Monty makes life tough for USA

Europe’s Ryder Cup team, taking their lead from a tired but inspired Colin Montgomerie, continued to make life tough for America at The Belfry this afternoon.

After maintaining their overnight one-point lead in the morning foursomes, Sam Torrance’s side then established early advantages in three of the four afternoon fourballs.

Montgomerie, whom Torrance felt unable to leave out even though the seven-time European No 1’s coach Denis Pugh described him as “knackered”, had three birdies in the first five holes.

With new partner Padraig Harrington holing an 18-footer on the fourth and then making another from nine feet for a half at the sixth, Phil Mickelson and David Toms were three down and needing a rescue act to avoid suffering their first defeat of the week.

Only a week ago Montgomerie had still not stated publicly that he would be fit enough to play in the match because of his back.

But he rose to the occasion as he has so often in the past, so much so that his wife Eimear remarked: “Why can’t they rename the Open the Ryder Cup?”

Just ahead of the flying Scot – and keeping him waiting on every hole – Tiger Woods and Davis Love held a one-hole lead over Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood, who were seeking their fourth straight victory together.

But in the top match the previously unseen Jesper Parnevik and fellow Swede Niclas Fasth raced into a three-hole lead after seven on Mark Calcavecchia and David Duval before losing the eighth.

And, bringing up the rear, Irish pairing Darren Clarke and McGinley led Scott Hoch and Jim Furyk by one after five – and were four under par.

After falling behind for the first time in the match in mid-morning, Torrance’s two unbeaten partnerships rescued a 2-2 outcome from the second series of foursomes.

It made the overall score 6 1/2-5 1/2 and increased the likelihood of another thrilling conclusion to a contest which for the last 20 years has expected – and got – nothing less.

Despite a game which Garcia described as possibly “the worst ever in Ryder Cup history”, he and Westwood recorded their third win together.

They beat Stewart Cink and Furyk two and one, the contest containing a mere three birdies and eight bogeys after all the fireworks on day one.

“We struggled a bit, but it goes with the pressure and trying to win as many points as we can for the side,” added 22-year-old Garcia, who since becoming the youngest-ever player in the match three years ago has lost only one of eight games.

Westwood, revived by the event after a nightmare two years in which he has slumped from fourth in the world to 148th, praised the crowd for their “stunning” support.

It still might have been America’s morning, but from all square with two to play Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer birdied the long 17th – Langer hit his approach from 167 yards to eight feet and his partner made the putt.

That left the daunting 473-yard 18th and Montgomerie hit the perfect drive and after Langer had come up 70 feet short of the flag the Scot rolled his putt to the holeside and celebrated another victory when Hoch’s birdie chip finished inches away.

At the start of the day and with Europe leading 4 1/2-3 1/2 Phillip Price and Pierre Fulke were finally tossed into the cauldron – and found it too hot to handle.

After threatening to topple Mickelson and Toms and stretch Europe’s lead to two points, the two uncapped players were beaten two and one.

Then Clarke and Thomas Bjorn were defeated four and three by Tiger Woods and Davis Love – Woods’ first win of the week and only his fourth in 13 Ryder Cup games.

Standing one down with six to play, the undefeated United States pair of Mickelson and Toms needed only pars to win the 13th and 14th and when world number two Mickelson unleashed a spectacular fairway wood to within two feet of the flag on the 545-yard 15th he and his partner were two up.

Price and Fulke, left out of the first day’s play, would have given Europe a huge psychological boost at the start of the foursomes by taming arguably America’s strongest duo.

But it was not to be. On the 413-yard 16th Mickelson played a wondrous bunker shot for a half and it ended on the 564-yard next after Price and Fulke visited sand and water to make the score 4 1/2-4 1/2.

Mickelson’s fairway wood and bunker recovery were the shots of the morning - and he needed to do something to make amends for two visits to the water on the front nine.

Westwood and Garcia were ahead from the moment Cink and Furyk bogeyed the fourth, while Langer and Montgomerie were never behind either, but had to work much harder.

Torrance had called Montgomerie his “Rock” last year and in putting him with Langer had brought the two most experienced members of his side together.

They did not let him down and Montgomerie said of the 45-year-old German, now the most successful foursomes player in the history of the event: “The whole team wanted to play with this guy and I was just the lucky one.

“I am honoured, whether it’s his last Ryder Cup or whether they are many more to come. He’s the best partner the world can have.”

Woods had lost to Clarke and Bjorn in the opening fourballs – Paul Azinger was his partner then and they had a 63 to their opponents’ 62 – but although the scoring was nowhere near as good when he met them again the pattern was very different.

Woods and Love did make a hash of the first, but Love pitched to three feet on the second and the home pair bogeyed the fourth, sixth and 11th to give themselves a mountain to climb.

It was too high. Woods and Love finished them off with a birdie at the 15th.

As the holders America need 14 points to retain the trophy with a tie. Europe need 14 1/2 points.