SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France (AP) — The Latest on the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National (all times local):
4:30 p.m.
There are some big numbers on the board during Saturday afternoon foursomes at the Ryder Cup.
The team of Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter wound up with a triple-bogey 7 at the fourth hole after McIlroy’s errant drive ended up near a road at Le Golf National.
The Europeans actually hit three tee shots. After McIlroy’s effort, Poulter put a provisional into the fairway just in case the ball was lost. When it was found, Poulter had to go back to the tee and hit again, this time winding up in the rough.
The American team of Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas won the hole with a bogey.
That was nothing compared to the events at No. 2, which was amazingly halved when both teams made a triple-bogey.
Bubba Watson of the United States drove into the water, Alex Noren of Europe did the same, and Webb Simpson put a third ball into the pond from the drop zone.
Sergio Garcia finally managed to find dry land — barely — but Noren flubbed a chip. Simpson made a 30-foot putt, Garcia missed and both teams walked off with a triple-bogey 6.
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3:40 p.m.
Rory McIlroy heard some taunts from beside the green and responded in the best way possible.
After rolling in an 8-foot putt on No. 3 to keep him and Ian Poulter 2-up against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in the foursomes, McIlroy reacted by turning to the crowd, pointing to his chest and saying, “Who can’t putt? I can putt. I can putt.”
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2:05 p.m.
The United States salvaged a point from Saturday fourballs at the Ryder Cup but Europe has a commanding lead heading to afternoon foursomes.
The home team won three of four matches at the start of Day 2, stretching its lead to 8-4 at Le Golf National.
Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth gave the Americans a bit of hope with a 2-and-1 victory over Ian Poulter and Jon Rahm.
This is the fifth time a team has led by at least four points at this stage of the Ryder Cup, but it’s worth noting that the trailing team came back to win two of those — most recently in 2012, when the Europeans overcame an 8-4 deficit in the “Miracle at Medinah.”
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1:20 p.m.
Phil Mickelson is getting another Saturday off at the Ryder Cup in Europe.
U.S. captain Jim Furyk has decided to sit the 48-year-old Mickelson in the afternoon foursomes matches. Mickelson also sat out both Saturday matches four years ago at Gleneagles when the Americans lost the Ryder Cup with Tom Watson at the helm.
Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau lost in 14 holes of foursomes on Friday to Sergio Garcia and Alex Noren, who played the best golf of any team.
DeChambeau goes out for foursomes with Woods, who is 0-2 in both his matches this week.
Europe has kept the same lineup that allowed it to sweep the foursomes session on Friday.
The foursomes pairings:
— Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka vs. Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson
— Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson vs. Sergio Garcia and Alex Noren
— Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau vs. Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood
— Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas vs. Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy
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1:15 p.m.
The European partnership known as “Moliwood” is putting on quite a show at the Ryder Cup.
Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood have won their third straight match, including a second victory over Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed. Molinari ran off three straight birdies to go from all square to 3 up, and they closed out the Americans on the 15th hole.
Europe now leads 8-3 and has won eight consecutive matches.
Molinari, the British Open champion, appears to have Woods’ number this year. He won the Quicken Loans National, the PGA Tour event where Woods is the host. He became only the second player to win a major while playing with Woods in the final round. And now he helped send Woods to two losses in the Ryder Cup.
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12:50 p.m.
Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy have put the first European point on the board Saturday morning at the Ryder Cup. Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton won minutes later.
Just like that, Europe has a 7-3 lead over the United States with two matches still to be decided.
Garcia and McIlroy were on the verge of a collapse, losing three straight holes as their lead shrunk to 1-up with two holes to play.
McIlroy made a 30-foot par putt on the 17th that allowed Garcia to take a free run at his birdie. The Spaniard made the 25-foot putt, and when Brooks Koepka couldn’t match him, Europe had a 2-and-1 victory.
Casey and Hatton never trailed in a 3-and-2 victory over Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler.
Europe now has won seven straight points after losing the opening three matches Friday.
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12:30 p.m.
The Americans at least have some red on the board.
Jordan Spieth holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the 11th hole for a 1-up lead, and Justin Thomas followed with a short birdie putt on the next hole to go 2 up and take control of their fourballs match over Ian Poulter and Jon Rahm.
For one brief moment, the board was entirely awash in European blue.
Europe is leading the other three matches.
Sergio Garcia was moving closer to another victory, teaming with Rory McIlroy for a 4-up lead through eight holes. They were 4 up over Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau through 13 holes, but the Americans have won the last three holes to trim the deficit to 1 down through 16 holes.
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11:35 a.m.
Patrick Reed is getting fired up after a quiet start to the Ryder Cup.
After holing a 5-foot birdie putt to halve a hole at No. 9, the man nicknamed “Captain America” made a shush gesture to the crowd, cupped his ear, then wafted his hand in the direction of spectators as he walked off the green with playing partner Tiger Woods.
It was only his first birdie of the day, though, and Reed and Woods were still 1-down to Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood heading to the back nine.
Reed arrived in France with six wins and just one loss in nine matches at the Ryder Cup. Reed and Woods lost 3 and 1 to Molinari and Fleetwood in the fourballs on Friday, and sat out the foursomes.
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10:30 a.m.
Coming off a first sweep of a Ryder Cup session since 1989, Europe is dominating the early stages of the morning fourballs on Day 2.
Rory McIlroy rolled in a 40-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole as Sergio Garcia and McIlroy went 4-up on Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau in the opening match.
Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton are 2-up against Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler after six holes, and Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood are 2-up against Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed after five.
Casey is the hottest player on the course, making birdie on five of his first six holes.
The other match is all square.
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9:15 a.m.
All four matches are underway in the fourballs on a chilly morning at Le Golf National, and Europe’s star pairing of Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari have made another strong start.
Fleetwood holed a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 2 to put the Europeans 1-up against Patrick Reed and Tiger Woods, who is wearing a woolly hat over a cap.
Molinari and Fleetwood won matches in the fourballs and foursomes on Saturday.
There have been plenty of wet balls already. Americans Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson, playing together in the second match, both went in the water on the first hole. Europeans Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey found the water to the left of the par-3 second hole.
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7:30 a.m.
Europe has a 5-3 advantage going into the second day of the Ryder Cup, a lead that feels even bigger with the momentum from its first sweep of a session since 1989.
U.S. captain Jim Furyk is not ready to panic.
After the Europeans won all the foursomes matches to overcome a 3-1 deficit, Furyk was looking at the big picture. He points out there are 20 matches still to be played at Le Golf National.
Furyk is sending out the same fourballs pairings Saturday that he used in the opening session.
Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed get a rematch against Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood, the European duo who won both matches on Friday. Furyk is expected to shake up his foursomes pairings in the afternoon.
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