Europe rise as Tiger struggles
Europe took the lead into the second day of the Ryder Cup for the fifth time in succession today – and looked determined to extend it further as Tiger Woods continued to struggle.
Leading 5-3 overnight, captain Ian Woosnam kept faith with three of his Friday fourball pairings for the second morning’s play at the K Club.
Paul Casey and Robert Karlsson were first out against Stewart Cink and JJ Henry and were two up after five, while Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal were one ahead of Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco at the same stage.
Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood were one up on Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk after four holes while the only joy for the Americans so far came in the last match, where rookie Zach Johnson had birdied the first two holes to take himself and Scott Verplank one ahead of Europe’s only new pairing, Henrik Stenson and Padraig Harrington.
Karlsson had been impressive on his debut yesterday and struck the first blow for Europe this morning, chipping in for a birdie on the second before Casey won the fourth with another birdie.
Garcia had been the home side’s inspiration on the opening day – the Spanish star the only one to win a maximum two points – and despite intermittent heavy rain falling he carried on where he left off with a birdie on the second.
DiMarco levelled matters on the next but Olazabal’s brilliant bunker shot on the fourth edged the Europeans clear again.
Woods had pulled his opening drive into water on Friday but although he found the fairway this time, it was Furyk who again holed the vital putt from 10 feet for a birdie with Westwood already guaranteed a three.
A wild approach to the fourth took Woods out of the picture on the par five and Furyk’s rare miss from eight feet meant Clarke’s birdie was enough to put him and Westwood ahead for the first time.
In the bottom match Stenson chipped in for birdie on the second but that was only enough for a half as Johnson started superbly.
Casey and Karlsson were annoyed to lose the sixth hole to a par four but hit back on the eighth as Casey's long birdie restored a two-hole cushion.
The same score applied in the third match as an inspired Clarke birdied the fifth from three feet while the Spanish pair of Garcia and Olazabal remained one ahead of an anonymous Mickelson and DiMarco.
Johnson was single-handedly providing the Americans with something to cheer, his fourth birdie in the first five holes preventing Harrington from drawing the Europeans level.
