It's been a rough two days for the underdog United States team in the 2014 Ryder Cup. Captain Tom Watson's decision making was questioned several times en route to Europe's 10-6 lead heading into Day 3 of the biennial tournament.
The Americans will have their hands full on Sunday, but comeback victories are not uncommon in this event. After all, we only need to look back to 2012 at Medinah when a meltdown by the United States led to a Europe win. On Saturday, world No. 1 Rory McIlroy mentioned an even more notorious Ryder Cup comeback, via the Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard:
Does this United States team have what it takes, or will a talented European squad prevail once more? Let's check in on how the singles matches are shaking out:
With Europe racking up 10 points over the first two days, it only needs four points on Sunday to retain the coveted trophy for two more years. Captain Paul McGinley is going with his big guns right out of the gate on Day 3, but the Americans are beginning the day with a pair of red-hot rookies.
Here's a look at the complete list of matchups and tee times for the day:
It will certainly be interesting to see if the formidable rookie duo of Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed can continue their dominance during singles play. That pairing was arguably the United States' best through the first two days, earning 2.5 points out of a possible three.
Take a glance at how these phenoms fared compared the the rest of the team, via Justin Ray of the Golf Channel:
Getting off to a hot start will be immensely important for the Americans, as making up four points is no easy feat. Putting things into perspective, should Spieth and Reed both lose their Sunday matches, the Europeans will only need two more victories to retain the trophy.
That's quite a deal of pressure and PGA Tour summed it up on Twitter:
Following those two crucial matchups is the marquee pairing of the day, as McIlroy meets Rickie Fowler.
We've seen these two incredible golfers go toe-to-toe earlier this season—notably at the Open Championship and PGA Championship—but have yet to see the end result of a match play event.
McIlroy wasn't overwhelming during the first two days, but some clutch shots allowed him to record two of a possible four points. Fowler has seen some tough competition, and although he's failed to earn a victory, his one loss is accompanied by three halves, giving him 1.5 out of a possible four points.
The Americans don't have an easy task ahead but some early momentum could go a long way. It all comes down to how well golfers aged 21, 24 and 25 can handle the pressure.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/YyqvzC
via IFTTT September 28, 2014 at 05:00AM
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