A third of October’s rainfall fell on day one of the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, but from the mud a schedule has been created to hopefully finish the tournament on Sunday.
Seven hours and 18 minutes’ play were lost and a busy Saturday – with the forecast fair – is instore.
Once the current matches are completed, six foursome matches will follow – rather than the usual four – with two foursome and four fourball rubbers to follow, most likely to be concluded on Sunday morning. The 12 singles ties should then proceed as scheduled on Sunday afternoon.
“I think it works very well,” said European captain Colin Montgomerie of the revised schedule, “All credit to the organisation for coming up with a plan of attack: it’s great for the fans. Monday finishes are no good in any sport.
“Now at least we can finish this in the allotted time, and it will be tough. I’ll have fourballs finishing, and I’ll have foursomes starting. I’ll have people all over the place,” said Montgomerie, “but at the same time, I think it mostly benefits the fans, and they are the ones that are supported by this proposed new timetable.”
A Tuesday finish isn’t an option with both captains agreeing to accept the score on the board at sunset on Monday – if Sunday throws up some more poor weather.
It was a frustrating day for the paying public, who won’t be entitled to a refund. Play resumed at 5.00pm. Spectators braved the mud but witnessed a swing towards the Americans. They finished up in two matches, level in one and down in the top match – where Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer still hold a one shot lead for the Europeans but had a three-shot advantage through six holes trimmed.
Dustin Johnson rolled a careful putt down the hill on the par-three seventh for a birdie and Phil Mickelson picked up his own birdie-two on the tenth. Johnson could have levelled the match on the 12th but missed a putt as play was ended by the fading light.
It was respite for the Europeans, who faced a charge led by Stewart Cink, who started holing all sorts of putts. He made four birdies in seven holes as he and Matt Kuchar transformed their match against the Nothern Irish pairing of Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy. Resuming one-up, Cink’s brilliance on the greens saw the highly fancied pair finish two-down.
McIlroy’s long approach to just short of the ninth green set up a birdie to bring the match all-square but Cink made consecutive birdies on the tenth and 11th.
The all-English due of Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher produced solid golf in the third match but pars on every hole wasn’t good enough to match birdies firstly on the par-four eighth by Steve Stricker and then on the par-five ninth by Tiger Woods.
One-down into their last hole of the day, Poulter had a putt for birdie to bring the Europeans level. The fading light made him unsure to take the putt but, in consultation with his captain, Poulter stepped up from 25-feet to make the two and provide a late boost for the the home side.
“I was there on the 10th green with him,” said Montgomerie, “it was dark; it was very, very dark. It was well beyond the time we would have been playing stroke play events.
“He [Poulter] asked me ‘can I stop?’ But at the same time, he thought I’ll do this and gave the team momentum if I hole it and he’s definitely done that. What a roar went up when that putt went in.”
Europe will also gain momentum from Luke Donald’s last-hole birdie. He holed a putt on the eighth green to reduce the arrears for him and Padriag Harrington to one-down against rookies Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton.
