EUROPEAN

• Big start for Americans at Ryder Cup

  
  

  Louisville, KY (Sports Network) - The American side took a 3-1 lead after Friday morning's foursomes session at the 37th Ryder Cup Matches at Valhalla Golf Club.

  Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim overcame a 3-down deficit on the back nine to halve the opening match against Europe's Padraig Harrington and Robert Karlsson.

  The first American points came from the second match when Justin Leonard and Hunter Mahan toppled Henrik Stenson and Paul Casey, 3&2.

  Stewart Cink and Chad Campbell won the 18th hole to pull out a 1-up victory over their European counterparts Justin Rose and Ian Poulter, a somewhat controversial pick by captain Nick Faldo.

  Kenny Perry, a Kentucky native, stumbled into the clubhouse Friday. He and Jim Furyk blew a 2-up lead with two to play to earn a halve against Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood.

  This is a stark contrast for an American side that has not held a Friday morning lead since the 1991 Matches. Overall, the U.S. has lost five of the last six Ryder Cups and three in a row, including historic nine-point losses in the last two.

  In the first match, the Europeans won the first hole and played steadily throughout the front nine. Mickelson and Kim fell 3-down when Karlsson tapped in a three-foot birdie putt at the 12th.

  After that, the Americans took control.

  Karlsson missed a four-foot par putt at 13 to lose the hole, then neither team found the putting surface at the par-three 14th. The Europeans hit a terrible pitch that left them with 40 feet for par. Mickelson hit a vintage Mickelson flop to a foot and when Karlsson missed the par putt, the U.S. won two in a row to close the gap to 1-down.

  Mickelson, who was visibly distracted by a camera earlier in the match, calmly rolled in a 15-footer for birdie to win the 15th and suddenly pull the U.S. to all-square.

  Harrington showed his toughness at 16. The Americans were conceded par after a brilliant chip by Kim, but Harrington earned a halve for his side as he knocked in a 12-footer to save par.

  Karlsson used every inch of the hole to halve the 17th, but both teams found bunkers off the tee at the closing hole. Mickelson muscled a four-iron into a front greenside bunker, while Harrington laid up at the par-five last.

  Karlsson hit a strong approach 10 feet short of the stick. Kim tried to play a too-cute shot and never got the ball to the green. Mickelson pitched to five feet, but the reigning British Open and PGA Championship winner had 10 feet to win the hole and match, Harrington missed on the left side to put all of the pressure on the rookie Kim.

  He holed the five-footer, pumped his fists and conceded Karlsson's short par putt for the halve.

  "They played some great golf," acknowledged Mickelson.

  "I thought we might have a chance on 17 and 18, but unfortunately we didn't make a birdie. We're very thankful to take a halve being 3-down with six to go." Leonard and Mahan lost the first two holes with bogeys, but calmed down from there, especially the rookie Mahan.

  "I told Hunter I lost the first two holes for us on purpose to take the pressure off," joked Leonard, who earned his first-ever Ryder Cup victory in his third appearance -- and first since holing the putt that clinched the Cup in 1999.

  The Americans won the next three holes thanks to some fine iron play by Leonard and timely putting from Mahan. Leonard set up birdie putts for Mahan from 10 and six feet at three and four, then Leonard rolled in a 12-footer to go 1-up at five.

  Europe won No.

  6, but the U.S. took seven and eight to move 2-up. The teams halved their first hole at nine, but Casey and Stenson won the 10th to get to 1-down.

  The U.S. was conceded a birdie and the win at 14, then only needed a par to take the 15th and go 3-up with three to play. When the sides halved 16 with pars, the U.S. got its first point.

  The third match featured another great comeback effort from the U.S. side.

  Rose and Poulter built a 3-up lead after the Americans made a total disaster of the seventh hole. Cink hit a great tee ball to six feet to set up a birdie and win at eight.

  Europe did not play the 11th well and lost the hole. Campbell converted a 10- footer for birdie to win No. 13 and draw his team even with Rose and Poulter.

  Poulter went long of the putting surface at 14 and Cink and Campbell two- putted for par to take a 1-up edge. Cink found water at 16 and lost the hole, then both sides parred 16 and 17.

  The match was all-square at the closing hole and Rose sent his pair's second shot into a greenside bunker. Campbell hit a spectacular iron 10 feet over the flag.

  Poulter blasted out to give Europe a reasonable look at birdie. Cink narrowly missed the eagle putt, then Rose ran the birdie putt past the American's mark.

  Poulter missed the par putt and conceded the hole and the match to the U.S.

  "We didn't play perfectly," said Cink. "It's amazing what happens when you put pressure on them." The anchor match was all U.S. from the sixth hole. Furyk sank a 12-footer for par and a win there, then won seven to go 1-up. Perry whipped his home-state crowd into a frenzy when he drained a 10-foot birdie putt at 12 to send his side 2-up.

  Europe cut into the lead with a win at 13, but the U.S. got the hole back when Garcia found water at the 15th.

  Perry had a chance to earn the win in front of his crowd, but missed a six- footer for par at the 17th. Now only 1-up with one to play, Perry found the water off the tee at 18.

  The U.S. eventually conceded the hole for a halve.

  09/19 13:31:50 ET