UNITED STATES 10, EUROPE 6 WITH 12 SINGLES TO PLAY

SATURDAY FOUR-BALL RESULTS

WATSON, SIMPSON (US)
   bt Rose, Molinari (Europe) 5 and 4
    (US 9, Europe 4)

D JOHNSON, KUCHAR (US) bt Colsaerts, Lawrie (Europe) 1 hole.
    (US 10, Europe 4)

GARCIA, DONALD (Europe) bt Woods, Stricker (US) 1 hole.
    (US 10, Europe 5)

McILROY, POULTER bt Dufner, Z Johnson (US) 1 hole.
    (US 10, Europe 6)

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RYDER CUP DAY 2 FOUR-BALLS PROGRESS REPORT

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
The Day 2 afternoon four-balls were finely poised at the midway stage as Europe sought to narrow their Ryder Cup deficit at Medinah, Chicago,
Davis Love's American side took the morning foursomes 3-1 to open up a healthy 8-4 lead.
Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker were the only United States pair trailing as the afternoon four-balls took shape on a Medinah course where the former won both the 1999 and 2006 USPGA Championships.
They lost the first two holes to Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia, both seeking their first points of the week, and were three down after Donald's birdie at the short eighth.
Ahead of them, however, Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson led Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari by three with eight to play and behind them World Number One Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter - Europe's best performer so far - were two down to Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson after seven.
In the other game Nicolas Colsaerts, who in two games has already experienced the wonderful highs and awful lows of Ryder Cup competition, and Paul Lawrie were on level terms against Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar as they started for home.
It was the home side - most notably Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson - who had dominated proceedings so far.Rose and Poulter, improving his phenomenal record in the event to ten wins and only three losses, were the only pre-lunch European winners.
They beat Watson and Simpson, respectively the Masters Tournament and US Open Champions, on the last in a game which began so dramatically with both Poulter and Watson encouraging the crowd to make whatever noise they liked as they teed off.For pure theatre golf has never seen anything like this new trend, started by the eccentric Watson when he entered the fray yesterday afternoon.
But as they slugged it out over 18 holes Mickelson and Bradley needed only 12 to beat hometown boy Donald and Lee Westwood and register a third straight win together.
Their 7 and 6 margin over the World Numbers Three and Four equalled the competition's record winning margin for either fourballs or foursomes.
Then, after Poulter and Rose had done their stuff, Belgian Colsaerts discovered that 18 hours in The Ryder Cup is a long time - time enough to go from ecstasy to agony.
The 29 year old debutant notched eight birdies and an eagle as he gained the notable scalps of Woods and Stricker in his first game.
But on his return his tee shot into the water on the 17th, the hole where he had so dramatically matched Woods' birdie yesterday, led to a 2 and 1 one defeat for him and Garcia.
McIlroy and Graeme McDowell looked as if they might make up for that when they birdied the 16th to be only one down to Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker.
They were the two Americans they beat at the start of the match, but revenge was sweet as the home pair halved the final two holes for a one-hole win.
McDowell, the 2010 match-winner at The Celtic Manor Resort, was then told he was watching the afternoon action, as was Westwood.Mickelson said: "The European side has had some great team-mates - Seve and Ollie and some others - but to be able to share this experience with Keegan has been really awesome.
"We've had so much fun, the crowd has provided so much energy and it's brought our best golf out."
Bradley added: "I'm just thrilled I get to share this with Phil and play the way we did. And I got to witness on the good side one of those Phil pars on the last hole."
That was a reference to the 12th. Mickelson drove into the trees, forcing his partner to lay up, but then his approach landed on the ridge some 30 feet left of the hole and trickled down to within inches.
Westwood, off on a bad foot when he dumped his tee shot into the water on the second, and Donald had been on in two, but three-putted and so did not win a single hole in a contest they finished three over par against their opponent's six under.

Medinah Golf Course 3 Card of Course

	Hole	Par	Yards	Hole	Par	Yards
1 4 443 2 3 192 3 4 412 4 4 463 5 5 536 6 4 509 7 5 617 8 3 201 9 4 432				10 5 578 11 4 440 12 4 476 13 3 245 14 5 609 15 4 391 16 4 482 17 3 193 18 4 449
	Out	36	3805	In	36	3863
				Tot	72	7668

RAIN WIPES OUT SATURDAY PLAY ON CHALLENGE TOUR

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Jeppe Huldahl is just 18 holes from his first victory in three years after the third day’s play of the Challenge de Catalunya was abandoned due to rain.
The Dane was the leader at the end of both of the first two days and will now enter the final day a shot clear of four players, Luke Goddard of England, American Brooks Koepka, Germany’s Nicolas Meitinger and Alessandro Tadini of Italy.
Ominously for the chasing pack, this is a situation with which Huldahl is familiar as the biggest win of his career, at the 2009 Wales Open on The European Tour, came after a suspension in play on the third day, which caused the third round to be finished on the final day before his fateful fourth round began.
“I have never been in this position before - leading with a round cancelled,” said the 30 year old. “But it definitely reminds me a lot when I won at the Wales Open three years ago, with the bad weather and play suspended as a result.
“I was hoping to be in a good position for Sunday, and at least I’ve managed to do it today! Tomorrow we will play a different course. Some areas around the fairway were very dry and now they will be very, very wet. We will see what happens.
“It's been a long day. I think all of us would have loved to play, but it was impossible. There is nothing we can do.”
In the absence of any play at Golf La Graiera, many of the players spent the day in front of the clubhouse television watching Ryder Cup.

RYDER CUP DAY 2 LIVE SCORING FROM MEDINAH

          PAUL AND MARIAN LAWRIE SPECTATING AT THE RYDER CUP

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AFTER THREE SESSIONS OF PLAY, THE SCORELINE
READS:

UNITED STATES 8, EUROPE 4
 (WITH 16 POINTS STILL AT STAKE)


FROM THE RYDER CUP WEBSITE

José María Olazábal has shuffled his pack for the second four-ball session as Europe, trailing 8-4 after the morning foursomes on Day 2 of the three-day match, look to claw their way back to striking distance with Sunday's 12 concluding singles.

Nicolas Colaserts, who produced eight birdies and an eagle in a sensational debut in the fourballs yesterday, will partner Paul Lawrie in the top match against Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar, an American partnership with one win already under their belt.
The Justin Rose/Ian Poulter partnership, which secured the only European win of the morning, has been split with Rose coming up against the same opponents - Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson - in partnership with Francesco Molinari
Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald, who until yesterday were unbeaten as a foursomes partnership, come together in fourballs for the first time against Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker.
And the final match sees Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter take on the unbeaten US pair of Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner.
Peter Hanson and Martin Kaymer were once again rested with Olazábal also resting 2010 match-winner Graeme McDowell and his most experienced Ryder Cup player Lee Westwood, while Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley were given a break by Davis Love after winning their first three games.
  

SATURDAY MORNING FOURSOMES RESULTS

Europe Team names on left

Rose and Poulter bt Watson and Simpson 1 hole.

Westwood and Donald lost to Bradley and Mickelson 7 and 6.

Colsaerts and Garcia lost to Dufner and Z Johnson 2 and 1.

McIlroy and McDowell lost to Furyk and Snedeker  1 hole.

FIRST SESSION (foursomes): Europe 2, US 2 SECOND SESSION (four-balls) Europe 1, US 3 THIRD SESSION (foursomes): Europe 1, US 3

LOCAL HERO LEADS IN TAIWAN MASTERS

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR

Taipei: Local hope Tsai Chi-huang celebrated his 44^th birthday with a seven-under-par 65 as he opened up a six-shot lead in the third round of the Mercuries Taiwan Masters today.

The co-overnight leader Tsai put himself in prime position of repeating his triumph in the event in 2002 as he posted a three-day total of eight-under-par 208 in relatively calm conditions at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club.

Baek Seuk-hyun of South Korea carded a 71, courtesy of a chip-in birdie on 17 to lie in second place and is in the running of winning his first Asian Tour title at the US$600,000 event. 
Filipino veteran Antonio Lascuna was a further shot back in third followed by Malaysia’s Danny Chia, who shot a third consecutive 72.

Tsai, winner of the 1997 Taiwan Open and 1998 Taiwan Masters, wielded a hot putter as he birdied the last three holes in a round of eight birdies and one bogey. The veteran grew up playing at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club and took advantage of his local knowledge

“I know this course very well. I played here so many times when I was a boy. I felt pretty relaxed out there but I’m shocked with my lead. It is amazing,” said Tsai, who made 25 putts.

“My game came together. I was hitting it well off the tees and my irons were hot. If I can continue playing like this tomorrow, then I’m quite confident I can win,” he added.

THIRD-ROUND TOTALS

Par 216 (3x72) Yardage: 6,923

208 TSAI Chi-huang (TPE) 74-69-65.

214 BAEK Seuk-hyun (SKOR) 70-73-71.

215 Antonio LASCUNA (PHI) 70-73-72.

216 Danny CHIA (MAS) 72-72-72.

217 Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 75-74-68,  SIDDIKUR (BAN) 72-72-73.

218 CHAN Yih-shin (TPE) 74-74-70, Guido VAN DER VALK (NED) 73-72-73, Kalle SAMOOJA (FIN) 71-73-74.

220 CHEN Hao-sen (TPE) 72-76-72, HUNG Chien-yao (TPE) 75-73-72, Angelo QUE (PHI) 70-75-75, WANG Shih-jui (TPE) 70-73-77.

221 Namchok TANTIPOKHAKUL (THA) 73-76-72, WANG Ter-chang (TPE) 73-76-72, Sam CYR (USA) 73-76-72, Anirban LAHIRI (IND) 71-75-75, LIN Wen-tang (TPE) 71-73-77.

 

AMERICANS LEAD 5-3 AT END OF RYDER CUP FIRST DAY

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FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Nicolas Colsaerts can already be called a Ryder Cup star - the man who saved holders Europe from being whitewashed in a session for the first time since 1981.
Belgium's first player to appear in the match had an incredible eight birdies and an eagle in the final four-ball game of the day in Chicago.
Partner Lee Westwood, winning his eighth cap, did not contribute a single birdie or eagle to the cause, but together they were able to celebrate a win that kept America's lead down to 5-3 going into the weekend.
Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker were the pair beaten and so, on the Medinah course where he has played two Major Championships and won them both, Woods lost his first two games just like he did in 1999, 2002 and 2004.
Woods was all over the shop in the morning as Justin Rose and Ian Poulter won 2 and 1.
It was so bad Davis Love had reason to drop him instantly, but that would be a first and the American captain decided to give him another chance with Stricker.
Woods then played far better and was close to producing a three-birdie finish that would have snatched a half, but he was no match for the inspired Colsaerts, making a bid to become the most famous Belgian in history.
"It was a lot of fun," Colsaerts said. "I've never had so much fun and I want to have more.
“I dreamt about it - it's difficult to imagine you're going to do so well, but this is what match play is.
“You have to hole it because you know the other guy is going to get it on top of you. So your focus gets very intense, and I'm proud that I played the best way I could.”
The most dramatic moment came on the short 17th when, with Woods three feet away, he rolled in a 22 footer for a matching 2.
"Tiger played great this afternoon, but Colsaerts played unbelievable golf," Love said. "Tiger would have beaten anybody else."
What the 29 year old wildcard did was badly needed on a day when Phil Mickelson celebrated becoming America's most capped Ryder Cup player with two wins.
Mickelson, in his ninth successive match, teamed up with pumped-up debutant Keegan Bradley to beat previously unbeaten foursomes duo Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia 4 and 3, then World Number One McIlroy and McDowell 2 and 1.
The left-hander clinched that with a glorious iron on the short 17th.
"That baby was all over the flagstick, but until you see it land you just never know," he said.
Bradley added: "That shot showed why Phil Mickelson is a Hall of Famer - and I've got so much energy I wish I could go 36 (holes) more."
It had been Love's two current Major Champions who had given their side the momentum after the morning foursomes had been tied 2-2.
Masters Tournament winner Bubba Watson, whipping up the crowd even before he hit a shot, and US Open winner Webb Simpson went to the turn in 29 and were out in 29 and a brilliant ten under par in winning 5 and 4 over Scot Paul Lawrie and Swede Peter Hanson, like them omitted from the opening session.
That took the United States 4-2 up and Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar made it 5-2 with a 3 and 2 victory over Rose and Martin Kaymer.
Earlier in the day McIlroy and McDowell fought off a great comeback to win on the last green against Jim Furyk and last weekend's FedEx Cup winner Brandt Snedeker.
But after Europe had led in all four games two hours into the eagerly-awaited clash, the Northern Irishmen's victory followed the first-ever foursomes defeat for both Donald - playing in the city that has been his home for the last 15 years - and Garcia.
After six successive wins in the format for Donald and eight wins and a half for Garcia since he made his debut in 1999, they went down 4 and 3 to Mickelson and Bradley, while Westwood and Francesco Molinari were beaten 3 and 2 by Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner.
Poulter took his record to nine wins and only three defeats in the morning session as he and Rose beat Woods and Stricker.
Two of those losses came versus Woods, so to grab his scalp was always going to be huge and his key putt on the 16th was greeted by his now trademark "Come On" roar.
Woods hit a spectator on the head for the second day running and he and Stricker were three over par when they lost, easily the worst scoring of the session.
McDowell and McIlroy lost the second then had six birdies in seven holes, the first of them the result of a genius chip by the 23 year old from over the fourth green.
Furyk had incurred a penalty on the long tenth when his ball move as he prepared to chip, but he and his partner fought back to level, only for Snedeker to hit a wayward drive down the last.
There was still work to be done when McDowell hit into the bunker short of the green, but his partner splashed out to five feet and the 2010 match-winner made no mistake.
Donald said of the defeat for him and Garcia, who were looking to make it five out of five together: "We played solid, they just played a little better."

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