No singles flying start for Europe

The fast start Europe needed to boost their hopes of a fourth successive Ryder Cup victory failed to materialise on Sunday at Valhalla.

Trailing 9-7 going into Sunday’s 12 singles matches, captain Nick Faldo gambled by putting Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington out last, but Sergio Garcia was sent out first against American Anthony Kim.

However, Garcia quickly found himself three down and Paul Casey trailed Hunter Mahan by two holes in match two as the home side made a bright start in their quest for the five and a half points required for victory.

Garcia and Kim halved the opening hole in stunning fashion, Kim hitting his approach to two feet and Garcia following him in to three feet, the Spaniard holing for birdie before conceding Kim’s putt.

Kim was in brilliant form early on, opening with four consecutive threes, but that was only good enough for a one-hole lead as Garcia also birdied the fourth to stay in touch.

There appeared to be little love lost between the pair, Kim looking unimpressed with Garcia’s attempts to get a free drop on the sixth after pushing his drive into heavy rough.

In the end Garcia took a penalty drop and scrambled for a bogey, but Kim made par to go two ahead and was soon three up when Garcia put two balls into the water on the par-five seventh.

Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose were level after five holes but Kenny Perry was three up on Henrik Stenson after five, the local favourite making birdies at the first, third and fifth.

Rookie Oliver Wilson, a winner in the foursomes yesterday, had to contend with the antics of Boo Weekley in match six but was level after four holes.

Denmark’s Soren Hansen was out in match seven but was forced to play without regular caddie John Graham, who injured his back this morning. Fortunately the highly experienced Billy Foster, ’caddie master’ for the European team this week and formerly with Seve Ballesteros and Darren Clarke among others, was on hand to step in.

Garcia won his first hole of the match with a birdie on the 10th, but by the time Open champion Padraig Harrington teed off in the last match, the home side were ahead in eight of the other 11 games.

Casey birdied the ninth to get back to one down against Mahan and Karlsson carried off from where he left off yesterday, hitting his approach to the eighth stone dead to go three up on Leonard.

Rose was also two ahead of an off-form Mickelson after seven but Stenson wasted a winning birdie on the sixth by finding water on the next to go back to three down against Perry.