Massive putts help Europe lead USA by 5 points in Ryder Cup

(Photo credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Jon Rahm made two eagles in the final three holes of his afternoon four-ball session, and Team Europe closed the first day of the 44th Ryder Cup with a 6 1/2-1 1/2 lead over Team USA on Friday near Rome.

The Spanish star teamed up with Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark to pull out of a dramatic tie with Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka of the United States after Team Europe dominated the morning's celebrations, winning all four points at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

The American team failed to win a single game on Friday. The Americans held the lead in each of the first three afternoon games, dropping ties in all three.

The second of Rahm's eagles fell just minutes after Norwegian Viktor Hovland and Englishman Tyrrell Hatton rallied to tie Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. To end the day, Ryder Cup veteran Justin Rose of England won three of the last four holes himself, drawing Scottish debutant Robert MacIntyre into a tie with Max Homa and Wyndham Clark.

In the second afternoon match, Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and England's Matt Fitzpatrick cruised to a 5-and-3 victory over Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele.

"It's a dream start for us," said Team Europe captain Luke Donald. "... Every game that came down to 18 we won. It could have easily been 3-1 to USA this afternoon and we actually ended up winning the game. Big heart, good fight from the guys."

Koepka birdied No. 15 to put the American team at 1, but Rahm chipped in for eagle from the green on the par-4 16th to pull level.

Scheffler's tee shot on the par-3 17th landed 6 feet, and his birdie won the hole for the United States. But at the par-5 18th, both Scheffler and Koepka needed three shots to reach the green, while Rahm faced a 33-foot eagle putt up a slope.

Rahm's putt tracked at enough speed that it bounced off the back of the hole and dropped straight in.

And Rahm's game recalled that of another Spaniard, the legendary Seve Ballesteros, who is with Team Europe in spirit this week. He appeared in eight Ryder Cups from 1979 to 1995 and had a career record of 20-12-5 with 22.5 points. Team Europe has an empty locker in honor of Ballesteros, who died of a cancerous brain tumor in 2011 at the age of 54.

"That's the intention of the moment, right, and then the fact that something happens is really unique," Rahm said. "I have to give Nicolai props because over here on the 18th, he gave me the freedom to basically go for it ... And he said, 'What would Seve (Ballesteros) do? Do it for Seve'."

It was one of three critical European putts in a short span on No. 18.

Spieth and Thomas had birdied Nos. 12 and 13 for a 2-up lead. Hatton birdied Nos. 14 and 16 to pull even. On the 18th, Hovland sank an uphill birdie putt from 26 feet to ensure Europe would at least be even. Thomas, who had pitched the green to 6 feet, withstood the Europeans' celebrations and made his birdie for the half point.

Homa and Clark absorbed Rose's birdie on No. 15 and won the 16th hole to go 2 up with two to play. But neither could find the green on No. 17 and failed to make par. On the 18th, Homa narrowly missed a birdie from 12 1/2 feet, and Rose's 9-footer was center-cup.

The American team never even led any of the four morning matches, as Europe swept all four matches in one morning session for the first time in Ryder Cup history.

McIlroy and Englishman Tommy Fleetwood won 2 and 1 over Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. The American team appeared poised to tie that match on the par-4 15th hole, but Fleetwood sank a 20-foot par putt and Schauffele shockingly missed a 5-footer to halve.

After Cantlay's first shot at no. 17 landed 20 feet away, McIlroy's sat still just 2 1/2 feet from the flagpole and received a rousing celebration from the European crowd. Schauffele missed his putt and Fleetwood tapped in the easy birdie.

"I've hit a lot of good shots in my time. It's right up there," McIlroy said.

Schauffele and Cantlay were America's scariest couple. They entered Friday 5-0 as teammates in foursomes play.

Rahm and Hatton defeated Scheffler and Sam Burns, 4 and 3. Hovland and Ludvig Aberg of Sweden won four of their first six holes as they beat Homa and Brian Harman, 4 and 3. And Ireland's Shane Lowry and Austria's Sepp Straka were 4 up nine holes on his way to beating Rickie Fowler and Morikawa, 2 and 1.

The Americans are the defending champions but have not won a Ryder Cup played in Europe since 1993.

"You have to look at it from this point of view: You have 28 points, eight are done, so we have 20 more (to play)," USA captain Zach Johnson said. "... Actually, we just started the second quarter. Or you could argue you're on your fourth hole, however you look at it, fourth or fifth hole. A lot of golf left, a lot of opportunities left."

--Field Level Media


https://nord.news/2023/09/29/massive-putts-help-europe-lead-usa-by-5-points-in-ryder-cup/?feed_id=47354

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hear Vetenskapsradio about the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Image
On Wednesday, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced who will be awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The Nobel Prize rewards the discovery and development of quantum dots and goes to Moungi G. Bawendi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA, Louis E. Brus, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA, and Alexei I. Ekimov, Nanocrystals Technology Inc., New York, NY, USA. Hear Vetenskapsradion In depth about the prized discoveries. https://nord.news/2023/10/04/hear-vetenskapsradio-about-the-nobel-prize-in-chemistry/?feed_id=48096
Read more

Study: The right time for physical activity increases fat metabolism

Image
Solna [Sweden]February 18 (ANI): According to a recent study from Sweden's Karolinska Institute and Denmark's University of Copenhagen, mice that exercised during an early active phase, which is comparable to morning exercise in humans, had higher metabolic rates than mice that exercised during a time when they usually rested. The results of the study were published in the journal PNAS. Physical activity at different times of the day can affect the body in different ways because the biological processes depend on the circadian rhythm of the cells. To determine how the time of day when the exercise is done affects fat burning, researchers at the Karolinska Institutet and the University of Copenhagen studied the adipose tissue of mice after a session of high-intensity exercise performed at two points in the daily cycle. an early active phase and early resting phase (equivalent to late morning and late evening sessions in humans). The researchers studied various markers for ...
Read more

Heat, wildfires threaten southern Europe's vital tourism sector

Image
ATHENS, Greece: The Greek island of Rhodes, which is known for its beaches and ancient sites, is still recovering after 11 days of devastating wildfires in July. Following thousands of people being evacuated during the height of the travel season, Rhodes is now reflecting on how the crisis will affect its vital tourism sector, which accounts for most of its economy and some 20 percent of the entire Greek economy. Other Mediterranean destinations, such as Italy and Spain, also saw their tourism sectors hit hard by heat waves and wildfires this summer. According to European Union (EU) estimates, Greece, Italy, Algeria and Tunisia lost more than 1,350 square kilometers (520 square miles) to fires that affected 120,000 people in late July. Greece is expecting further extreme heat in the coming days. However, Rosa Mara Lopez, mayor of Villardeciervos in northwestern Spain, which was ravaged by fires last summer, said hikers are still coming to the area. "Tourism is bound to s...
Read more