European Captain Thomas Bjorn of Denmark is happy to have a 10-6 lead heading to Sunday singles in the 42nd Ryder Cup, but he’s wary at the same time.
Bjorn knows that was the score that set up the two greatest victorious comebacks in the history of the event, by the United States in 1999 at Brookline and by the Euros in 2012 at Medinah.
“I’ve been around and I’ve seen it all,” Bjorn said after the Europeans finished off a 5-3 Saturday, going 3-1 in morning fourballs before maintaining the lead with a 2-2 mark in foursomes at Le Golf National Golf National on the outskirts Paris. “I know all about Brookline and Medinah.
“We still have a lot of work to do. We have to be focused, go out there tomorrow and finish it off. You look at that American team and you know there are 12 great players over there.”
However, the two best players this week have been Francesco Molinari (pictured right) of Italy and Tommy Fleetwood (left) of England, who went 4-0 in foursomes and fourballs, joining American Lanny Wadkins and Larry Nelson in 1979 as the only twosome to achieve that feat in Ryder Cup history.
After winning their two matches on Friday, Molinari and Fleetwood came back to defeat Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed, 4 and 3, in fourballs and then polished off Woods and Bryson DeChambeau of Clovis, 5 and 4, in foursomes, or alternate shot.
Woods is 0-3 this week, all three defeats coming to Molinari and Fleetwood.
Said Woods: “In the three matches we played, they never missed a putt inside 10-12 feet.”
“I don’t know exactly how to explain it,” Fleetwood said. “It’s such an honor to play alongside (Molinari). He has led me so well.”
Added Molinari, the 2018 Open champion: “We are good friends and it’s been great to play together. But if we don’t win tomorrow, it’s all for nothing.”
Europe also got victories in Saturday fourballs from Sergio Garcia of Spain and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland by a score of 2 and 1 over Tony Finau and Brooks Koepka, and from Englishmen Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton, who downed Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler of Murrieta, 3 and 2.
Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas gave the Americans their only point in the morning session with a 2-and-1 victory over Ian Poulter of England and Jon Rahm of Spain, and then came back in foursomes to beat McIlroy and Poulter, 4 and 3.
Spieth and Thomas have a 3-1 record this week.
Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson gave the U.S. its other point in foursomes with a 3-and-2 victory over Garcia and Alex Noren of Sweden. The other European point in foursomes came from Justin Rose of England and Henrik Stenson of Sweden with a 2-and-1 victory over Johnson and Fowler.
Since the U.S. took a 3-0 lead in Friday morning fourballs, the Euros have taken command with a 10-3 surge.
“It was a tough day and you have to say hats off to Europe,” U.S. Captain Jim Furyk said. “We sent the same guys out this morning as yesterday and instead of 3-1 it was 1-3. It was 2-2 in the afternoon and that last point (from Spieth and Thomas) gives us a chance to do something tomorrow.
“Those guys might have given us a spark. We need to get some red up on the scoreboard early tomorrow.”
In Sunday singles, it will be McIlroy vs. Thomas; Casey vs. Koepka; Rose vs. Simpson; Rahm vs. Woods; Fleetwood vs. Finau; Poulter vs. Johnson; Thorbjorn Oleson of Denmark vs. Spieth; Garcia vs. Fowler; Molinari vs. Phil Mickelson; Hatton vs. Reed; Stenson vs. Watson, and Noren vs. DeChambeau.
Europe needs 14½ points overall to retain the Ryder Cup and the Americans need 14 to keep it. The U.S. leads the all-time series, 26-13-2, but the Euros have won eight of the last 11 and the Americans have not won on European soil in 25 years.
“We have a team that is capable of going out and at least make a run at it,” Spieth said.
And hope for a miracle like Medinah or Brookline.
For complete results, visit https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html
