Summoning a Seve Ballesteros-type rally, Justin Rose went birdie-birdie to finish off his match against Phil Mickelson and clinch a 1-up win. Rose trailed for most of the match, but he bombed a putt into the back of the cup for birdie on No. 17 to pull things all-square against Mickelson. The putt came just moments after Mickelson barely missed a chip-in from the back of the green that would have ended the match. But Rose was clutch with the putter throughout the back nine, constantly getting off the mat to hang close with the superstar lefty.
Ryder Cup 2012 live results: Justin Rose shocks Phil Mickelson to pull Europe even
Justin Rose finished with two straight birdies to steal a point from Phil Mickelson and pull Europe even at 11-11 in the Ryder Cup.
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Rose backed up the birdie putt on No. 17 by draining another birdie putt on No. 18 to abruptly win it. Mickelson seemed to be in total control on the back side, taking a 1-up lead on the 14th and striping his irons on his approach shots. But he was long on the 18th hole, and Rose was there to take advantage and win the point with his birdie. The point pulled the two teams even with 11 points each.
What was once thought to be a Sunday of formalities is now becoming a back-and-forth struggle over the final six matches. The USA currently leads three of the remaining six matches, needing just 3.5 more points to take the Cup away from Europe.
