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2018 Ryder Cup Live Blog: Follow Friday’s matches at Le Golf National

By GOLF WIRE
September 28, 2018

The 2018 Ryder Cup is underway at Le Golf National in France. You can follow Friday’s afternoon matches below with our Ryder Cup live blog.

The U.S. team jumped out to an early lead Friday morning. The American team won three of the four matches in fourballs to go up 3-1. But Europe is itching to get some of of those points back in foursomes.

Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler, who won their morning match 4 and 2 will team up together again in foursomes, this time against Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose. Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau face off against Sergio Garcia Friday afternoon as well.

Follow the all the Friday foursomes actions from Le Golf National below.

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11:40: And Spieth’s afternoon putting woes continues. Another miss right. Molinari can make this for the match. Otherwise, he and Fleetwood will be dormie. He makes it. Euros win the anchor match 5 and 4. It was a bloodbath in foursomes. The Europeans mount a clean sweep and end the first day of the Ryder Cup leading 5-3. We’ll see you tomorrow, folks.

11:35: Fleetwood’s pitch is a peach. He’ll leave Molinari with about 4 feet for birdie. Thomas hits a nice sand shot as well, but the Americans are outside the Europeans. Spieth will have to drain this putt and then hope for a Molinari miss.

11: 33: Justin Thomas will have a sand shot from in front of the green to a front pin. Fleetwood appears to be away, and will have a pitch and run (or possibly a putt, depending on his preference) back down the green. Ok. He’s going to pitch it.

11:32: Molinari will play the second for Europe on the 14th. He rifles a fairway wood to the back of the green. Spieth will try to answer from 240, but his approach finds the bunker short. He and Justin Thomas will likely need a birdie here to keep the match alive.

11:30: On the 14th, a par-five, Alex Noren just cozied his team’s third shot close enough for a concession. This match is over, 5 and 4 to the Europeans. Only one match remains. And the Europeans are up 4 with five to play. And Fleetwood just split the fairway on the par five.

11:26: On the 13th, Spieth misses another putt. It would have been a nifty par save, but no. So he and Thomas are 4 down with 5 to play. On the 16th, Bubba is about to chip from behind the green. He needs to hole it. But he doesn’t it. And that match will be conceded. First two points of the afternoon go to the Europeans, and it’s looking like two more points are coming. A clean sweep is very likely.

11:24: And Webb Simpson flies it long. Bubba will have to chip it in.

11:25: Rory sticks it pin high, so par is pretty much guaranteed. Webb Simpson will need to get this close. He and Bubba need birdie to stay alive.

11:23: So Bubba and Webb’s match moves to the 16th against Rory and Poulter. Rory is on the tee. The Euros are dormie. There is water to carry, and a pin on the back tier of the green.

11:22: Bubba, with a long bid for birdie to close to within 2, but he leaves it short. He laughs at the result, but it does not come off as sincere happiness. Watson has never looked all that comfortable in the Ryder Cup, and he and Simpson have made a bunch of bogeys today.

11:21: The lead match has been conceded. Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson take it 3 and 2, with a par on the 16th.

11:20: Back on the tee at 13th, in the anchor match, Jordan Spieth played iron off the tee of the par four, and blocked it into the water. Fleetwood found fairway, so huge advantage Europe.

11: 16: Garcia and Noren are also dormie for the Euroes. They’re 5 up with 5 to play against Phil and Bryson. Phil just made birdie to win the 13th, but it’s far too little, far too late.

11:14: Here at Le Golf, there is beaucoup water coming down the stretch. Including on the par 3 16th, where Stenson has just played a tasty shot. He is inside Fowler’s shot, which also found the green. The U.S. needs to win the hole to keep the match alive, and it ain’t looking good for them.

11:11: In the anchor match, Spieth makes a shorty to halve the 13th. He and Justin Thomas are still 3-down to Fleetwood and Molinari, who took out Reed and Tiger in the morning fourball session.

11:10: Rose cozies it to gimme range. So now Rickie will have about 6 feet to halve the hole and extend the match. And he makes it. So the Euros are dormie, guaranteed at least a half point.

11:08: DJ will now have a cross country putt for birdie on 15, over a ridge, and downhill. It’s a good bid but it runs out about 6 feet past. Justin Rose will have a shorter putt from the collar for the win. If he makes it, this one is over.

11:05: With holes running out, the Europeans have three 3-up leads and one 6-up lead. It’s looking like their steak frites will be tasting good tonight.

11:03: On the 15th, Fowler and DJ are scrambling to stay in it. It’s a water-lined par four. Rickie finds the green but doesn’t love it. He’s long right. Stenson finds dry land with his own approach but he was fortunate. That was flirting with the water.

11:00: Fleetwood and Molinari have a hiccup on 11. They make bogey, Spieth and JT make par, so the Europeans are now 3 up. The U.S. does not lead in a single match. Quite the contrary.

10:58. DeChambeau will need to make a 10 footer for bogey, and even then he and Phil are likely going to lose the hole. He makes it. But Sergio has a four footer to win.

10: 55: On the 12th, Mickelson makes an unforced error from the fairway, missing the green left. Bryson follows with a flubbed chip, leaving the Europeans with a birdie putt for the win. Noren burns the edge. So they’re looking at a likely par. Phil will be looking to chip in for par, but he runs it by. They’re about to go 6 down with six to play.

10:54: With four holes to play, DJ and Fowler are three down to Stenson and Rose. DJ just made a nice birdie putt for a halve.

10: 52:  If you’re into second guessing, you will not be alone in questioning Captain Furyk’s decision to send Phil out in foursomes for his first match. No doubt his thinking was to put a veteran with Ryder Cup rookie DeChambeau, but the strategy has not paid off.

10:50: Meantime, on the 13th, more good news for Europe.  After Poulter drove it in the hazard, Rory hit a remarkable recovery from the cabbage, over water. He left Poulter with about 12 feet for birdie and yep. Poulter made it. They are now 3-up with 5 to play.

10: 49: On the 10th, in the anchor match, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas have bogeyed to drop to 4 -down. Spieth could have halved it but he pushed a 10 foot par bid just right.

10:45: And Mickelson makes it, so . . .not out of it, but close. He and DeChambeau have played very sloppy golf.

10:44: On the 11th, Sergio just missed a six footer for par, leaving an opportunity for Mickelson to nab a win. It would be the second straight win for him and Bryson, and it would get them to 5 down.

10:40: On the 10th, Spieth and Thomas are in the rough right off the tee. Just 136 to the hole for Spieth but not an easy shot. He fluffs the approach, and it lands short and spills back into the fronting bunker.

10:39: Dustin Johnson has a chance to win the 13th, and he does, with a silky birdie putt. He and Fowler are now 3 down with 5 to play. They’re not dead. But their pulse is weak.

10:36: Newsflash! Mickelson and DeChambeau have won a hole. Not through any of their own heroics. Garcia and Noren bogey and concede the par to the Americans, who are now 6-down

10:35: On the 12th hole, Poulter has a little bunny to win the hole and get him and Rory to 2 up over Simpson and Watson. And he does. That’s another win for the Europeans–with a par.

10:33: And Spieth, whose putting has plagued him this season, misses a five footer. Hole goes to the Euros.

10:32: In the anchor match, Spieth just flubbed a chip on the 9th, and Thomas didn’t do much with his next, so Fleetwood with a birdie bid to win the hole. Fleetwood misses, but the Americans still need to make a par putt to halve the hole.

10: 30: Mickelson has spent much of the front nine with his arm draped around Bryson, trying to lighten the mood. DeChambeau’s jaw has remained so tight, though, you’d think he’d contracted tetanus. Not a fun introduction to the Ryder Cup for him.

10:29: The Mickelson/DeChambeau pairing has been a disaster, though. They are 7-down through the front side to Noren and Garcia.

10:27: During our brief technical interlude, Bubba knocked one stiff on 11 and Webb Simpson converted the birdie. They trail by just 1 now. And DJ and Fowler have gotten one back as well. Though they are still 4 down.

10:17: Tommy Fleetwood with a rare missed putt. He and Molinari finally lose a hole, and now they are just two up on Spieth and Thomas thru 8

10:15: Bubba Watson had a great chance to trim the deficit to 1 in his and Webb Simpson’s match against Rory and Poulter. But his par putt swings wide. Euros remain 2 up in that one.

10:13: Correction. Spieth and JT are 3 down.

10:11: And DJ misses. He and Rickie are 5 down. Nothing going right for the Americans. The only match within sniffing distance is the anchor, with Spieth and Thomas trailing 2 down

10:09: Henrik Stenson, on 11, has about 10 feet for birdie to go 5-up on DJ and Fowler. How do you say massacre in French? Oh, wait. Massacre. Except that Stenson misses. But the U.S. still has to make an 8 footer or thereabouts to halve the hole. DJ will putt. We shall see.

10:07: And on the 8th hole, meanwhile, DeChambeau, continuing a miserable front side, jacks his putt wide. Another bogey for him and Mickelson. Noren can make a short one now to go 6-up. Count em, 6-up. And he does. This is a boat race.

10:05: And on the par-three 11th, Justin Rose stiffs it, setting up his partner Stenson for birdie. DJ tugs his tee shot well left. The Americans are getting stampeded in this one, and it could get worse. The US pairings have combined to make a single birdie so far. They’ve one just two holes total.

10:02: Dustin Johnson, playing with Rickie Fowler and a new left-hand low putting grip, just missed a shorty on 10. They bogey the hole and are now 4 down.

10:00: Happy Ryder Cup Friday, everyone. Josh Sens here, filling in for my man Kevin Cunningham. It’s a Euro wave in afternoon foursomes, a format otherwise known as “Sorry, Partner.” USA trails in all four matches

9:50: The Americans can’t get a break. Justin Rose sinks a long clutch par at 9 to halve the hole with DJ and Fowler. Rose and Stenson remain 3 up.

9:48: Not a sight American fans want to see:

9:46: Europe now leads all four afternoon matches: 4 up, 3 up, 2 up and 1 up.

9:43: Wow, McIlroy just rolled in a birdie to win his third-straight hole. He and Poulter have turned an early 2 down deficit to Simpson and McIlroy into a 1 up lead.

9:40: The wind is picking up at Le Golf National in a big way, and it’s starting to give the players fits.

9:37: The Europeans are feeling confident:

9:33: Simpson and Bubba lose the 7th hole, so their early 2 up lead has vanished. That match is now AS and the Euros lead the other three contests.

9:31: A poor putt for par at 5 by DeChambeau leads to another win by Garcia and Noren. They now lead 3 up thru 5.

9:29: Spieth and Thomas save par at 4 to remain 1 down.

9:26: Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy birdied 6 to get one back from Simpson and Bubba, who are now 1 up.

9:21: Fowler can’t save par, but Stenson does. Stenson and Rose are now 3 up thru 7 over Fowler and DJ.

9:19: DJ and Fowler are making a mess of the 7th hole. DJ’s drive went way right into an awkward lie in deep rough. Fowler couldn’t reach the green from there. They finally made the green with their third shot, but the Euros are on in 2.

9:17: Bubba hits a poor chip at 6. Simpson will have to make a 15-footer for birdie. Poulter leaves his eagle putt a good 6 feet short.

9:13: Molinari and Fleetwood birdie 3 to go 1 up over Spieth and Thomas. The Euros now lead in three of the four matches in the afternoon session.

9:11: Rory McIlroy has struggled all day, but he just drove the green at the short par-4 6th.

9:08: Fowler fails to hole his chip at 6. Rose sinks a 10-footer for birdie. Rose-Stenson 2 up thru 6.

9:05: Fowler hit it way left at 6, so DJ is forced to make a hero chip, and he almost pulls it off. The ball stops on the collar, but it’s only 15 feet away.

9:03: DeChambeau and Mickelson make bogey at the par -5 3rd. Noren rolls in a birdie to grow he and Garcia’s lead to 2 up.

8:59: Fowler misses a long par putt at 5 to lose the hole. Stenson-Rose are now 1 up on Fowler-DJ.

8:57: Thomas holes a pressure-packed par putt to halve the 2nd hole. AS thru 2.

8:54: A little taste of what it’s like today at Le Golf National:

8:51: At 5, Fowler hits a wild approach shot that goes well left of the green. Stenson follows from a horrible lie in deep rough and comes up short of the green, but the Euros are in much better shape.

8:49: Spieth nearly holes his long birdie putt at 1, but it lips out.

8:46: Fleetwood hits a beautiful approach at 1 to about 12 feet. Thomas’s shot from the rough makes the putting surface, but it’s a long way from the cup.

8:44: Phil finishes off a bogey 5 at 1. Noren sinks his short par putt, so Noren/Garcia go 1 up on Mickelson/DeChambeau right out of the gate.

8:43: Webb Simpson rolls in a birdie bomb from 40 feet at 3 to win the hole. He and Bubba move to 2 up over McIlroy and Poulter.

8:42: Sergio chips it close with the Euros third shot at 1.

8:40: DeChambeau missed his approach shot well right at 2, so Mickelson has to navigate a chip from rough and over a few bunkers. Phil goes for the flop and it comes up short, sticking in the collar.

8:37: At 1, Spieth hits his hybrid off the tee into the right rough. It’s just a yard in, but the rough is very thick. Molinari follows with a tee shot right down the middle of the fairway.

8:35: The final match is on the tee: Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth vs. Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood. Both teams had big wins in the first session.

8:31: Stenson can’t convert a short birdie at 3, so Match 1 remains AS thru 3.

8:30: Watson/Simpson and McIlroy/Poulter both par 2. U.S. remains 1 up through 2.

8:28: With the ball above his feet near the water at 1, DeChmabeau hits a solid shot onto the green about 30 feet away. Noren bests him and hits it to the collar about 15 feet away for the Euros.

8:24: Match 3 is on the 1st tee: Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau vs. Sergio Garcia and Alex Noren. Phil hits first and nearly drives it into the water on the left, but it stops just short. Sergio stops his swing at the top and steps off. He gathers himself, then knocks a good one into the fairway.

8:21: McIlroy hits a poor tee shot at 3. He’s been struggling all day.

8:19: Bubba just misses a long birdie putt to win the 1st hole against McIlroy-Poulter. But the Euros concede after McIlroy fails to hole a chip for par. U.S. leads 1 up in Match 2.

8:16: Here’s a look at the 1st tee earlier on Friday:

8:15: Fowler misses his par putt at 2, and Stenson misses his par-saver as well. Match 1 is AS thru 2.

8:13: After taking a drop following Poulter’s water ball, McIlroy’s hits their third shot to the collar of the green at 1.

8:12: With the Euros in the water off the tee, Webb Simpson hits the Americans’ second shot safely on the green.

8:11: In Match 1, Rose chips from a bunker at 2 and leaves a 6-footer for par. Dustin Johnson duffs his won chip so both teams will be putting for pa at 2.

8:08: Poulter follows Bubba in Match 2, and drives his opening tee shot INTO THE WATER. Wow, it’ll be hard for the Euros to win this hole.

8:07: Match No. 2 is Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson vs. Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter. Bubba just drove it into the fairway at 1.

8:04: Henrik Stenson makes a clutch 5-footer to save par and halve the 1st hole with Dustin Johnson and and Rickie Fowler.

7:57: The first match is currently on the course. Team Europe needs to pick up at least a couple points in this session to stay in this thing.

7:53: Here’s a look at the matchups for Friday afternoon’s foursomes session:

– Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler vs. Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose

– Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson vs. Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter

– Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau vs. Sergio Garcia and Alex Noren

– Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth vs. Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood

7:50: Welcome to our 2018 Ryder Cup Live Blog! The American team shot out to a 3-1 lead in the morning fourballs matches. Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed were the only U.S. players responsible for a loss.