PATRICK REED inspired America to a late comeback as they rallied to take a 9.5 /6.5. lead over Europe.
Rory McIlroy and Thomas Pieters won an ill-tempered clash against Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka 3&1.
But Danny Willett and Lee Westwood made a hash of the par-three 17th to gift JB Holmes and Ryan Moore a point.
Lee Westwood then missed a tiddler on the last to throw away a halve with JB Holmes and Ryan Moore after Danny Willett also failed to sink his birdie putt.
Reed, who sunk an iron approach for a stunning eagle on his 100th hole of Ryder Cup golf, beat Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose … with a little help from Jordan Spieth.
How it happened
D Johnson & Koepka lost to McIlroy and Pieters 3&1
McIlroy’s wild-eyed fist pumps and loud screams of ’Come on’ summed up how much this victory over America’s two biggest hitters meant to him and his team – and this European side is fast becoming McIlroy’s Men.
There was not much subtlety about this collision with McIlroy and his Belgian partner no slouches off the tee either.
On the seventh hole, Koepka’s drive was the shortest in the group, at a ‘mere’ 325 yards!
McIlroy threw in three birdies in the space of four holes to put daylight between the teams, while Pieters used his power to drive the 352 yards fifth, before sinking a twenty footer for a spectacular eagle.
Mickelson & Kuchar beat Garcia & Kaymer 2&1
Just as he was in the opening fourball session, Kaymer was a virtual passenger, making it difficult to understand why Darren Clarke chose to play him ahead of the likes of Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Chris Wood.
Kaymer knocked in from close range for a birdie at the first, and then watched from the front row as Garcia battled the Americans on his own for the next 14 holes, making six birdies and a string of gritty par saves.
Kaymer did disturb the scorers again on the 15th, but it was too late to make by then.
It would still have been an even contest before that if Garcia had not missed tiddlers at the fourth and the sixth – fatal against opponents who finished eight under par.
Moore & Holmes beat Westwood & Willett one up
Europe threw away a half point here as Lee Westwood missed a three-footer on the final green that would have rescued them after he and Willett made a complete hash of the short 17th.
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Westwood had finally joined the Ryder Cup party earlier in the round, draining a forty footer for a winning birdie at the seventh, and he later added a thirty footer for good measure on the tenth.
If only his short putting had been as deadly!
The English duo were never behind until they both failed to make par at the 17th hole. But they were never more than one hole ahead either, and losing that hole to a par after Holmes put his tee shot in the water was a savage blow.
Reed & Spieth beat Rose & Stenson 2&1
Stenson landed the first blow as the top pairing from each team met for the third time at Hazeltine, with the previous score standing at one win apiece. But form that point on,it was all about Reed’s individual brilliance.
Reed took the contest away from the Europeans with a sensational scoring spree from the fifth hole - he played the four holes before the turn in FIVE under par.
He sandwiched birdies with an eagle at the 642 yards sixth, where he spun his third shot back into the hole from six feet beyond the flag. Stenson made three more birdies and an eagle of his own, but Rose could not get the putts to drop as the match ebbed away.
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