Ryder Cup: Records tumble as Europe open up four-point lead

Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari created Ryder Cup history to steer Team Europe into a commanding 10-6 lead after day two at Le Golf National.

Fleetwood and Molinari enjoyed two victories over a forlorn Tiger Woods to become the first European pairing to win all four of their matches in one contest, while Fleetwood is the first rookie in history to win his first four clashes.

Europe carried the momentum of their Friday afternoon whitewash into the second morning and won the first three fourballs matches of the day before Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas ended a run of eight consecutive defeats for Jim Furyk’s side as they beat Ian Poulter and Jon Rahm.

That win lifted Team USA’s spirits heading into the foursomes despite being 8-4 down, and the visitors fought hard to share the session and restrict the European advantage heading into the final day’s singles.

Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson enjoyed their second foursomes win together as they held off Brooks Koepka and world No 1 Dustin Johnson, but Sergio Garcia will have to wait in his bid to become the leading points scorer of all time after he and Alex Noren were comfortably beaten by an in-form Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson.

The 42nd Ryder Cup will hold no fond memories for Woods, who has been on the winning side only once in his seven previous appearances, as he fell victim to the Fleetwood and Molinari express for the third time in two days.

After a 4&3 thrashing alongside Patrick Reed in the morning, Woods and Bryson DeChambeau went down 5&4 to the Anglo-Italian combination in a one-sided foursomes clash – Woods’ 20th defeat in the Ryder Cup, just one short of Phil Mickelson’s unenviable record.

But Team USA at least had the honour of winning the final match of a super Saturday, with Spieth and Thomas fighting back from losing the first two holes to cruise to a 4&3 victory over an erratic Rory McIlroy and Poulter.

Rose & Stenson bt Johnson & Koepka 2&1

The European pair made a nervy start as they lost the first to a par, but Johnson carved his second into deep trouble to the right of the green and conceded the hole.

After three halves in par, the US pair failed to save par after Koepka’s tee shot missed the green, and Rose and Stenson doubled their lead with a par at the 10th before their second blemish of the day gifted a hole back at the 12th.

Rose holed a great putt for a winning birdie at 13 only for the Americans to respond two holes later, and Stenson preserved the home pair’s slim lead with a clutch putt for par at 16, and the Swede nailed another from 12 feet at the 17th before Koepka missed his chance to take the match down the last.

Garcia & Noren lost to Watson & Simpson 3&2

Team USA finally tasted foursomes victory as Watson and Simpson produced a flurry of early birdies, starting with Simpson’s 12-foot putt at the first, although the second will go down as one of the most bizarre in Ryder Cup history.

Watson and Noren both found water from the tee before Simpson also came up short from the drop zone, and Garcia’s effort clung to the fringe while Watson found dry land at the second time of asking. Noren then duffed a chip, Simpson holed from 20 feet for a six and Garcia missed from 15 feet – hole halved in triple-bogeys!

The European pair lost the fourth to a par before clawing one back at the next, only for the Americans to win the next three holes to go four up as Garcia and Noren struggled to emulate their form of Friday afternoon.

An American bogey gave the home duo hope at the 10th, but the next three holes were halved and Simpson’s superb second to six feet at the long 14th effectively put the result beyond doubt, with Watson and Simpson securing the win with another birdie at 16.

Molinari & Fleetwood bt Woods & DeChambeau 5&4

Fresh off a thumping win over Woods and Patrick Reed in the fourballs, the pair dubbed “Moliwood” continued their perfect record together and didn’t record a single bogey on a tough layout with the wind gusting.

Molinari’s eight-foot putt at the first got them off to the ideal start, and pars were enough to win the third, sixth and eighth holes before another birdie at nine swept them into a five-up lead at the turn.

Woods converted a pair of solid approaches from his partner for winning birdies on the next two greens, but Molinari and Fleetwood were not to be denied as the Englishman restored the four-up lead with a brilliant birdie putt at the 12th.

And the quartet were shaking hands two holes later, with Woods and DeChambeau unable to make birdie before Molinari rolled in another perfect putt from 12 feet to etch his and Fleetwood’s names into the record books.

Poulter & McIlroy lost to Spieth & Thomas 4&3

Another blue point looked on the cards when Poulter and McIlroy won the opening two holes, but Spieth’s touch with the putter was to prove decisive as the Americans ran out comfortable winners.

McIlroy was irked by comments in the crowd on the third green about his putting, and after holing from eight feet for a birdie to halve the hole, he turned to the galleries and yelled “Who can’t putt?”, although he was still distracted on the next tee and carved his drive way right and into an unplayable lie.

The resulting double-bogey seven was the start of a run of three straight wins for Spieth and Thomas, who went two up when McIlroy missed an eight-foot par putt on the eighth green.

Spieth’s putting was in fine fettle on the back nine, and further birdies at 11 and 13 took the visitors four clear and, despite battling birdies from McIlroy and Spieth on the next two holes, they were good enough only for halves as Team USA ended a tough two days on a high note.

(c) Sky News 2018: Ryder Cup: Records tumble as Europe open up four-point lead