but they do happen, so stand by for another thrilling Sunday afternoon’s Ryder Cup action.

Europe 10-6 USA

Saturday fourballs
WON 2&1 McIlroy/Garcia v Koepka/Finau
WON 3&2 Casey/Hatton v Johnson/Fowler
WON 4&3 Molinari/Fleetwood v Woods/Reed
Poulter/Rahm v Thomas/Spieth WON 2up

Saturday foursomes
WON 2up Rose/Stenson v Johnson/Koepka
Garcia/Noren v Simpson/Watson WON 3&2
WON 5&4 Molinari/Fleetwood v Woods/DeChambeau
Poulter/McIlroy v Spieth/Thomas WON 3&2

Sunday singles matches
11.05: Rory McIlroy v Justin Thomas
11.17: Paul Casey v Brooks Koepka
11.29: Justin Rose v Webb Simpson
11.41: Jon Rahm v Tiger Woods
11.53: Tommy Fleetwood v Tony Finau
12.05: Ian Poulter v Dustin Johnson
12.17: Thorbjorn Olesen v Jordan Spieth
12.29: Sergio Garcia v Rickie Fowler
12.41: Francesco Molinari v Phil Mickelson
12.53: Tyrrell Hatton v Patrick Reed
1.05: Henrik Stenson v Bubba Watson
1.17: Alex Noren v Bryson DeChambeau