Europe’s dogs of war dig deep to fight off Americans
And it was fitting Rory McIlroy’s sensational year should not be sullied by what looked certain to be a disappointing opening day at Gleneagles.
As Graeme McDowell, a two-time French Open champion, gelled beautifully with rookie Victor Dubuisson to hand Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley their first defeat in five outings together, McIlroy and Sergio Garcia came back from a fourball defeat to the same American pair by snatching a half that felt like a win against Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker in the afternoon foursomes.
Had they not produced three closing birdies to turn the match on its head, Garcia and McIlroy might well have left captain Paul McGinley with a big headache over what to do with them today.
Instead, the world No 1 and the world No 3 dug deeper than ever to help Europe win the afternoon session 3½ to ½ and put the home side 5-3 up after the opening day.
“We needed it, we really did,” McIlroy said, after an afternoon match in which they hit just three fairways and were two over par before they finished with three sensational birdies to clinch a dramatic halved match.
“We were making life difficult for ourselves out there. I don’t think either of us was playing from the fairways very much. We were three-under for the last three holes.”
A McIlroy chip to a foot at the 16th allowed them to remain two down after Fowler had hit a wonderful approach from the rough to set up an 18-foot eagle putt for the match which Walker would miss.
Then, at the par-three 17th, McIlroy drained an outlandish 45-footer for birdie as Walker was setting up to tap in what he thought would be a three-footer for a 2&1 victory.
Even when McIlroy smashed another poor drive right into the trees at the 18th, the golfing gods were smiling on Europe as it ricocheted back into play, leaving Garcia a clean lie in the rough.
Fearing a three-iron would come out soft, McIlroy advised the Spaniard to just “get it up there” and looked on as he hit a five-wood from 229 yards that finish around 25 feet left of the back pin.
Fowler bunkered his approach and with McIlroy lagging the eagle putt stone dead, Walker could only splash out to 18 feet, leaving his partner a tough putt for the win that he eventually misread.
With McDowell and Dubuisson bringing home a point from the final match, Europe trooped off with a two-point cushion.
“We just wanted to ask them a question and get them going and we were able to do that,” McIlroy said, admitting the fourball loss to Mickelson and Bradley in the morning had been hard to take.
One up with three to go, they watched Bradley make a sensational eagle three at the 16th to level the match before Mickelson claimed the point with a sand save birdie at the par-five 18th.
“It was a long day for both of us, and just glad that we were able to contribute something to the cause today,” McIlroy said. “We had a close match this morning with Phil and Keegan, and didn’t quite go our way. Didn’t feel like we should have lost the match, but at the same time, we did.
“Then the half against Jimmy and Rickie there this afternoon, it felt a little bit like a mini-victory to us, and it was definitely a huge half in terms of momentum for the European Team going into tomorrow.”
McDowell and Dubuisson sat out the fourballs but they proved to be a dream foursomes pairing, racing into a three-up lead after five holes and then surviving a wobble in mid-round to close out the match strongly.
“It was amazing, playing with Graeme,” Dubuisson said. “I was feeling a little nervous last night and this morning was a long wait for us to play.
“But the fact that I spent a lot of time with Graeme these last few days, it really helped me. This morning when I was walking with him to the tee, he was next to me, and then the stress completely disappeared.”
McDowell was quick to repay the compliment and also to point out how important it was that McIlroy and Garcia salvaged a half.
“I’ve always been very fortunate in Ryder Cups to have pretty decent partners,” McDowell said. “Obviously playing with Rory the last couple years, he turned out okay.
“I’m very fortunate to be playing alongside a player who I think really is Europe’s next superstar, I really do believe that. He was awesome today. He didn’t miss a shot. His iron play was just outstanding in really, really tough conditions.”
McDowell complained he made little on the greens but he was clearly pleased to hole the putt to close out the match, “You don’t want to give players like Mickelson and Bradley an inch coming in, so it was nice to finish the game,” he said. “But my playing partner today was really awesome.”
On the importance of battling for every inch, he added: “Every match is a dogfight.”
In McIlroy, Garcia, Dubuisson and McDowell, skipper McGinley clearly has four Dogs of War.
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