With Conor Hogan
Wrap up: The United States started the day four points behind, but came roaring back to take the Ryder Cup to the very last singles match. Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jeff Overton, and Zach Johnson all won, while Stewart Cink and Rickie Fowler secured draws.
Luke Donald, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Luke Donald were winners for Colin Montgomerie’s European team. Padraig Harrington lost 3&2, while Rory McIlroy secured a vital draw against Stewart Cink.
Thanks very much for joining us today.
I hope you enjoyed it as much as we in the office all did.
Ryder Cup singles results
Golfers in bold are the winners
Lee Westwood v Steve Stricker Won 2&1
Rory McIlroy v Stewart Cink Finished A/S
Luke Donald v Jim Furyk Won 1UP
Martin Kaymer v Dustin Johnson Won 6&4
Ian Poulter v Matt Kuchar Won 5&4
Ross Fisher v Jeff Overton Won 3&2
Miguel Angel Jimenez v Bubba Watson Won 4&3
Francesco Molinari v Tiger Woods Won 4&3
Edoardo Molinari v Rickie Fowler Finished A/S
Peter Hanson v Phil Mickelson Won 4&2
Padraig Harrington v Zach Johnson Won 3&2
Graeme McDowell v Hunter Mahan Won 2UP
Mahan chooses to putt off the green. His effort is very good but doesn’t make it. He conceded McDowell’s putt (he had two to win) and Europe win the Ryder Cup.
McDowell putted his up the hill, and it stopped about seven foot short of the whole. It is his to lose, however, as Mahan is still off the green and still requires a chip-in.
Mahan is the first to play at the 17th and, needing to chip his shot in the hole, the American fluffed his shot, and the ball didn’t reach the green.
On the par three 17th, both Hunter Mahan and Graeme McDowell have missed the green. The Portrush man is better positioned, however, as Mahan left his short.
Graeme McDowell is now 2UP with two to play after a magnificent putt on 16. Europe cannot do any worse than a draw now, but a draw would mean the United States retain the trophy. This is an unbelievably nail-biting finish.
Rickie Fowler gets his fourth birdie in four holes to card an astonishing comeback to half the match. Zach Johnson defeats Harrington 3&2, meanwhile, and the scores are level at 13 ½ – 13 ½. It all goes down to Graeme McDowell and Hunter Mahan now. McDowell is 1UP with three holes to go. A draw will mean the USA retain the trophy.
Edoardo Molinari is safely on the green in three, but Rickie Fowler is much closer. If Fowler manages to get a half out of this it will be both an incredible escape and an incredible collapse.
McDowell is only one ahead now with three to play, after Hunter Mahan won the 15th hole.
Phil Mickleson has defeated Peter Hanson 4&2, and now the gap is only one point. Who would have believed today would be so tight?
Rickie Fowler wins yet another hole to go only one behind with one hole left to play. Harrington has just won a hole, to narrow the gap to three with three to play.
Edoardo Molinari loses the 16th hole, and is now two ahead with two holes to play.
McDowell gets a four at 14 to get a half against Hunter Mahan. He currently leads by two in what will almost certainly be the deciding match of the Ryder Cup.
Edoardo Molinari misses a putt to win the match on the 15th against Rickie Fowler. The Italian cannot get any worse than a half from this match now; but Europe need him to get the point such is the tightness of the match.
Tiger Woods wins his match 4&3 after an incredible round of golf. Molanari didn’t disgrace himself, but Woods was unplayable.
At the moment it looks likely that the result of the Ryder Cup will come down to the final match, which Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell leads by two holes in. What is it about Irishmen and the Ryder Cup?
Fischer misses the putt, and Jeff Overton completes his comeback victory 3&2. Europe’s lead is down to three.
Ross Fischer misses a putt on 16 for a win. He’ll have a tricky second one to stay in the match.
Miguel Angel Jimenez putts for the win on 14 to defeat Bubba Watson 4&3. Wonderful performance from the veteran. Europe have a four point lead, but a the rest of the leaderboard has a lot of red on it.
Graeme McDowell goes 3UP on Hunter Mahan with a birdie on 11. Fischer and Overton halved their last hole. Fischer will be delighted with a half considering the trouble he was in, but is running out of time.
Padraig Harrington, who is four holes behind Zach Johnson, hits a good approach to the 12th green. Unfortuneatly, Zach Johnson is closer and has a much easier putt.
Things are going from bad to worse for Ross Fischer, who has just hit a shot into the water on the 15th hole. Overton should now go three ahead with three holes left to play.
Tiger Woods, who is playing his best golf for years, holes an incredible 40 foot putt to put himself four ahead of Molinari with five to play.
The last few holes have been bad for Ross Fischer, and after being 3UP finds himself 1 Down. He has a difficult putt on the 14th to half the hole, which unfortuneatly for him lips out. It is his third bogie in a row, and he is 2 Down with four to play. Edoardo Molinari is absolutely flying, however, and is currently 4UP on rookie Rickie Fowler.
Luke Donald almost only needed one, as his putt stopped less than an inch from the cup. Furyk conceded and Donald secured the point. Europe now lead 12 – 9.
Jim Furyk misses the green on the 18th hole and has to whole a bunker shot to have a chance of winning the hole. He doesn’t and Luke Donald has two putts to win the match.
Amazing shot from Tiger Woods who holes his second shot on the 12th for eagle. Woods is now seven under par for the last nine holes and is 3UP on Francesco Molinari.
Cink misses his putt, which gives Rory McIlroy a chance for a half. The Ulsterman obliges, and the match ends in draw. McIlroy will be mightily relieved after that horrible bunker shot. Europe now lead 11-9.
Disaster for Rory McIlroy on the final hole, as his shot from the bunker roles off the green and back into the bunker. His second attempt to chip it out goes within five feet, but Cink has a putt to win the match.
After being in total control of the match at one stage, Ross Fischer is now all-square with Jeff Overton after 12 holes. The momentum is with the American.
Jim Furyk holes a difficult right-to-left putt to claw back the deficit to a mere one-hole. Luke Donald has scored six under par and finds himself only one-ahead; exceptional quality match. Jimenez goes three-up on Bubba Watson on 11.
After struggling early, Tiger Woods has completely turned his match around and leads by a hole over Francesco Molinari.
Ian Poulter, six under par after 14 holes, putts to win his match 5&4. Europe once again have a two-point lead. The Englishman played incredibly today.
A three putt by Stewart Cink once again gifts McIlroy a half. With only one hole left to go in that match; it is all-square and all to play for. Cink will be kicking himself if he loses this
If the matches stay as they are, Europe will win 16-12.
Ian Poulter hits a magnificent approach shot to within a couple of feet on 14. Very soon he will bring home Europe’s first point of the day.
Ian Poulter holes another long putt to once again go 4UP. Only five holes to play now in his match with Matt Kuchar.
Dustin Johnson wins the 14th hole to secure the USA’s second point of the day against Martin Kaymer 6&4. Worringly, Americans are now within a point, 9 ½ – 8 ½.
Lee Westwood concedes Steve Stricker’s second putt, and USA manage to get the first points of the day on the board. The score now is 9 ½ – 7 ½.
Lee Westwood makes an incredible three after his problems off the tee, but Steve Stricker will still have two putts to win the match and hand USA the first point of the day. Tiger Woods, meanwhile, levels up his match with Francesco Molinari on 9.
An exceptional putt from Graeme McDowell has him in total control of his match with Hunter Mahan, 3UP after six holes.
A terrible tee-shot from Lee Westwood on 17 hits the cart path and bounces back into the rough. He needs to win this hole to have any chance of drawing the match; but it doesn’t look likely now.
Stewart Cink three putts from a good position to gift a hole to Rory McIlroy. With three holes to play, that match is all-square and on a knife-edge.
Lee Westwood halves the 16th and remains 2 Down with two holes left to play. It will take a superhuman effort to pull this out of the fire.
Harrington goes behind again thanks to a 15 foot putt from Zach Johnson. That match is nip and tuck at the moment.
Martin Kaymer’s match with Dustin Johnson currently looks a lost cause, as the German goes 4 Down after 12 holes. The inspired Ian Poulter, on the other hand, holes an approach shot from 50 yards or so. He goes 4 Up; the Englishman continues to be exceptional in the Ryder Cup.
McIlroy holes a five-footer on 14 to remain only a shot behind Stewart Cink. Fellow Northern Irelander Graeme McDowell is rampant and currently leads Hunter Mahan by two.
A birdie on five from three-time major-winner Padraig Harrington levels up his match with Zach Johnson. It was a shaky enough start for the Irishman, but he has steadily improved today.
Steve Stricker is playing incredible golf. His eagle three on 15 puts him two ahead of Lee Westwood; the Englishman is in serious trouble. Luke Donald lightens the mood for the Europeans by going 3UP against Jim Furyk.
A par is enough for Ian Poulter to win at the tenth to put him 3UP. Peter Hanson pulls one back against Phil Mickelson at the sixth.
Miguel Angel Jimenez holes a chip shot from off the green to put him in pole-position to win the eight hole and put some more blue on the leaderboard.
Steve Stricker has a putt for a three at 14 that will win him the hole. He misreads the line, his right-to-left putt stopping somewhat short of the hole. Lee Westwood holes his fourth to secure a half. It is a very good half after landing in the bunker.
World number one Tiger Woods pulls one back against Francesco Molinari on the sixth with a fantastic long range putt. World number two Lee Westwood, who is having a bad couple of holes, finds the bunker with his approach to the green on 14.
Stewart Cink needs to hole a bunker shot to secure a half on eleven against Rory McIlroy. His attempt is good, but ultimately not good enough. The Northern Irishman pulls level. On the following hole, however, McIlroy finds the water with his tee-shot.
Yet another golfer finds the water. This time it’s Westwood, who looks very likely to go 1 Down against Steve Stricker at the 13th.
In the highest quality match of the day, Steve Stricker wins on the 12th to draw level with Lee Westwood. Martin Kaymer hits a brilliant approach shot at the ninth to within a couple of feet. Harrington, meanwhile, remains one-behind Zach Johnson after three.
McIlroy holes a staggeringly good putt for a birdie for what looks like a half on the 11th. Cink has an easy putt for a birdie after a decent eagle putt attempt.
Luke Donald surprisingly misses a putt on 10 to lose the hole. He still finds himself two-ahead with eight holes to play. Ross Fischer holes on the sixth to remain 2UP.
Miguel Angel Jimenez goes ahead of Bubba Watson for the second time today. Europe are now ahead in eight matches.
In the final match-up of the day, Graeme McDowell birdies the first hole with an excellent putt. It is enough for a win.
Harrington loses the opening hole to Zach Johnson, while Phil Mickelson pulls three-ahead of Peter Hanson after three holes. His putter looks on fire today.
Despite going in the water, Fisher still manages to scrape a point, after Jeff Overton three-putts. Tiger Woods pulls one back against Francesco Molinari.
Edoardo Molinari loses the second hole, but wins the third to keep the Italian 1UP against Rickie Fowler.
Ross Fisher’s shot to the green on five is incredibly unlucky, as it rolls off the green and all the way into the water.
Phil Mickleson has had a poor Ryder Cup so far, but makes a lengthy putt on the first against Peter Hanson. A rare red bit on the leaderboard.
Matt Kuchar finds the water on the fifth, effectively handing Ian Poulter the hole; the Englishman is safely on the green. Westwood, on the ninth hole, makes a fantastic left-to-right putt for a half, and leads by one shot at the turn.
What a start from Francesco, who goes 2UP after two holes against the world number one. They note on Sky how unusual it is that we haven’t seen Tiger Woods take a shot yet in their coverage.
The other Molinari, Edoardo, is determined not to be outshone; and wins the opening hole against the rookie Rickie Fowler. Martin Kaymer conceded on the fifth against Dustin Johnson to go 2 Down.
The star of the day so far, Luke Donald, has a putt to go three up and makes no mistake. This ignites the crowds customary chant of ‘Luuuuuke’. Fellow Englishman, the pumped up Ross Fischer, goes 2UP against Jeff Overton. It looks bleak for the Americans.
Ian Poulter has a 30 foot putt which the Englishman hits just at the right speed and into the hole. Francesco Molinari draws first blood against Tiger Woods with a terrific birdie.
The exceptional Luke Donald goes 2UP and it’s all looking very rosy for the Europeans. They are up in four, level in two and only down in one. Remember, they only need five points to win.
McIlory putts to draw level with Cink. Six holes so far in that match and not one half. Spanish veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez goes 1Up on Bubba Watson.
1035:
Shocking putt by Westwood; a half for he and Stricker. A poor putt on the third by Kaymer puts the German 2 Down to Dustin Johnson.
1030:
Ross Fischer gets a birdie to win the first hole against Jeff Overton. Steve Stricker misses a putt way right against Westwood, to practically hand the Englishman the hole.
1025:
Westwood hits a magnificent shot on the sixth hole to within a few feet of the hole. He’s playing incredible golf at the moment. Stewart Cink wins the fifth hole to put him 1UP on Rory McIlroy in that one.
1020:
Rory McIlroy finds the water on five, as Stewart Cink looks very likely to win his third hole in a row to put him 1UP. Kaymer, meanwhile, putts from just off the green for a win, but just misses. He remains 1 Down.
1015:
Luke Donald comfortably makes a three at the three to go 1UP. Lee Westwood, meanwhile, picks up his second birdie in a row to go ahead of Steve Stricker.
After losing the first two holes, Stricker has won the next two with back-to-back birdies. His match with Rory McIlroy is now all-square.
Jim Furyk finds the water on the par 3 third hole; Luke Donald can safely win this hole with a par. His tee-shot avoids the bunker and lands on the edge of the green.
Luke Donald and Jim Furyk halve the second, while Kaymer has to hole his second bunker shot for a half against Dustin Johnson. He is close, but Johnson takes the opening point of that match.
Lee Westwood recovers brilliantly from the previous hole, as he wins the fourth to pull his match back to all-square. Martin Kaymer, meanwhile, fluffs a bunker shot; Dustin Johnson is odds-on to take the first now.
Dustin Johnson, who has yet to score a point, has seen his tee-shot go into the rough on the first hole. USPGA champion Martin Kaymer, meanwhile, has found the fairway perfectly. Stewart Cink has pulled one back against Rory McIlroy on the third.
Jim Furyk solidly holes a putt from eight feet, as he halves the first hole with Luke Donald. Steve Stricker, meanwhile, has gone 1up on against Lee Westwood with a par on three, while Rory McIlroy goes 2up after only two holes. It’s all very finely balanced so far.
Westwood fluffs his second shot, and it rolls all the way off the green and back into the same position he took it from. Steve Stricker is definitely going to win this hole now.
Steve Stricker has an uphill putt for a birdie two on the third hole. Westwood has a much more difficult second shot as his ball unluckily rolled off the green.
Steve Stricker’s putt on the second goes just to the right, as he and Westwood half the second hole.
McIlroy holes his third shot on the first to put Europe one-up. Terrific stuff from the Northern Irishman.
McIlroy hits his second shot within fifteen feet at the first hole. Luke Donald and Jim Furyk are preparing to tee-off.
“You’ve got Big Mac, we’ve got little Mac,” the European fans sing as Rory McIlroy prepares to tee off against Stewart Cink. The opening hole between Westwood and Stricker is halved, after Westwood conceded Stricker’s second putt.
Stricker and Westwood both hit solid tee-shots at the par four first, and both should safely reach the green with their second shots.
Lee Westwood and Steve Stricker walk to the first tee. “There’s only one Lee Westwood,” the fans are singing. It should be a cracking match between the World number two and the World number four.
Incredible performance by Europe yesterday, as they won five matches and drew one. Click here to read more. The photograph below is of Tiger Woods, slumped and dejected after Lee Westwood and Luke Donald inflicted his biggest matchplay loss in his entire career yesterday.
Mark Roe in the Sky Sports studio has predicted a very comfortable 17 ½ – 10 ½ victory for Europe. Butch Harmon, on the other hand, has USA sneaking it 14 ½ – 13 ½.
