EUROPEAN

• U.S. two ahead after exciting Saturday

  
  

  Louisville, KY (Sports Network) - After an amazing Saturday of golf, the United States holds a 9-7 lead over Europe at the Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club.

  The teams split the fourball matches Saturday afternoon, with each side getting two points, after Europe won the morning foursomes 2 1/2 - 1 1/2.

  In the second fourball match, Ben Curtis and Steve Stricker gutted out a tough halve against the favored European duo of Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey.

  The next epic matchup was the third where Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell defeated Kentucky's own Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk, 1-up.

  Phil Mickelson and Hunter Mahan battled the Swedish tandem of Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson to a halve.

  The only match that didn't go the distance was the first one.

  Crowd favorites Boo Weekley and J.B. Holmes defeated Lee Westwood, who sat his first-ever Ryder Cup match Saturday morning, and Soren Hansen, 2 & 1, in the opening fourball.

  The action in the last hour was spectacular. Several holes were halved with birdies and the pressure was immense. After the team competition, the U.S. is two clear with 12 singles matches to play on Sunday.

  The last time the U.S. held the lead heading into the singles was 1995. It also led 9-7 13 years ago, but Europe came back that Sunday to steal the Cup.

  Scoring perhaps the biggest point for that European team in 1995 was current captain Nick Faldo. He said that precedent wouldn't be a concern come Sunday.

  "We won't be thinking of history or the past," said Faldo. "Tomorrow's the only moment we've got. So that's what the guys have been living for, that's why they want to be here and what we'll be playing for tomorrow." For American captain Paul Azinger, he has a chance to finally wrestle the Cup back from Europe. The Americans have lost five of the last six Ryder Cups, including the last three in row. The defeats in 2004 and 2006 were both historic, nine-point humiliations.

  "If you told me we'd have a two-shot lead going into Sunday, I'd have been really happy about that," said Azinger. "My stomach is churning." The reason for Azinger's stomach woes was the unbelievable quality of golf in the final three matches Saturday afternoon.

  Match No. 2 saw the Americans move ahead when Curtis made his first birdie of these matches. Europe drew even thanks to a great eagle chip by Garcia at 10.

  After Curtis missed a 10-footer to win No. 17, only Stricker found the fairway at the par-five closing hole. Unfortunately for the Americans, both Stricker and Curtis went long and left with their second shots.

  Garcia landed on the putting surface, but had some 60 feet from the top of the green. Casey came up short with his second from a bunker.

  Curtis had an awful lie and chunked his third, essentially taking himself out ofthe hole.

  Casey and Stricker both gave themselves decent birdie opportunities in the 12- to 15-foot range.

  Garcia struck a beautiful eagle putt to four feet.

  Stricker stepped up and holed his birdie putt to put the pressure squarely on the shoulders of the Europeans.

  Casey, one of Faldo's picks, converted his birdie putt for a halve in a classic battle.

  "I'm drained," admitted Stricker. "That was so much fun. We weren't supposed to win that match going against Sergio and Paul. We hung in there and did ourselves good." The next match to come through was Poulter/McDowell versus Furyk/Perry and it too was a classic.

  The Europeans were 2-up, but Furyk cut it in half with a 17-foot birdie putt at 14. Furyk then hit his approach to 15 inside a foot and was conceded birdie.

  McDowell stepped up and sank a five-footer to halve the hole and stay 1-up.

  At the 17th, Poulter rolled in a 13-footer for birdie. The heat was on Furyk, who needed to make his 10-footer to extend the contest. After someone in the gallery informed Furyk it broke more than expected, Furyk's ball rolled around the hole a few times before finally falling.

  Furyk hit an amazing approach 18 feet shy of the flag at 18. Poulter and McDowell both missed the putting surface with their second shots and Perry's came to rest right of the green.

  McDowell's ball stopped 12 feet from the stick, but Poulter stiffed his pitch inside two feet. Furyk's eagle try never came close, nor did McDowell's birdie effort.

  Poulter stepped up and kicked in the short birdie putt.

  Poulter started the week as a somewhat controversial captain's pick. Some thought Darren Clarke or Colin Montgomerie belonged on the team over Poulter, but all the young Englishman did was go 3-1 as the only European to play in all four team sessions.

  "To be here is a honor," said Poulter.

  "I'm running high right now. It's incredible." The anchor match belonged to the U.S. until the turn. The Americans held a 2- up lead after 11, but Karlsson caught fire with four consecutive birdies. The first two in a row, at 12 and 13, squared the match, but the Americans equaled him at 14 and 15.

  Mickelson hit a sensational approach to six feet at 17. Stenson, largely quiet throughout the match, nearly rolled in a 25-footer for birdie, but came up one revolution short.

  Mickelson yanked his birdie putt and it was off to 18 all-square.

  At the final hole, Mickelson basically took himself out of it after a poor drive, poor second and tough third. He made a swipe at a birdie effort, but was conceded par.

  Stenson landed in a bunker and blasted out to four feet with his third. Karlsson's second came back off a hill to 10 feet. Mahan, the rookie captain's pick, reached the green in two and had 18 feet for eagle.

  Mahan came up just shy with his eagle chance. That left it up to Karlsson.

  The Swede, a winner last week in Germany, pulled his putt almost three feet past the cup. Karlsson stepped up and drained his seventh birdie to gain the halve.

  The first match of fourballs was a rematch of Friday's last match. Westwood took some exception to Weekley's imploring of the crowd to make noise on Friday, but Saturday's match was much more civil.

  Weekley rolled in a birdie putt at one and gave one big arm gesture to get the crowd louder.

  Westwood followed him with a birdie to quiet the gallery, but the U.S. went ahead with a par at six.

  The U.S.

  got 3-up, but Europe won 11 and 13 to get within 1-down. Weekley answered for his team.

  He sank a 20-footer from off the fringe to win 14 and walked off the green to the loud chants of "Boo!" Weekley hit a spectacular approach from a fairway bunker at 15 that stopped inside two feet. He was conceded birdie, but Westwood ran home an 11-footer for birdie to halve the hole.

  "I done had eight hole-in-ones, so I'd have to say that'd be No. 9," Weekley replied when asked where he would rank the bunker shot at 15.

  Holmes just missed his birdie putt at 17 to win the match. Hansen and Westwood both had decent looks at birdie to extend the contest, but neither converted, giving the U.S. the full point.

  09/20 19:51:02 ET