When the events and heroes of the 35th Ryder Cup are spoken about in years to come, likely to be slighted or lost in the discussion will be the play of Europeans Paul Casey and David Howell in Saturday morning's four-ball match.

Friday, the Ryder Cup rookies sat on the sidelines during the Europeans' historic pummeling of the Americans. Saturday, while their game against Jim Furyk and Chad Campbell lacked marquee value, the 1-up win was no less significant than the Europeans' slaying of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson 24 hours earlier.

"You know, that last match was probably bigger than the whole day yesterday," seven-time Ryder Cup player and teammate Colin Montgomerie said. "To win the last two holes in four-ball doesn't happen very often. To do that was huge for the European cause ... massive."

By day's end, the point had contributed to the Europeans widening their lead to 11-5 heading into Sunday's final 12 singles matches and left them needing just three points to retain the Cup. The six- point lead is the largest ever since the Great Britain and Ireland expanded to include their European partners in 1979.

While the two points earned against Woods and Mickelson were just that in the mathematical sense, they were worth three or four points psychologically, European captain Bernhard Langer said. The win by Casey and Howell had a similar impact in that it shifted momentum.

Having been humiliated in the worst opening day in Ryder Cup history -- the Americans trailed 6 1/2 to 1 1/2 -- the Yanks came out with fists pumping and birdies dropping on Saturday. And the Americans drew first blood in three of the four matches. At one point on the crisp, clear Michigan morning at Oakland Hills Country Club's South Course, the mood was reminiscent of the Sunday afternoon in 1999 at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., when the Americans rallied from four points down to win the Cup.

"When we got out there today, it was clear the atmosphere was going to be totally different and it was also clear that things weren't really going our way as they were [Friday]," said Howell, 29, of Swindon, England.

American salvos were fired and roars went up from all corners of this rustic Donald Ross venue. There was life flowing in the boys wearing the red, white and blue. And when Furyk made the third of successive birdies at the 13th to erase a 2-down deficit and give his side a 1-up lead, the scoreboard had the Americans on pace to win 3 1/2 in the morning -- a severe slice into the Europeans' lead.

Howell squared the match with a birdie at the par-4 15th, only to watch Campbell drain a 40-foot birdie putt at the par-4 16th -- his first birdie in 30 four-ball holes -- to reclaim the American lead. At the 200-yard, par-3 17th, Howell hit a 6-iron to 5 feet and made the delicate putt to win the hole and square the match.

At the daunting 494-yard 18th, the longest par-4 in Ryder Cup history, Casey stepped up. His 5-iron approach from 202 yards leaked right of the hole and came to rest about 40 feet away. Casey then lagged the putt to within 2 feet for a par attempt. Both Furyk and Campbell butchered their respective efforts around the green and were in with bogey, which made Casey's attempt a bit more meaningful.

"A little nerve wracking, a little scary," said the 29-year-old Casey of the putt.

Casey's teammate was clearly impressed.

"From my point of view that was one of the best 4s I've ever seen because I was obviously in serious trouble and their play forced it up there and Paul made the shot you would expect," Howell said.

The win was a boost to the Europeans' collective psyche and quelled the American gallery's boisterous patriotism. Instead of the United States trailing by two points heading into the afternoon matches, the deficit was four points and the gallery's enthusiasm was sedated.

"[Howell and Casey] came into the contest with their A-games and I'm proud of both of them," Langer said. "Their win was vital because we all know that momentum swings are common in this game."

Howell knew what the win meant in the broader scope of the overall match, even if the Europeans had still lost the four-match morning session.

"We were very aware if we could get out this morning with a one- point loss, which it turned out, it was going to be a good morning for us," he said.

Just as Sutton had an initial positive feeling about his Tiger Woods- Phil Mickelson pairing, Langer trusted his instincts with the rookies.

"You know, to send two rookies out together is sometimes a risk," Montgomerie said. "And we knew that, but we had to figure out how they were going to be paired. We thought, OK, put them together. And that was probably the best idea."

Even if the outcome will be overshadowed in history.