GB AND IRELAND DRAW LEVEL WITH SINGLES TO COME IN SEVE TROPHY

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Great Britain and Ireland defeated Continental Europe 3-1 in the Saturday afternoon session of foursomes in the Seve Trophy by Golf+, meaning the two sides will head into Sunday’s decisive singles matches all square.

A point behind overnight, Sam Torrance’s side found themselves 8-6 adrift after Continental Europe shaded the morning foursomes session 2½-1½.

But a superb showing in the afternoon meant the outcome of the eighth biennial contest remains finely balanced at 9-9 after an intriguing day at Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche.
Stephen Gallacher and Paul Lawrie led the way for Great Britain and Ireland, defeating Nicolas Colsaerts and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño in the afternoon, having ended the Continental Europeans pair’s 100 per cent record earlier in the day when they came back from three down in the morning session to snatch a half – both sides missing birdie putts for the tie on the final hole.

It was sweet revenge for the Scots, who had fallen to a red-hot Colsaerts and Fernandez-Castaño by a record 6 and 5 margin in Friday’s fourballs.

Gallacher and Lawrie raced into a three-hole lead on the front nine, then former Open Champion Lawrie put them four up with a six foot birdie putt at the 11th. Although the Europeans took the 13th and 15th to extend the contest, Gallacher’s tap-in birdie at the penultimate hole secured a 2 and 1 victory.

Jamie Donaldson and Marc Warren, who had lost to Grégory Bourdy and Joost Luiten in the morning, then added another point when they recorded a fine 2 and 1 victory over Thomas Björn and Mikko Ilonen.
Bourdy and Luiten preserved their 100 per cent record in the competition when they held off Scott Jamieson and Chris Wood at the final hole in the afternoon session, to put José María Olazábal’s team one point ahead.

But Paul Casey and David Lynn hit back for Great Britain & Ireland, securing a vital point on the final hole when Lynn held his nerve to hole from six feet for victory over Miguel Angel Jiménez and Matteo Manassero in the final match.

“It's been so close all week; it could have gone either way,” said Casey. “It seems like we have been getting off to bad starts all week, and this session, looked like we were getting off to a good start and things went a bit pear shaped in the middle. 
“For Lynnie to make that putt on the last and to be level going into singles is massive. I think we are looking forward to tomorrow - it's tough playing foursomes.” 

Torrance believes his side now have the momentum heading into the ten singles matches, where Donaldson will lead out the GB and I team against Fernandez-Castaño.

“This is just a fantastic event and our boys put up a fantastic showing today,” he said. “I think the thing that most impressed me today about my team was the fact that they just kept going, even when things weren’t going their way. It’ll be pretty simple my message to them – same again please tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, Olazábal is hoping his side can win the singles session and end Continental Europe’s losing streak that goes back to the inaugural contest in 2000.

He said: “Obviously I want to win this tournament badly; it’s as simple as that.  I don't like the fact that Great Britain and Ireland have won the last six stagings.  I don’t like that record at all, so hopefully this group of ten people will be able to put that right tomorrow.”

 

SATURDAY 5th OCTOBER / SAMEDI 5 OCTOBER 2013
FOURSOME MORNING MATCHES RESULTS
MATCH	CONTINENTAL EUROPE	PTS	GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND	PTS
1	Nicolas COLSAERTS (BEL)	½	Stephen GALLACHER (SCO)	½
	Gonzalo FDEZ-CASTAÑO (ESP)		Paul LAWRIE (SCO)
	Halved		HALVED
2	Joost LUITEN (NED)	1	Jamie DONALDSON (WAL)
	Grégory BOURDY (FRA)		Marc WARREN (SCO)
	Won by 2 and 1
3	Thorbjørn OLESEN (DEN)		Chris WOOD (ENG)	1
	Francesco MOLINARI (ITA)		Scott JAMIESON (SCO)
			Won by 2 and 1
4	Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ (ESP)	1	Paul CASEY (ENG)
	Matteo MANASSERO (ITA)		Tommy FLEETWOOD (ENG)
	Won by 1 hole
	SESSION TOTAL	2½		1 ½

 

 

 

SATURDAY 5TH OCTOBER / SAMEDI 5 OCTOBRE 2013
FOURSOME MATCHES RESULTS
MATCH	CONTINENTAL EUROPE	PTS	GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND	PTS
1	Nicolas COLSAERTS (BEL)		Paul LAWRIE (SCO)	1
	Gonzalo FDEZ-CASTAÑO (ESP)		Stephen GALLACHER (SCO)
			Won by 2 and 1
2	Thomas BJØRN (DEN)		Jamie DONALDSON (WAL)	1
	Mikko ILONEN (FIN)		Marc WARREN (SCO)
			Won by 2 and 1
3	Joost LUITEN (NED)	1	Chris WOOD (ENG)
	Grégory BOURDY (FRA)		Scott JAMIESON (SCO)
	Won by 2 Holes
4	Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ (ESP)		Paul CASEY (ENG)	1
	Matteo MANASSERO (ITA)		David LYNN (ENG)
			Won by one hole
	SESSION TOTAL	1		3
	MATCH STATUS	9		9

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY 6th OCTOBER / DIMANCHE 6 OCTOBRE 2013
SINGLE MATCHES
MATCH	TIME	GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND		CONTINENTAL EUROPE
1	11H16	Jamie DONALDSON (WAL)	V	Gonzalo FDEZ-CASTAÑO (ESP)
Referee	Yannick Terpraut
MATCH	TIME	GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND		CONTINENTAL EUROPE
2	11H28	Paul CASEY (ENG)	V	Nicolas COLSAERTS (BEL)
Referee	Tony Disley
MATCH	TIME	GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND		CONTINENTAL EUROPE
3	11H40	Tommy FLEETWOOD (ENG)	V	Joost LUITEN (NED)
Referee	Miguel Vidaor
MATCH	TIME	GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND		CONTINENTAL EUROPE
4	11H52	Chris WOOD (ENG)	V	Thomas BJØRN (DEN)
Referee	Alain Rathery
MATCH	TIME	GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND		CONTINENTAL EUROPE
5	12H04	Scott JAMIESON (SCO)	V	Grégory BOURDY (FRA)
Referee	Mark Litton
MATCH	TIME	GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND		CONTINENTAL EUROPE
6	12h16	Marc WARREN (SCO)	V	Thorbjørn OLESEN (DEN)
Referee	Pascal Vincent
MATCH	TIME	GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND		CONTINENTAL EUROPE
7	12h28	Stephen GALLACHER (SCO)	V	Matteo MANASSERO (ITA)
Referee	Jacky Audemard
MATCH	TIME	GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND		CONTINENTAL EUROPE
8	12H40	Paul LAWRIE (SCO)	V	Mikko ILONEN (FIN)
Referee	Kevin Feeney
MATCH	TIME	GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND		CONTINENTAL EUROPE
9	12h52	David LYNN (ENG)	V	Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ (ESP)
Referee	Jacques Savare
MATCH	TIME	GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND		CONTINENTAL EUROPE
10	13H04	Simon KHAN (ENG)	V	Francesco MOLINARI (ITA)
Referee	Gary Butler

 

 

 

 

 

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS