RYDER CUP 2008 2006 REVIEW Lee Westwood defeated Mickelson and Chris DiMarco on the 18th. The afternoon foursomes saw three out of the four matches halved but the exciting combination of Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia beat Woods and Furyk by two holes, leaving the Europeans two points ahead overnight. Resuming on Saturday morning the advantage continued to swing the home side’s way as Garcia and José Maria Olazábal cruised to a 3 and 2 victory over Mickelson and DiMarco, while Clarke and Westwood defeated Woods and Furyk by the same scoreline. The only successful American partnership was the unheralded duo of Zach Johnson and Scott Verplank, who beat Harrington and Henrik Stenson. Two more wins for the Europeans in the afternoon foursomes meant the score on the Saturday night was 10-6 and they were red-hot favourites, though memories of the Justin Leonard-inspired comeback on the Sunday afternoon in 1999 prevented any complacency from setting in to Woosnam’s team. Woosnam sent out his side’s talisman Montgomerie at the top of the order to set the pace for the following matches, and the Scotsman did not fail to deliver, conquering David Toms by one hole, extending his impressive unbeaten run to eight consecutive ➤ prove to Europe’s advantage: “We’ve all played in bad weather all around the world. It’s all about quality of ball-striking, controlling your flight.” The K Club was actually closed up until 9.30am on the morning of Wednesday the 20th due to the health and safety implications of the 40mph winds and torrential rain. The second practice session was delayed for three hours and forty-five minutes, and even then there was a constant sheet of drizzle hanging over the course, accompanied by hostile winds. Nonetheless the course reopened for play at 11.15am much to the delight of the 40,000 fans who had braved the elements. The weather had subsided somewhat by Friday morning and the opening fourballs. With Woods off to a winning start, partnering Jim Furyk to a one-hole win over Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington, it was a tight start but the final game saw the balance edge in Europe’s favour as Darren Clarke and Above The typically Irish weather didn’t prevent huge crowds flocking to the K Club Left Former US President George Bush Snr braved the rain to catch the action 190 CLASSIC SPORTS SERIES