2012 Ryder Cup live results: Poulter/Rose defeat Stricker/Woods 2&1 to split morning

Ian Poulter and Justin Rose completely dominated Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods in the final Friday morning foursomes and picked up a 2&1 win for the European team. The win gets Europe even at 2-2 with the United States heading into the afternoon.

It took Poulter/Rose until the second hole to get their lead and they gave it away at number three, but they won the fourth hole and never looked back. From that point on, they were not even all square, leading all the way until a halve at 17 won them the match.

The biggest lead for Poulter/Rose was 3-up, which they had on two occasions. The latest they had that lead was at 14 and after the U.S. won the 15th to cut the lead to 2-up. It looked like the Americans might be able to make a run at the Europeans, but some clutch putting by Poulter held them off.

Woods was awful for most of the morning, spraying shots left and right and rarely leaving Stricker in a decent position. It was so bad that some on the ESPN telecast began wondering if captain Davis Love III might have to sit him in the afternoon. Love III did not and Woods will play again this afternoon, but he will have to make some major improvements.

Meanwhile, the Europeans have to be happy about their morning. Once again, Poulter rose to the occasion in the Ryder Cup and improved upon his sterling record in the competition. Now they get to head to four-ball, which they have dominated in recent years.

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