GLENEAGLES, Scotland – Justin Rose swept that magical putter into the air before his ball even reached the hole, and he punched his right fist when it dropped for a birdie. Just like at Medinah, the final match in the Ryder Cup on Saturday gave Europe another big boost of momentum going into the final round.
Only this time, Europe didn’t really need it.
Rose capped off a remarkable Saturday for himself and his team. That 6-foot putt on the 18th hole at Gleneagles was enough to give Martin Kaymer and Rose a half-point, giving Europe a 10-6 advantage and leaving it on the cusp of another Ryder Cup victory.
That was the same score two years ago, except that Europe was in dire need of a comeback. Now, it is worried about complacency.
“This job is far from finished,” Europe captain Paul McGinley said. “We’re in great position, but we’ve got a lot of work to do (Sunday).”
Rose teamed with Henrik Stenson to make a record 12 birdies in 16 holes in fourballs. Equally important was getting something – even a half – in foursomes against America’s refreshing rookie tandem of Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth.
“Any glimmer of momentum that they had – say they win that match – they take something with them into the locker room,” Graeme McDowell of Europe said. “And that’s what happened to us at Medinah. That’s why that putt for Justin was so huge, because it gave them nothing to take away this evening.”
United States’ captain Tom Watson walked away only with a lot of questions he couldn’t answer.
He was criticized for playing Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson a second time Friday, and it was even more peculiar when he didn’t play them at all Saturday. It was the first time Mickelson sat out an entire day in his two decades playing the Ryder Cup.
Instead, Watson sent out Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker for a fourth consecutive match, even though their previous games all went to the 18th hole and ended in a draw. The fatigue was evident, particularly with Walker, who shanked a shot from the third fairway. They didn’t stand a chance against Victor Dubuisson and McDowell.
“It may have been a mistake that I put Jimmy and Rickie out for four matches,” Watson said. “I thought they could handle it.”
Watson was the last American captain to win on European soil in 1993, just two months after Spieth was born and before Mickelson completed his first full season on the PGA Tour. He has called the shots and tried to make pairings based on performance and his gut feeling. Ultimately, he put the onus on his players.
“It’s up for the actors to go out there and act,” he said. “They haven’t acted well enough to get that standing ovation at the end in the last two Ryder Cups. That’s the way I look at it.”
Watson wasn’t about to give up on this one.
His best hope is to get American red on the scoreboard early, and he loaded the front with his best players. The first two are rookies – the 24-year-old Reed and the 21-year-old Spieth, the only unbeaten Americans at Gleneagles. Reed will play Stenson, who is 3-0 and sat out Saturday afternoon with a tender back. Spieth will face McDowell, who has won both of his matches this week.
“You might think that it’s a given that the Europeans are going to win,” Watson said. “But I sure as hell don’t.”
It wasn’t quite as convincing as Ben Crenshaw wagging his finger and saying, “I have a good feeling about this,” like he did at Brookline in 1999 when the Americans rallied from a 10-6 deficit before a boisterous crowd outside Boston.
Europe needs only four wins out of 12 singles matches to retain the cup, and an additional halve to win it outright.
The European comeback at Medinah began Saturday evening when Ian Poulter birdied his final five holes for an unlikely win that closed the gap to 10-6, and Europe rode that spark to the greatest rally by a visiting team in Ryder Cup history.
Poulter finally delivered, even if it was only a half-point. Rory McIlroy and Poulter were headed for defeat in fourballs against Fowler and Walker, on the verge of going 2 down on the 15th hole, when Poulter chipped in across the green for birdie, then made a 20-foot birdie on the next hole to square the match.
Poulter came into this Ryder Cup with the highest winning percentage – 12 wins in 15 matches – of anyone who has played multiple times. He has played only twice this week, and Europe still has a 10-6 lead.
“This is more than a one-man team,” McGinley said. “Ian Poulter has been a colossus in the Ryder Cup. He played a massive role (Saturday).”
Europe, as always, was best at the end. For the second consecutive day, the Americans rallied in the morning by winning 2½ points in fourballs. For the second consecutive day, Europe answered in the afternoon by going unbeaten (3W-0L-1D) in foursomes.
“We’re in a tough position,” Walker said. “But I feel like we can dig ourselves out of the hole.”
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