Ryder Cup results 2014: Tom Watson criticized after USA goes winless in Friday foursomes

After an ugly finish to the morning four-ball, the favorites ripped control of the Ryder Cup right back in a disastrous afternoon session for the American side. Tom Watson’s group did not win a full point, and the one match they controlled and were set to win came undone in the final two holes. Europe has the history, the home advantage, and better talent at the top. But the USA should have had less than a two-point deficit when the sun set in Scotland. Now critical eyes turn to Watson after what most considered mismanagement of his roster. Here are some highlights from Friday afternoon foursomes (best and worst from the morning session here).

Just when it looked like Europe’s top team, Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia, were going to be swept, the No. 1 and No. 3 players in the world put on a ridiculous display over the final three holes to halve their match with Jimmy Walker and Rickie Fowler. It was a huge blow to the American cause, as Fowler/Walker led their match for most of the afternoon and were in line for the upset win over a team that looked like it would be unbeatable based on their play the last three months.

Shutting out Rory/Sergio would have mitigated some of the damage from a European controlled foursomes session. Instead, things swung suddenly and cruelly back against Rickie and Walker for half-point that felt like a loss. Right after Fowler thought he had hit the shot of the afternoon, a pure 3-wood from a rough lie to put the USA 2-up with three to go, McIlroy responded by bombing in a birdie putt at No. 17 to push the match to the 18th hole.

That kept Europe alive, and on the 18th, Sergio pulled off his own magic with a hybrid from the rough. The precocious Spaniard drew around a tree and stuck the team’s second shot on the back of the green, ensuring a birdie and a good chance at eagle. Rickie Fowler couldn’t hit a lengthy birdie putt to match, completing the Euros birdie-birdie finish to take the last two holes and a critical half-point. Even if you were just limiting it to the last four holes, this was by far the match of the afternoon session.

The biggest controversy that started to bubble up and then completely overflow as the session progressed was the inexplicable benching of the Patrick Reed/Jordan Spieth duo. The two rookies, who Steve Stricker reportedly suggested play together and changed up the original plan midweek, steamrolled Ian Poulter and Stephen Gallacher in the morning four-ball. You would think that taking out the Ryder Cup legend and the home country favorite might earn them another start in the afternoon, but Watson, for reasons still unclear, sat them down in favor of mostly veterans with losing records. Maybe it was the alternate shot format? No one really knows, but we were told the afternoon lineup would be set based on how things went in the morning, and no one was better or looked more comfortable.

This became a bigger and bigger deal as Phil Mickelson looked worn out on the front nine of his second match. Mickelson, who has had an underwhelming year, said he was tired and drained at the end of the season, and has an arthritic condition that’s especially difficult to deal with in the cold. But Keegan and Phil successfully picked off the power duo of Sergio and Rory, and had yet to lose a two-man game in the last two cups. So there may have been a numbers problem, but there’s no doubt that benching the hottest team, the one that had two putters rolling better than anyone else, became a major problem in the press room:

Bad, bad look. Spieth and Reed deserved another shot, and Watson relayed that both rookies were “very upset” with the news that they were being benched. This is the USA’s biggest early drama, and one that could persist over the weekend, much like media and fans still question Davis Love III’s sitting of Bradley/Mickelson in the fourth session of 2012.

When Mickelson and Bradley never really pushed Graeme McDowell and Victor Dubuisson in the anchor match, completing the winless session for the USA, the criticism only intensified and it became the story of the afternoon session going into Saturday..

He earned the award for American MVP in the morning, carrying Rickie Fowler to a critical half-point. In that match, they fell behind on the first hole and never got back to even until the 18th green, riding two chip-ins and a clutch final putt from Walker. In the afternoon foursomes, Walker/Fowler drew the Garcia/McIlroy pairing. And again Walker was pure, outplaying the No. 1 and No. 3 players in the world until that final two-hole charge.

Fowler certainly helped him out more in the alternate shot format, but any rookie worries about Walker should be settled for the rest of the weekend. He was the most consistent player start to finish this season on the PGA Tour, and now he’s been the USA’s most valuable player through two sessions.

When we wrote up profiles for each player, I termed Rose as the one Americans should fear most. He had the history and was in form. His partnership with Henrik Stenson, a fellow Lake Nona resident in Orlando, has crushed American opponents in two matches now and there’s no breaking them up on Saturday. After pummeling Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson to a 5&4 ending on the 14th hole, the Rose/Stenson team handled Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan in the afternoon. Johnson and Mahan were heavy underdogs on the first tee, and never held a lead. Rose continued to throw darts into the flags, and then they pounced to end right on the 17th green when Mahan hammered a putt way past the hole. Since that amazing singles comeback on Mickelson at Medinah, Rose has been Europe’s most dominant player.

If you’re feeling glum about the USA’s deficit and annoyed by that pest Sergio, just loop this ghastly hook and laugh.

This was the worst shot the session, of the day, and perhaps the Cup.

Fowler’s 3-wood from a nasty lie to 10 feet was the most impressive strike of the afternoon foursomes:

Unfortunately for Fowler, Rory would drain that putt on No. 17 and Sergio would hit a comparable wood from the rough on No. 18 to set up the finishing birdie. Fowler still has yet to win a Ryder Cup match, halving four of five played. But at least this shot let him practice those awkward high-fives with Walker.

Here’s the full match board from Friday. You can go here for a review of the best and worst moments from Friday’s morning four-ball -- much happier times for the USA.