Jeff
Maggert's heroics and the first win in three matches for Tiger Woods helped save
the United States team from further embarrassment today in the morning Ryder Cup
matches.
The
Americans and Europe split the four alternate shot matches, leaving the Europeans
with an 8-4 lead going into the afternoon best ball play.
It could have been worse, though, had Maggert and Hal Sutton not pulled off a
late win over Colin Montgomerie and Paul Lawrie. Woods and Steve Pate also had
to rebound with an eagle on the 14th hole to win their match with Miguel Angel
Jimenez and Padraig Harrington.
Woods and Pate won the first three holes, but the match was even before Woods
rolled in a 20-footer on the par-5 that put the American pair ahead for good.
They didn't close it out until the 18th green, however, when Pate hit an iron
close to clinch the 1-up win.
Maggert rolled in a birdie putt on No. 17 and followed it with a brilliant iron
to the 18th green to win his match.
Maggert's 25-foot birdie putt put he and Sutton ahead, and he then hit a 7-iron
to within a foot of the hole on 18. The putt was conceded and the Americans had
their first point of the day with the 1-up win.
"I
just wanted to do something good," Maggert said. "I know the guys who have been
on the last two Ryder Cups aren't ready to face that again."
The joy of the U.S. team was shortlived, however, as Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke
combined for another European win and Jesper Parnevik and Sergio Garcia beat the
American combination of Payne Stewart and Justin Leonard.
Westwood and Clarke closed out their match on the 16th hole, winning 3 and 2,
while Garcia and Parnevik closed Stewart and Leonard out on the same hole, also
3 and 2.
Play was suspended for 22 minutes midway through the morning matches. When it
resumed, it took the four American pairings a full hour to win a single hole as
the Europeans again showed their dominance.
Though play began in ideal conditions this morning, rain soon began falling and
players huddled under umbrellas between shots on The Country Club course.
"This is not
what we need right now. Our momentum is moving," U.S. captain Ben Crenshaw said.
