europe's morning but lehman keeps faith
Tiger Woods - struggled badly again.
By Phil Casey, PA Sport, Dublin
US captain Tom Lehman kept faith with off-form duo Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as Europe increased their lead in the Ryder Cup at the K Club. Leading 5-3 overnight, Ian Woosnam's men won their third session in succession by a one-point margin to lead by seven and a half points to four and a half. Woods struggled badly for the second day running and never made a single birdie as he and Jim Furyk were beaten 3 and 2 by Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood in the morning fourballs. Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal also made it two wins out of two with an equally assured 3 and 2 win over Mickelson and DiMarco, the world number two making just one birdie in 16 holes. World Match Play winner Paul Casey then made a superb birdie on the 18th to snatch a second half with Robert Karlsson against the impressive JJ Henry and Stewart Cink. In the final match Zach Johnson fired seven birdies in 17 holes as he and Scott Verplank defeated Padraig Harrington and Henrik Stenson 2 and 1. Lehman insisted he had never considered dropping Woods, adding: ``I don`t know how you can sit down the best player in the world. That`s impossible.'' Clarke, who finished off the match in style with a birdie on the 16th, and Westwood were Ian Woosnam's two wild cards and fully justified the Welshman's faith. ``People said we were a gamble but two of the people most sure it wasn't were us,'' said Clarke, whose wife Heather died six weeks ago on Sunday after a long battle with cancer. Woods, out of sorts ever since pulling his opening drive on Friday into water, carved his second shot into trees on the fourth, found water on the seventh and then missed from four feet to bogey the eighth. Walking off the eighth tee Lehman took the chance to have a quick word with Woods, who has never sat out a session of play in the Ryder Cup but has won just nine points out of a possible 22. Westwood's birdie at the first had only been good enough for a half as Furyk once again holed a vital putt, but Clarke's birdies on the fourth and fifth put the European pair deservedly in front. Woods looked to have finally found his touch with a superb approach to the ninth but promptly missed from four feet to remain two down at the turn. As more heavy rain lashed the course, Clarke fired a brilliant approach to within four feet on the 11th to go further ahead of an American pair who had managed just one birdie between them so far - an abysmal effort in this format. Furyk kept the match alive with a birdie on the 15th but Clarke sealed victory on the par-five 16th by chipping in from the back of the green. ``He does like a big stage,'' joked Westwood. Garcia had been the home side's inspiration on the opening day - the 26-year-old the only one to win a maximum two points - and carried on where he left off with a birdie on the second. DiMarco levelled matters on the next - carrying an anonymous Mickelson as Furyk was carrying Woods - but Olazabal birdied the fourth and eighth to justify Woosnam's faith in his all-Spanish pairing. Garcia's birdie on the ninth meant he and Olazabal turned three up and Olazabal birdied the 10th for good measure. Mickelson's first birdie of the day on the 14th gave the world number two brief hope but another sublime Garcia bunker shot on the 16th secured his third point of the week and eighth straight match without defeat following four and a half points out of five at Oakland Hills. Casey and Karlsson had been two up after nine holes - they led by three with eight to play on Friday - but Cink won the 10th with a birdie before Henry took over with some stunning golf. A three wood over the water on the 16th set up an eagle three, his approach on the next spun back to within two feet for birdie and the 31-year-old then hit the 18th green in two as well. But Casey matched that feat and then watched as Henry could only three-putt for par before holing nervelessly from four feet for birdie to claim a vital half point. ``I thought maybe snatching the full point away from them would hurt so that was the goal down the last,'' said Casey. ``I've played this green enough times, and three-putted it enough times, to know that JJ didn't have a certain birdie.''
