Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer led their foursomes match at Hazeltine into the back nine and had two key chances to make a decisive break, but a collapse allied to a surge from Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson led the US claiming another point.
Walker’s uncertain start with poor shots for two bogeys allowed the European duo to go one-up, but despite several opportunities to push their lead into something more decisive, it was never extended.
Garcia had holed from distance at the ninth to keep his side ahead but the Spaniard missed birdie putts of 10 feet on the 10th and 11th holes.
“I wouldn’t say they would have killed the match but it would have been important to go two-up,” he said. “I left it short on 10 and burned the edge of 11, that’s what happens sometimes.
“When you let that momentum get away then things can turn around quickly. They got on a good roll, made three birdies. If we go two-up, then maybe it’s a different game.”
Johnson and Walker went all square when Kaymer’s approach came up short of the 12th and they couldn’t get up and down for par, and then won the next four holes, three with birdies, to eventually win comfortably 4 and 2.
“I hit some squirrely shots early on, Zach kept us in it,” said Walker, the PGA champion. “We started reading putts, seeing them and they started going in.”
Johnson said there was freedom in accepting where your partner put the ball.
“I don’t know how we didn’t win a hole until the 12th but Jimmy’s par putt at the 9th was our catalyst,” he said.
“It’s a good morning, but there’s a lot of talent on both teams, and a lot of golf left.”
Kaymer agreed that Europe needed to turn the momentum around but believes the team could do it.
“It’s a different game this afternoon. Obviously we haven’t done well in the first morning but we’ve got to go and get the momentum going into tomorrow.”
