Good start for Europe at K Club

Europe took the lead into the second day of the Ryder Cup for the fifth time in succession today.

Leading 5-3 overnight, captain Ian Woosnam kept faith with three of his Friday fourball pairings for the second morning’s play at the K Club.

Paul Casey and Robert Karlsson were first out against Stewart Cink and JJ Henry and halved the opening hole in par, followed by Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal against Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco.

Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood faced Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk while the final match saw Europe’s only new pairing of Henrik Stenson and Padraig Harrington take on Scott Verplank and Zach Johnson; rookie Vaughn Taylor is the only player on either side yet to feature.

There was no place for home talisman Colin Montgomerie, who holed a five-foot birdie putt on the 18th green to earn half a point in his foursomes with Lee Westwood on Friday afternoon but had earlier lost (with Harrington) the opening match against Woods and Furyk.