Ian Poulter and Justin Rose, Europe's only winners on day one, were today leading from the front on the second day of the 37th Ryder Cup at Valhalla. Trailing by three points after Friday's eight matches, Nick Faldo sprung a major surprise by leaving Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia out of this morning's foursomes.
Garcia was on antibiotics last week and asked to be rested but Faldo chose to leave out Westwood despite the Englishman insisting "a couple of blisters" were not enough reason to sit out his first ever session after 27 consecutive cup matches.
Faldo sent Poulter and Rose out in the first match and the English pair responded by storming five clear after just seven holes, helped by some terrible golf by opponents Stewart Cink and Chad Campbell.
However, the European pair had been three up after seven holes on the same duo yesterday, only to lose on the 18th, and they lost the 10th and 12th to see their lead cut to three with six holes remaining.
In match two Graeme McDowell and Miguel Angel Jimenez were all square against the top American pairing of Justin Leonard and Hunter Mahan, who won both of their matches yesterday.
The European pair were two up after four and again after six holes, but were pegged back when an inspired Leonard — without a Ryder Cup victory until Friday - holed from 12ft for birdie on the eighth.
The Americans were then gifted the 12th when McDowell and Jimenez could only get to 20ft from the pin after four shots.
American captain Paul Azinger had kept faith with the same foursomes pairings from yesterday and it initially looked like paying off when Anthony Kim and Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry raced into four-hole leads over Henrik Stenson and Oliver Wilson and Padraig Harrington and Robert Karlsson respectively.
But Stenson and Wilson then won three holes out of four from the seventh to trail by just one after 11, and Harrington and Karlsson got back to just two down at the turn.
Current Score
Stewart Cink & Chad Campbell lost toIan Poulter & Justin Rose 4 & 3
Justin Leonard & Hunter Mahan A/SMiguel Angel Jimenez & Graeme McDowell (14)
Phil Mickelson & Anthony Kim A/SHenrik Stenson & Oliver Wilson (13)
Jim Furyk & Kenny Perry 2 upon Padraig Harrington & Robert Karlsson (11)
Current match score:
United States 5 1/2 Europe 3 1/2
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