USA leads 8-4 after Saturday morning session
- Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley dominate again with a 7-and-6 win
- The USA wins 3 of the 4 points available in the Saturday morning foursomes
- Ian Poulter and Justin Rose score the lone point for Europe
MEDINAH, Ill. -- From the get-go Saturday morning when Ian Poulter and Bubba Watson revved up the frosty crowd by encouraging noise during their first tee shots, the golf clap was an extinct species at the Ryder Cup and roars rumbled through the trees of massive Medinah Country Club.
Few, however, were for Europe.
Although the morning session of foursomes started with temperatures in the high 40s, the undefeated wrecking crew of Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson stayed white hot in trouncing Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, 7 and 6, as the USA extended its first-day lead from 5-3 to 8-4. With Tiger Woods missing a session for the first time in his Ryder Cup career, Bradley and Mickelson kept the red, white and blue mojo going by winning their third match as they combined for six birdies and didn't lose one hole.
Adding victories under a brilliant sun were Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson, who improved to 2-0 this Ryder Cup with a 2-and-1 victory against Sergio Garcia and Nicolas Colsaerts, and Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker, who avenged their opening-day loss to world No. 1 Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell by turning the tables on their counterparts, 1 up.
The lone bright spot for Europe came in the opening match, when Poulter partnered with Justin Rose for a 1-up victory against Watson and Webb Simpson. Poulter and Rose are 2-0 as the two beat Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker Friday morning.
Europe, which has won six of the last eight contests, needs 10 of the last 16 points available to retain the Cup it won in 2010 in Wales. The U.S. needs 6½ to gain possession.
Europe will try to turn things around in the afternoon session of fourballs. Captain Davis Love III is sitting Bradley and Mickelson, keeping with his plan to keep his players fresh for Sunday's singles. Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar play Nicolas Colsaerts in the opening match, followed by Watson and Simpson against Rose and Francesco Molinari. In the third match Woods returns to action with Stricker again to face Garcia and Donald. The anchor match has Dufner and Johnson against Poulter and McIlroy.
The margin of victory by Bradley and Mickelson, who won the first two holes and led 5 up at the turn, matched the record for the worst routs in partner-play previously set by Tom Kite and Hale Irwin, who beat Ken Brown and Des Smyth in 1979, and Paul Azinger and Mark O'Meara, who toppled Nick Faldo and David Gilford.
Dating to the opening match Thursday against Donald and Sergio Garcia, Bradley and Mickelson won 16 of 33 holes, lost just three and halved five others with birdies. In all, they have lost just five of the 44 holes they've played this week. And they picked up where they left off after their two wins Friday as Bradley pounded a 350-yard drive on the first hole and Mickelson hit his short approach to 1 foot for an opening birdie and win.
Mickelson said his emotional partnership with Bradley is unlike any displayed by the teams he's seen on the U.S. side during his Ryder Cup career.
"The European side has had some great teammates with Seve and Ollie and some others, but to be able to share this experience with Keegan and to partake in his great play and experience the Ryder Cup together has been really awesome," said Mickelson, who was 3-12-3 in his last four Ryder Cups. "We've had so much fun. The crowd has provided so much energy, and it's brought our best golf out."
Westwood said he and Donald couldn't get their best golf going -- in large part because of Bradley and Mickelson.
"He's obviously been a rock star this week," Donald said of Bradley. "And they did nothing wrong. They played extremely solid. We didn't quite have our games this morning, and we just couldn't quite get the momentum on our side.
"We just kept pushing and trying as hard as we could, but they kept coming up with great shots."