2012 Ryder Cup: US leads Europe, 5-3, after Day 1

The Saturday morning matchups for Ryder Cup foursomes are out, and for the first time in his Ryder Cup career, Tiger Woods will be sitting out a session. The combination of Woods and Steve Stricker yielded two points to the Europeans on Friday, but Tiger really picked up his play in the afternoon and was one of the better players out on the course. He simply ran into the hottest player of the day in Nicolas Colsaerts. Captain Davis Love III wants his players rested for Sunday singles, so it’s not surprising that Woods is sitting down. His struggles in the alternate-shot format on Friday morning likely aided Love’s decision to keep him on the bench for the same session on Saturday.

Trailing 5-3, Jose Maria Olazabal is sending out his full arsenal Saturday morning, looking get back into it and finish the day level. The power pairing of Ian Poulter and Justin Rose will lead things off against the steamrolling duo of Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson. Olazabal’s decision to keep Poulter, a renowned Ryder Cup star, out of the Friday afternoon four-ball matches came under scrutiny. But he’ll lean on him to start things right out of the gate. Something has to give in that first match of two pairings who have had nothing but success.

Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley defeated arguably Europe’s finest team of Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, 2&1, Friday at the Ryder Cup to give the United States a 4-2 lead with two matches left to play on the day.

Mickelson and Bradley got their high-five frenzy started early by winning the first three holes. The duo halved holes 4 and 5 with McIlory and McDowell before Europe got their first point of this match play by taking Hole 6.

Shortly after the pairing of Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley gave the United States a 1-0 lead at the Ryder Cup, the pairing of Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson gave the U.S. another point over Europe.

Going against the pairing of Francesco Molinari of Italy and Lee Westwood of England, Johnson and Dufner fell behind right away, losing the first hole. However, they battled back and the two pairs went back and forth. Following back-to-back wins on holes 9 and 10, the Americans were one-up heading into the final eight holes.

Forget the blossoming bromance between Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson are golf’s new power couple.

Throughout their 4 & 3 win over Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia, the Ryder Cup rookie and his mentor exchanged fist pumps, chest bumps, and butt slaps to get the U.S. on the board with the first win of Friday’s foursome matches. The mutual admiration society was in full bloom after Bradley closed out the previously undefeated foursome duo (4-0 in Ryder Cup play until running into the Bradley-Mickelson buzz saw) with just another clutch birdie putt from downtown to clinch the win on the par-4 15th hole.

The Ryder Cup is exciting. Crazy-exciting. So exciting, in fact, that when Keegan Bradley sank a crucial putt, his caddy was inspired to just flip the hell out about it.

(via @bubbaprog)

It took just two holes for the fireworks to ignite at the 2012 Ryder Cup.

Rory McIlroy’s tee shot to the par-3 second landed to the right of the green, close to a sprinkler head. When partner Graeme McDowell asked for relief, saying the object interfered with his swing, U.S. opponent Jim Furyk vehemently disagreed.