Ryder Cup LIVE: Express Sport brings you coverage throughout the day from Le Golf National
Saturday morning fourballs latest scores | Europe 5-3 USA
- Match 1 – 1UP Garcia/McIlroy vs Finau/Koepka AS (3)
- Match 2 – AS Casey/Hatton vs Johnson/Fowler AS (2)
- Match 3 – AS Molinari/Fleetwood vs Woods/Reed AS (1)
- Match 4 – Poulter/Rahm vs Thomas/Spieth
1UP Garcia/McIlroy vs Finau/Koepka AS (3)
08:05: Sergio Garcia is paying Thomas Bjorn back in spades it seems. He can’t stop winning. I’ll give Rory the credit for this one though as he splashes out from the near-side bunker. It’s less than a foot away and that’s enough to win the hole.
Poulter/Rahm vs Thomas/Spieth
08:00: Here come the boys! This one feels like the popular high-school jocks vs the library twins as Ian Poulter and Jon Rahm get Match 4 underway against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
The 25-year-old three-times major champion missed last week’s Tour Championships in Atlanta in order to regain his zip after a title-less season and the break seemed to work wonders as he began with a birdie barrage – let’s see if he can repeat the feat today.
Three are safely away, but Rahm goes straight in the drink. Looks like this one’s on you, Poults.
AS Casey/Hatton vs Johnson/Fowler AS
07:55: Johnson and Fowler hit back! Well, Fowler does. DJ was miles away from the green and sent it straight into the water, but his partner arrows his tee shot to ten feet and takes care of business. The Europeans can’t better a birdie and we’re all square again.
USA – Strongest Ryder Cup team ever
07:48: You might not know from the scoreline, but the USA went into this year’s Ryder Cup as the strongest team since world golf rankings began in 1986.
That’s according to the stats nerds down at spread betting firm Sporting Index, who appear to have too much time on their hands.
After Tiger Woods’ emotional victory at the Tour Championship last weekend propelled him up to 13th in the world, Jim Furyk’s men now have an average world ranking of just 11.17 – better than the previous best of 11.83, set by Team USA in 1999.
Of course, having the ‘best’ team doesn’t necessarily translate to Ryder Cup success. Of the 15 meetings since rankings began, the side with the strongest average ranking has won just five times – which could be a good omen for European captain Thomas Bjorn.
Molinari/Fleetwood vs Woods/Reed
07:45: Heeeeereeeee’s Tommy! British Open Champion Francesco Molinari and rookie Tommy Fleetwood, who in the morning left Tiger Woods licking his wounds on his much-anticipated Ryder Cup return before defeating Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in the second session.
Woods and Captain America have the chance to exact some revenge today, but it’s not the best of opening tee-shots for Reed, who is so terrified of landing in the drink that he over-compensates by sending it straight into the rough on the right of the fairway. No issues for Tiger, and the crowd love it.
Tommy takes an iron to it successfully, while Molinari is just about perfect despite flirting with the water.
1UP Casey/Hatton vs Johnson/Fowler (1)
07:40: This is looking positive for the European duo. Fowler AGAIN hooks it miles from the par four first while Johnson elects to clip it inside to keep the ball alive.
Johnson grabs his iron… he’s in the water!!! Paul Casey finds the green and has a two-putt from eight feet to win the opening hole. Ah, the US concede and Europe have the advantage early doors.
Fightback
07:35: Jim Furyk predicted that his side would bounce back from suffering an unprecedented whitewash. Well what else was he going to say?!
Furyk has kept faith with his fourball pairings for today’s session – giving Woods and Patrick Reed the chance for revenge against Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood – but admitted he would need to “shore up” his foursomes line-up.
He was just asked if some players wouldn’t feature today, and he was extremely cagey. I suspect “yes” is the answer but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
“We’ll take a look at it. Depends what happens this morning,” he said.
Casey/Hatton vs Johnson/Fowler
07:30: Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton fell three down to Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas when Spieth made five birdies in the first seven holes, but the English pair fought back superbly to get back on level terms after 13 holes, only for Thomas to crucially birdie the 15th and hold on for victory.
Europe captain Thomas Bjorn has kept faith with the pair, who are given a tough assignment against DJ and Rickie Fowler. Well, I say tough – Fowler has just spanked it straight into the water while Johnson flirts with the wet stuff. He’s just about safe. Crowd loved that.
Huge cheers for Casey, who drops it in the middle of the fairway but is playing partner Hatton, who is full of adrenaline, takes a swim.
AS Garcia/McIlroy vs Finau/Koepka AS (1)
07:25: No immediate drama from the opening quartet with Finau and Koepka slapping irons down the fairway with Garcia doing the same using a 3-wood. Rory is close to the water but the lip between the fairway and rough slows it down.
The pin placement on the opening green is dangerously close to the water, so irons to the right side of the green will be the order of the day – bravery could cost you.
Finau and McIlroy don’t trouble the hole with tricky 20-footers sailing past, same goes for Garcia and Koepka. Halved.
Stay grounded…
07:20: I guess it’s easier said than done after yesterday’s whitewash in the foursomes, but Europe captain Thomas Bjorn refused to get carried away about the prospect of regaining the Ryder Cup.
“It’s hard to say it’s not right at the top as a session, but then you’ve got to look at the other way and say the morning session wasn’t at the top. That’s the way it is,” Bjorn said.
“When you have a clean sweep, that is something that is pretty special to all those players that were out on that golf course. But you know, we experienced it against us in Hazeltine the first morning, and that’s not a nice thing. I’ve been around long enough to know that on Saturday morning, it could be completely different again.
“I thought it was a nice response and a brilliant afternoon. It doesn’t excite me any more than that as I know what’s ahead of us for the next two days.”
Garcia/McIlroy vs Finau/Koepka
07:10: “Oleeeeeeeee, Olé, Olé, Olé,” sing the packed 7,000-capacity grandstand as the first quartet of the morning stroll out.
After taking a 3-1 lead in the morning fourballs, the Americans were swept aside with consulate ease in the four alternate shot matches at Le Golf National.
I enjoyed writing that, could you tell?
Anyway, we’re back up and running again at a rowdy Le Golf National where Europe are looking to press home their 5-3 advantage and pick up where they left off yesterday evening.
Rory McIlroy is partnered with Sergio Garcia in Match 1, while USA captain Jim Furyk sticks with the tried and tested Tony Finau and Brooks Koepka, who showed real guts and determination to beat Justin Rose and Jon Rahm in the fourballs yesterday.
The Ryder Cup is into day two at Le Golf National – follow the action live
Europe come into the second day with a 5-3 lead after a stunning turnaround in the second session.
But the USA have named their same line up from yesterday’s morning session after taking an early 3-1 lead.
Europe have mixed things up with Rory McIlroy out with Sergio Garcia first and Justin Rose rested.
Tiger Woods continues despite suggestions of an injury and him and read face Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood again.
