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ryders cup, Gold for golf
At a day by way of 10 matches were played as part of an enforced plunge to the event’s format, the U.S. team showed a 6-4 lead as soon as first round of four-balls and foursomes matches, when play finally drew to your close amid fading light here, Europe had rallied to make progress in the six matches on course down captivating final session. “It was a vital 120 minutes of play therefore we came through it with flying colors,” said Colin Montgomerie, the European captain. “Momentum is key through these matches and we hadn’t had any. We lost the two series. Suddenly we’re in a, very strong position.” In the new extended third session, which comprised two foursomes and four four-ball encounters since Friday’s lengthy rain delay, Europe took a commanding position in each match, with two foursomes contests threatening to show right into a rout. Certainly was fitting that Jose Maria Olazabal had a role to play in the recovery. The Spaniard, who performed numerous Ryder Cup heroics during his career and it is favorite to captain the team in 2012, has been prevented from playing frontline golf forat least a year as his chronic rheumatism. But he was able to attend this year’s event at Celtic Manor and was drafted into Montgomerie’s backroom team on your second and third sessions, when the revised format resulted in there initially were six matches to watch instead of the usual four. “It’s super to have him on board,” said Montgomerie. “He was not allowed a buggy and thus I felt however struggle, but he was up for it and the adrenaline has kept him going throughout the day. It’s fantastic to have my old friend upon the golf course by himself.” In the foursomes, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald were 4-up through nine holes about the U.S. pairing of Ken Stricker and Tiger Woods, whose hitherto dominant displays in the first two sessions had marked them out as arguably the most feared partnership of the 2010 tournament, while the Northern Irish pair of Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy were 3-up against Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan with an opportunity to extend their lead when play resumes following McDowell’s delightful approach on the eighth just seconds before the players were brought off for bad light. “The foursomes are key games because they are the tough ones in this format,” said Montgomerie. “Rory and Graeme have done fantastic and for Luke and Lee fo be 4-up against possibly the strongest American pairing… it’s been a superb session from the moment we set off, we started winning from the first hole.” Europe also gained the upper hand in each of the four foursomes matches during a final session in which the crowd of 50,000 hassle-free Celtic Manor finally came alive, creating an electric atmosphere in which the lusty cheers must have carried to the top of the Usk River Valley. “We had to get the crowd as our 13th man back on our side by good play,” said Montgomerie. “Obviously the Americans were silencing the crowd, that’s what was happening in the first couple of sessions.” It didn’t take long for Europe to galvanize their fans this evening, though. The opening four-ball pair of Padraig Harrington and Ross Fisher took a lead at the third hole when Fished drained a 25ft putt and were 1-up against Jim Furyk and Dustin Johnson at the close. When Francesco Molinari knocked in a pin-high chip to give him and brother Eduardo a lead at the second against Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar, the crowd burst into a soccer-style chant of “There’s only two Molinaris…” The Italians were 1-up at the end of play. Ian Poulter and Martin Kaymer were 2-up against Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler at the close, justifying Montgomerie’s decision to break up his presumed No. 1 pairing of Kaymer and Westwood following this afternoon’s foursomes, while some inspired play from Peter Hanson and Miguel Angel Jimenez, who raked in a glorious 30-foot putt at the second, left them 2-up against Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton.