IT WAS EUROPE who made all the early running before the rain stopped play on the opening day of the Ryder Cup – but when play got going again after seven hours in the locker-rooms, it was the Americans who made the running to end the first day on the front foot.
Behind in the opening three of the day’s four fourball games, and ahead in only the final one, the Americans returned from the seven-hour downtime at 5pm and immediately hit the front foot.
Europe had made the early running; an in-form Lee Westwood had paired up with German Martin Kaymer to lead American duo of Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson by 2 shots after 5, while the Irish pair of McIlroy and McDowell leading Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar after 4.
Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher had led Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker too – and only Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington were at the wrong end of a result, losing the first two holes to Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton before play was halted.
Westwood and Kaymer retained their lead through 12 as an early end was called, but McIlroy and McDowell had been turned around to lie 2 down after 11 – a putting masterclass from Stewart Cink firing the Americans onto the front foot.
Poulter and Fisher had also lost their lead, tied through 10, though Harrington and Donald had halved their deficit through 8 before bad light called an end to the day.
At day’s end, therefore, the USA held a theoretical 2.5 – 1.5 lead.
The turnaround could be partially attributed to the Americans’ new raingear: with the original wetgear provided proving apparently porous, the American team management was forced to buy waterproof golfwear from the Merchandise Pavilion at Celtic Manor in order to keep the troops dry.
Tournament organisers, meanwhile, have announced that they still intend to complete the tournament proceedings by Sunday evening, and have unveiled an altered tournament schedule that will give the team captains something to ponder over overnight.
With today’s fourballs ready to resume early tomorrow morning, the following session will comprise of six foursome matches instead of the usual four.
Once those have been done, the third session will include two more foursomes, along with four fourball matches – meaning that, unusually, the second and third sessions will see all 12 golfers from each side taking to the course.
Regardless of whether this third session is completed by tomorrow evening, the 12 singles matches should take place on Sunday afternoon as planned – though organisers concede that play will continue on until Monday if required.
This lee-way may well be needed, with showers forecast for Sunday – though the course should have some time to drain overnight and tomorrow with no further rain on the cards before then.
The altered format will mean that the tournament will retain its best-of-28-points format, with eight points going for fourballs and eight for foursomes, though the fact that captains will be unable to rotate their teams ahead of the Sunday singles could well prove a challenge.
Should tomorrow’s action see the first, second and third sessions completed, some golfers may be worn out having played 46 competitive holes of golf on a single day.
Ryder Cup scoring (1st round fourballs, to resume at 8:30am tomorrow):
Ryder Cup amended schedule:
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