***Mahan makes chopped salad out of the par-3 17th. Europe wins 14.5-13.5.***
***UPDATE! 10:13*** McDowell wins 16 and is 2-up with 2 to play. Europe is assured of 14 points, but not yet 14.5.
***UPDATE!!!! 10:05*** The other choking dog of a Molinari brother blows a huge lead, including the last three holes to let Ricky Fowler tie the match! Now it’s 13.5-12.5 and McDowell MUST win his match for Europe to win!
***UPDATE 9:30*** MCDOWELL bogeys 13, so he’s only 2-up.
***UPDATE 9:05*** JIMENEZ just polished off Bubba Watson 4&3.
***UPDATE 8:55 a.m.*** OVERTON just went 2-up on Fisher. The anchor match will decide the Ryder Cup. MCDOWELL moves to 3-up on Mahan. Also Woods is a staggering 8-under after 13 holes, including 6-under in the last five holes. He’ll go 3-1 for the U.S. As I predicted, Molinari will finish dead last for the Euros with a dismal 0-2-1 record for a measly 1/2 point.
8:40 a.m.
With the first five singles matches in the books, the two squads vied to a 2.5-2.5 split, but the USA leads four of the remaining seven matches, three of them decisively. The only two matches left that are not at least a 3-up lead for one side or the other are JEFF OVERTON 1-up over Ross Fisher with 5 to play, and the anchor match where GRAEME MCDOWELL leads 2-up over Hunter Mahan after 10.
The projected score at this moment stands at 15-13. The U.S. has a projected 6.5 – 5.5 lead in the singles.
So there it is. The Ryder Cup will be won or lost in the anchor match, unless Ross Fisher can come back on Overton.
Looks like we finally got some excitement. Too bad we can’t get more team golf like this. It sure beats watching slow-speed car chases like the FedEx Flop.
Sidebar: Woods and Mickelson are both 3-up on their hapless opponents, Francesco Molinari and Peter Hanson.
