Britain & Ireland advance their lead to 6-4

over Continent of Europe in Vivendi Trophy

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By MARK REASON at St-Nom-la Breteche, France
Colin Montgomerie was musing in the morning sunlight. The European Ryder Cup captain wondered aloud if young Rory McIlroy was so 'starry' that he could handle going out in Europe's opening pair at next year's Ryder Cup.
On the evidence of the second day of the Vivendi Trophy the answer to his question is an emphatic "No."
McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, playing in the day's third four-balls match, were well beaten by Anders Hansen and Francesco Molinari.
The Northern Irishmen made consecutive bogeys in the middle of the match, a serial crime in better-ball match play, and McIlroy was all over the place for much of his round.
And yet McIlroy was so successful leading the top of the Great Britain and Ireland order on the opening day that you had to ask Montgomerie if he could go out first at next year's Ryder Cup. Was it so far-fetched for a rookie?
Montgomerie said: "It's a very hard thing to do. The Friday morning of the Ryder Cup is a very tough place to be, but there might be a case for throwing him in at the very deep end. It would be interesting to see. You would love to get blue on the board early."
Paul McGinley, the captain of Great Britain and Ireland, preferred to put Simon Dyson and Oliver Wilson out at the top of the order on Day 2. It proved a shrewd move.
Dyson and Wilson may sound like an old-fashioned firm of haberdashers, but they have taken out two of Continental Europe's best pairings and been the force behind Great Britain and Ireland's 6-4 lead.
Today the Englishmen beat Alvaro Quirós and Henrik Stenson, two of the longest hitters in golf. Quirós and Stenson were nine under par and they still lost on the 17th green when Wilson rolled in a nine-footer – better to win early than go up the 18th.
There is a gentle ruthlessness about the man from Mansfield that hints at the reason he holed a couple of crucial putts at the 2008 Ryder Cup.
Britain and Ireland's other unbeaten pair, Chris Wood and Anthony Wall, have caught the Ryder Cup captain's eye. Montgomerie said: "There's a few I'm watching in particular. Chris Wood is one, Alvaro Quirós another.
"It's interesting to see Rory in his first pro team competition and Anthony Wall has played fantastically. Peter Hanson is the most improved player on the greens in Europe this year. I think at least half of my team are playing here."
Montgomerie might also have name-checked McGinley, a potential assistant captain next year and favourite to lead Europe in 2014. McGinley's players have been hugely impressed by his thoughtful leadership.
In contrast Thomas Bjorn, the captain of Continental Europe, put his foot in it when he described the four-day Vivendi format as being "a bit too boring", adding: "There's not enough going on."
FRIDAY SCOREBOARD
FOUR-BALLS
(Continental Europe names first)
Henrik Stenson and Alvaro Quiros lost to Simon Dyson and Oliver Wilson 2&1
Peter Hanson and Soren Hansen lost to Nick Dougherty and Ross Fisher 3&2
Anders Hansen and Francesco Molinari bt Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy 3&1
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Robert Karlsson bt Robert Rock and Steve Webster 1 hole
Miguel Angel Jimenez and Soren Kjeldsen lost to Anthony Wall and Chris Wood 3&2
Four-balls result:
Continental Europe 2, Great Britain and Ireland 3
Match position:
Continental Europe 4, Great Britain and Ireland 6